Councilmember Barry: What Did Sharon Bowen Actually Do?
In reporting out our story on Sharon Bowen, a woman linked professionally and personally to Ward 8 Councilmember Marion Barry, it was difficult to figure out what she exactly did for the residents of the District.
Between spring 2007 and spring 2008, Barry had awarded her $50,000 in taxpayer-funded contracts. From our sources, we kept hearing two things: Bowen was a "class act" and Barry's girlfriend. None of our sources could talk with deep knowledge about her actual work. All city records have to show for it are invoices written by Bowen and the Barry-approved personal services contracts.
We are just supposed to know that Bowen worked in the areas of poverty reduction (specifically on organizing a Poverty Summit), working with the Ward 8 Business Council, and to "ensure that the vision of Councilmember Marion Barry is fulfilled." Does this seem like $50,000 worth of work?
When asked about Bowen's work, Ward 8 Business Council Executive Director James Bunn admitted it wasn't rocket science. He said Bowen essentially went door-to-door to identify Ward 8 businesses. If she made a report on her findings, he didn't see one.
It all feels like work you give an intern. Or something Barry should have delegated to his constituent services office or an elected ANC commissioner or a staffer at the Ward 8 Business Council. This does not feel like $50,000 work you give to a woman who votes in Ohio.
At the time of Bowen's work, poverty in the District was a very real problem, one that hadn't changed since the last recession. According to the DC Fiscal Policy Institute, the gap between high-wage and low-wage workers had reached an all-time high in 2007 and poverty levels were at their highest in more than a decade.
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Linked From: August 7th, 2009The World Might Explode if Mark Sanford and Marion Barry Ever Compared Notes • CrazyDrumGuy
2:45 pm[...] shocking new twist in the latest “Marion Barry hires his girlfriends” scandal: nobody knows what recently-identified girlfriend Sharon Bowen did to warrant her $50,000 contract. [...]
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Linked From: August 10th, 2009Eddie Daye R.I.P.: Loose Lips Daily - City Desk - Washington City Paper
11:25 am[...] IN CASE YOU MISSED IT—”Councilmember Barry: What Did Sharon Bowen Actually Do?” [...]
5:06 pm
Barry takes care of the "little people." Please that's bullshit and how many times are you folks gonna repeat that line again.
"Marion Barry has done more for poor people. Marion Barry cares about black people." Blah, blah and fucking blah.
Give me and example of what Barry has done for anyone other than himself, his hoes and Anthony Motley in the last 15 years?
And by the way all of the "little people" you have referred to have RUN with their District government jobs to reside in Prince George's county and have turned PG county upside down.
If Barry gets anyone a job in DC government do know that pussy is connected. And if it ain't his pussy he's getting DC government jobs its pussy that belongs to Motley, HR Crawford or one of those other Reverend Pimp Daddies he drinks cognac with at Players.
And voters beware, Vince Gray on the inside has the same politics and crooked personal life as Barry...he just speaks better...and doesn't make white folks feel uneasy.
Whoever wrote this story stay on his ass like white on rice, Barry has fucked over more "little people" than helping them.
And Donna Brighthaupt I'm just a few blocks from Marion tell us you haven't been at house night after night trying to create contract documents because you don't want to pay the city back $15,000.
5:09 pm
James Bunn you dare speak of someone's work not being rocket science. What work have you and your crooked ass son done to deserve any of the city contract money you have earned?
7:13 pm
Can anyone name 10 people who have received more than a hundred bucks from Barry's constituent service fund in the last year? I mean, that's what these things are for- helping the needy and deserving pay funeral expenses, utilities, make rent...
I'm betting the answer is "No".
7:22 pm
Absolute total failure of oversight by Vince Gray and the Council Secretary's Office.
7:55 pm
@ Scandel - You know quite a bit and I can agree with most everything you've said since I've become acquainted with this website. I have to look behind me after reading your all telling comments cause I 'clare you're someplace in MBs 'trusted' camp.
But that last paragraph....now your fishing. Just stick to trying to hint at the truth you think you know, then you can remain somewhat credible.
I don't have to tell you I've been at MB's house. WCP has printed that; and as far as that goes it will never be of concern to the city at hand. The man was sick, we traveled, he has cars ect. take your pick.
So scandal dear, far be it from me to give anyone advice in this vicious media game, but maybe stay on track- as you were getting close. Shucks, now I see you as an angry agitator who may have yourself been 'cut off' by Marion.
I've always said, being angry gets you nowhere. If I am correct, you really really really want the shit to hit the fan or Marion out, which ever comes first. If you want it - diplomacy and tact without agression and anger may be an efficient route toward success.
Humbly
10:08 pm
Donna, sweetness, first off my name is spelled Scandal, good to see Marion really got his money's worth with you.
I ran in the same circles as Barry, Frank Smith, Harry Thomas Sr and Gray here and there and if I felt like I could post everyone's dirty laundry. From council boys being stinkin' drunk at Council's hearings on the dias to Ramsey covering up DUI's for certain councilmembers sons.
Marion ran off at the mouth plenty about what he truly had you around for. You were nothing more but a chauffeur with pussy benefits and Marion's lunch and dinner buddy. And you've even ran into me a few times when you a marion were pissy drunk.
Poverty reduction, emerging leaders my ass. You should be ashamed of yourself with all of the poor and needy people right in your own neighborhood you're pocketing money to take care of you and your daughter and ain't doing shit.
10:43 pm
@ Scandel - I know how your name is spelled 'dear'. Now I know you are simply an agitator. I don't drink. Have fun. ...
11:11 pm
Ms. Brighthaupt's spelling and grammar indicate skills far below those required for receptionist duties, much less those of a special contractor.
This inadequately skilled woman was paid with our money, at the direction of a swinish man living on our money.
Shame on both of them, and may God help the city's neediest residents, because neither Marion Barry nor any of his contractors have.
12:01 am
To #9: I hope you will please excuse my writing. I don't blog. I've been watching this story and the opinions. WOW!
I myself am OK financially but I don't get paid because of my spelling and grammar. I get paid for what I know and what I deliver. Just when I thought this Barry stuff was over, Ms. Watts' grammar is an issue. I read his email and I saw nothing of his complaint on Grammar--- just not being available. And it seems that has always been his problem with her. I also read her letter to him rejecting the contract. Though unprofessional, the words were those that I don't speak of on a regular basis. But I tried to have some empathy and put myself in her shoes as a woman (I couldn't relate as a black woman) but as Mr. Barry went personal on business time, she must have felt obligated to respond personally. I also saw her proposal. It takes teams of people to come up with a total proposal as that. I saw statistical percentages, graphics, timelines, and justifiable data to back an important issue. Because it said draft, I forgave the errors. Now I would like to see the finished product that she claimed she delivered, but gosh, either she took some money out you people's pockets directly, or you just have a deep down hate for an ill woman who seems to be time enough for any of you. Either way, Grammer should not be the argument in my opinion.
I've seen CEO's, entrepreneurs and politicians write. They don't need to be grammatically correct if their point and goal is made sufficiently. That is what secretaries and spell check is for.
I hope This Paper gets off that and moves on to more of what the other bloggers are trying to say. That will be great.
2:41 am
You'll forgive the question, #10: was there a point in there somewhere? You read Barry's girlfriend's correspondence with him, to see if she was able to string sentences together? And that would demonstrate what, exactly? That she was not his girlfriend on the payroll? That is the only glimmer of ethics in which I hold interest, and it escapes Mr. Barry completely.
The remainder of your ramblings simply attempt to indulge low expectations in professional product. That Barry has manned the barricades of low expectations for decades is clear. Indulging them with the people's money, however, is disgusting.
12:09 pm
Let me state this, just because someone disagrees with someone and doesn't like the way someone carries themselves, and doesn't agree with how they treat women or their constituents...Doesn't mean they are a "hater" or someone who was ousted from a certain clique....Yes, Marion Barry still gets alot of respect and alot of things from folks when he shows up, they act as though a star is in the building.
I wouldn't nor can anyone else take away what he has "done" for the city and especially the black folks of DC and other places. He has done alot. But as a Black, woman, educated, voter, who is not interested in bringing "barry" down.
Just because someone does good on the right hand does not mean you ignore, lie for them, make exscuses or outright deny what they are doing on their left hand...
When anyone decides to take any public position, you know you are putting your life, and lifestyle up for public opionion. You automatically are aware of this. Whether you are a celebrity or not does not mean you won't make mistakes..But the a big arrogant ego will tell you "blame someone else"..it's not your fault..."They did this to you". It's somebody elses fault..
If you refuse to admit your mistakes over and over again, then you can't teach youngins about "RESPONSIBILITY"...A huge part of maturation is realizing "you are responsible for your life"....i.e not the "man", not them chicks you....you and thus I have a huge probably with his lack of maturity while holding office.
I am one who benefited off of the summer youth program in the 90's,
but lets look at how everything works the same "poor people" you say you are COMMITTED TO HELPING. You hurt the most vulnerable constituents, when you decided to continue to not get help for being a drug addict and put the city in a deficit, THAT HURT THE POOR FAMILIES WHO ALREADY COULDN'T SURVIVE i.e budgets mean cuts and of course the most vulnerable get hurt the most by all of the cuts to programs cause you had a bad habit you didn't want to get help for....
Marion Barry continues to feed that ego and stay in office as opposed to stepping down, and doing consulting work and yet tarnishes his Ward 8 even further, b/c he is THE FACE OF THE WARD....
I got a big Ego and it's not really helping "my people" in the long run....
No one can ever take away from him the civil rights work he did, even with all of his public failures...But his time has come to fade into the background onthis chapter of his life....
12:35 pm
Amen and Amen, Kia. Furthermore, let's look at just the missed opportunities in this latest waste of tens of thousands of dollars on Mr. Barry's girlfriends:
- The work could have been better performed by some young whipcracker smart intern exhibiting great potential.
- Similarly, the work could have been entrusted to a "fellowship" in connection with UDC, perhaps even guided by a professor and a team of students.
- If hired out to a professional, someone with experience and skills (including something above 7th-grade English) in this city could have been given the work, instead of being demotivated by reading in the newspaper that pay-for-play is valued by Mr. Barry over hard work.
- If the work was not necessary (and a good argument can be made in this regard), think of how the $50K or other funds could have been used: college scholarships, backpacks filled with school supplies for needy little ones, contribute to a program that prepares poor women for job interviews, and so much more.
Even if Mr. Barry wanted to mix his ego with his fund, he could have placed his name on every scholarship, backpack, or other funded project.
But no, his longstanding and stubbornly unaddressed pathologies must be funded out of our pockets.
He's a disgrace, and the good works are very small in our rear view mirrors now.
He'll die a disgrace, but in more comfort than many poor residents he could have helped, but didn't.
1:24 pm
James Bunn and his pot smoking son have not and will continue to do nothing for the residents in Ward 8. How did James Bunn's son get a job at the housing authority? How could he have ever been appointed chair for any board? Brenda Richardson! Brenda Richardson is the same women who not only secretly worked with Bunn to fraudulently incorporate organizations. But she helped ensure that these same organizations received funding to do absolutely nothing. Brenda Richardson a woman who conspired to have her own son fired so that she could continue to collect money under the table along with "James I don’t do no work unless it means sitting in my two chair roach infested barbershop Bunn" have been taking tax payers money for their own personal gain and it needs to stop. Brenda Richardson is a professional liar who lacks morals and standards. She’s the embodiment of what it means to stand for nothing. Here are a few things to check for public record. In 2005 Brenda Richardson then working as community outreach personnel, took on the job of trying to convince Ward 8 residents along with the council member that bringing in the then new DC United soccer stadium was a great idea. It sounds innocent but when your on the both the council members payroll in addition to the soccer stadium developers payroll (attempting to secretly sign a contract with the developers for millions) then you’ve become a fraud. Lets take this a step further did anyone know that Brenda Richardson was facing imprisonment in 2007 for fraud and conspiracy. Why? She was a part of a business scam. Brenda Richardson worked 12 years as a volunteer for Council Member Barry. We all know that no one would volunteer 12 years without being paid under the table. Food for thought! Brenda Richardson also took a trip to Las Vegas with Barry. She was also treated to the spa. Many people also thought she was his girlfriend. Remind you of anyone? The council member gave Brenda Richardson a 95,000 dollar contract to be his deputy chief of staff. But she also collected 16,000 dollars (of tax payers money) that she spent in less than a week from a non profit (Congress Heights Main Streets) that Barry sent funding to that was being run by non other than James Bunn. How can you hold the position of helping an organization gain 501 C 3 status and be on the payroll? How can you then also serve as a board member and then be point of contact for both accounts? (Ward 8 Business Council and Congress Heights Main Streets) How is it that James Bunn the Executive Director of the Ward 8 Business Council was making 50,000 and then requested a 10,000 raise if he signed a government grant that permitted he only made 35,000 yearly?
2:00 pm
Jman,
are you being "general" when you talked about someone above 7th grade english?
Or were you referring to DBrighthaup? In all fairness, If you were referring to her..maybe you were not..
I tried to leave the women out of referring to him and his issues ( I know my statement may not make sense, seeing as though he steered alot of DC public dollars to women he was "involved" with in some kind of way) ,
from a female perspective it is very hard to explain how you get involved with a man "like him" even when you know the history of the person....The women he gets involved with are beautiful, educated women who may not make the best decisions on what type of men to get involved with and what to allow or not allow....ahhhh, alot of women can relate to that....But no one is a victim, I'm just saying...hindsight is 20/20 with this thing called life...No, I'm not friends with nor do I know any of these women..But I'm a woman and I've lived a lil bit, so I know...
You go real hard you said he will die a disgrace, but foreal he could decide tommorow to admit his wrongs and fade in the background with the same dignity he came in with, but as long as folks keep feeding his ego and with "barry cares about the little people" and as long as he looks in the mirror and thinks he "was just trying to help her (whichever her you want to name) he was just helping her out....He is still Robin Hood...I think back in the day one of the famous preacher pimps was Daddy Grace...or whoever was pimpin the all ready poor black folks while getting they money...anyway, voting and showing up at meetings PSA's with police, ANC's all helps to bring about change...
His time is up and Ward8 voters are not stupid, lil misdirected, but stupid...NAW!!!
5:16 pm
@ Kia - You Go Girl! To read that from a SE res is always refreshing.
I take full responsibility for my actions and regret not one. If just one person tries to see through different glasses than their own it gives me hope to believe in Marion's rhetoric (yet true) that "a set back is a set up for a come back". I've got girls watching me. Fading to black and crying won't cut it. So despite the horrible comments from people who simply don't know the entire story, I'll work toward a positive outcome and try to laugh when I can.
Ms. Kia I hope you will grace me with a simple nod if ever in passing.
I hope that wasn't too 7th grade for ya.
7:22 pm
"I take full responsibility for my actions and regret not one."
I pray you will realize that as long as you maintain that oxymoron, you have learned not a thing, and will remain less than free.
8:19 pm
@ Jman - I doubt you pray. And if you do, don't ever pray for me to realize jack. Dissect your response. Release your rage as much as you need.
And NOT ONE Good day to you
10:16 pm
Oh, so you get to not regret a single action, but admonish others about theirs? That's rich, lady. Just do us all a favor and shovel this stuff on your own dime.
4:13 pm
This is getting down right ridiculous now. WCP, you should change your paper to "THE MARION BARRY CITY PAPER", made from "100% Recycled news from old girlfriends, acquaintances, etc."
I don't know what is more ridiculous, the story lines regarding his "latest" example of corruption or the bloggers who take the bait and comment (including me this time.) Everytime LL or JCherkis writes an article we get:
"He's an embarrasment...He should step down...He's corrupt and should go to jail."
OR
"Leave the man alone. Barry didn't do nothing wrong. {From Barry himself} The media just wants to bring me down. I'm innocent."
OR "left field" answers from Donna Watts-Brighthaupt about her past with Barry.
Nothing new, no more substance, etc. If they find Osama BinLaden in Barry's apartment, I wouldn't be surprised at this point.
5:07 pm
Not sure if your complaint is with the stories or with the comments.
7:48 pm
@Jman - OK
................since ya called me 'lady' and all.
@Q - I didn't believe those of your intelligence actually took time to read my "left field" stuff. I set out to learn more about local DC Gov't and by golly I did. I won't blog anymore.......
Both enjoyed and disliked reading them.........
So long............. :(
10:10 pm
There is an important distinction between personal animosity and civic disgust with what we've all been reading, and the reality that it took "two to tango" for a lot of this. MB's women are children of God like any one of us, but it's high time as many members of the public as possible remember their right to be offended by questionable arrangements, inquire into skills and work product matching the funds, and the like.
10:26 pm
Donna shut the fuck up, really. Don't you have $15,000 dollars worth of contract work that you have yet to complete. As a taxpayer, can I request a refund?
10:48 pm
Personally I like reading Ms Donna's comments. Please continue to contribute I enjoy reading them and find them relevant. You definetly have earned the right to have your say.
WCP please keep up the great coverage!!!
3:27 pm
Darn it.
@ The Advoc8te - Thank you! Hope your drive is successful. I really do.
@ Jman - I agree. You/We all deserve to know and if we don't ask we are anesthetised to reality.
@ DGFS - You know you can request anything you like.
Lets see you get it.
If you truely need me to 'complete some contract work' then protest that I continue the program ON YOUR TAXPAYING DOLLARS-- AZZ I stated much earlier, that program is relevant to the Ward and could catapult a wave of educated voters toward new and effective leadership.
It needs to launch!
With accountability I'd planned its continuence through word-of-mouth and non-governmental grant funding. Not OUR Taxes.
No really Fish, I'd really like to see you get it.
Until then, continue to castigate until someone takes you seriously.
3:20 pm
All of this, just to keep the focus off of the real crook Adrian Fenty.
3:55 pm
DBright is a real piece of work. She wants to take the moral high ground when commenting here but she didn't think it was a little unscrupulous to get an iffy contractor gig from her boyfriend that obviously lacked real parameters and more importantly, oversight. Then she has the time to come and comment on every bloody comment about her. WTF. Get real, get a life. I'm awaiting your response to me about praying for my soul and crap like that. I'll save you the trouble, I'm a believer of Tantric Mysticism as purported by Nepalese Sherpas...