A brief perusal of Roget’s suggests a galaxy of promising adjectives for describing one’s reaction to a troubling Supreme Court decision.

For one, there is “troubled.” “Shocked,” “outraged,” and “concerned” come to mind. Further options include “chagrined,” “mortified,” “aggrieved,” “offended,” “incensed,” “riled up,” and “scared shitless.”

In their press releases, however, District politicos have been sticking to one word with alarming regularity:

Disappointed.

First, there is Ward 5 Councilmember Harry “Tommy” Thomas, Jr., who “expressed his extreme disappointment with the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to overturn the District gun ban, and indicated that the Council must now establish strict standards to regulate the sale of handguns in the District of Columbia.”

Then we have Fenty, Nickles, and Lanier, who weigh in as follows:

Mayor Adrian M. Fenty, Interim Attorney General Peter Nickles, and Metropolitan Police Chief Cathy Lanier announced their disappointment in today’s ruling of the United States Supreme Court in District of Columbia v. Heller…. “I’m disappointed in the Court’s ruling and believe introducing more handguns into the District will mean more handgun violence,” said Mayor Fenty.*

Council Chairman Vincent C. Gray includes the following in his statement:

Although I am disappointed by the court’s decision, working collectively with the Mayor, the Metropolitan Police, legal authorities, and residents, the Council will do all it can to prevent violence from escalating further as a result of today’s un-welcome weakening of our gun laws.

Ward 4 Councilmember Muriel Bowser:

I am disappointed in today’s Supreme Court action which ruled that the DC law banning private handgun possession at home violates the Second Amendment.

At-Large Councilmember Kwame Brown:

My disappointment in the Supreme Courts ruling cannot be merely expressed by words. Every time I hear of another youth, another mother or child gunned down in our communities is yet another reminder of why we need these protective measures in place.

[Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton issued a statement in which the d-word was conspicuously absent, as did Adam Clampitt, Independent Candidate for DC Council At-Large.]

Come on, folks! Disappointed is when your team loses in spring training. Disappointed is when your kid doesn’t crack a B in algebra. Disappointed is when your dog relieves himself under the dining room table.

Whatever happened to “I’m mad as hell and I’m not gonna take it anymore!”

*The Post imputes “dismay” to Fenty. Over-editorialize much lately?

Last night, the Gertrude Stein Democratic Club—the city’s leading gay-and-lesbian political organ—wrapped up their endorsements for this year’s Democratic primaries, with picks for Ward 4, Ward 7, and at-large D.C. council seats. (Read LL’s rundown of what happened last month, when the club endorsed in Wards 2 and 7 and for the congressional delegation.)

Unsurprisingly, each incumbent—Ward 4’s Muriel Bowser, Ward 8’s Marion Barry, and At-Large Councilmember Kwame R. Brown—won endorsements handily.

But LL goes to these things for reasons other that merely recording the outcomes. He speaks of the lively debate, the friendly company, and the distinct possibility that Rick Rosendall might freak the fuck out.

Which he did. The Gay and Lesbian Activists Alliance’s VP for political affairs did so while questioning Bowser about her vote last year against a council action to relocate the gay clubs dislocated by the construction of Nationals Park. Even though the measure had been heavily diluted by amendments, Bowser voted against it anyway. Asked why she did so, Bowser gave a classic cop-out line: I was just following the will of the councilmember in the affected ward (Ward 5’s Harry Thomas Jr.).

Bowser also claimed that the bill would limit neighborhood input, and Rosendall wasn’t having any of that. “That’s not true, Muriel!” he shouted. “You’re mischaracterizing it!”

As club president Mario Acosta-Velez tried in vain to keep order, Rosendall kept on, his voice quickly rising to freak-out levels. “They did have a voice! They do have a voice!…You know what the bill said!”

Read the rest of this entry »

Ward 1 Councilmember Jim Graham started out sounding like the accomplished, mature legislator he sometimes can be: “I suspected the D.C. Council has discussed Klingle Road at sufficient length,” he began. “There are even points where I give up….The handwriting is on the wall.”

Phew, thanks Jim, on behalf of the beleaguered political class of the city, we appreciate you sparing us the 2,345th hour of debate about….

“HOWEVER,” he continued, “saying in fact that Klingle will not be a road is a different decision than what this pathway ought to be.”

So another amendment! This one, introduced with the support of colleagues Carol Schwartz and Muriel Bowser, would remove funding to convert Klingle Road to a hike/bike trail, while leaving the decision to close the road intact.

Graham, in his remarks, said he wanted to avoid rehashing all the old arguments but cited a conversation he’d had with transportation director Emeka Moneme last night where Moneme informed him that the official estimate for a hike/bike path is $9.6 million, far outstripping the $2 million so far budgeted. OK, interesting.

Then, in a funny but rhetorically empty exercise, Schwartz quoted the words of main anti-road foe Mary Cheh about how the road was prone to flooding and is located in a gorge: “I like bicyclists! I like pedestrians! I want them to be safe!”

Oh, and then, and then! Bowser, despite Graham’s promise not to rehash the same 17 years of debate, takes the mike and starts rehashing the same goddamn unpersuasive arguments about traffic! Sheezus, Muriel!

The amendment has just failed, 3-10. God help us all.

In the culmination of a nearly four-month, sometimes controversial, and always confusing process, the D.C. Democratic State Committee last night selected the last three members of the District’s delegation to the Democratic National Convention in August. Councilmembers Muriel Bowser of Ward 4 and Jack Evans of Ward 2 both earned voting slots, as did Ward 1 lawyer and fundraiser Jim Hudson. Political strategist Tom Lindenfeld, a Ward 4 resident, was voted in as an alternate.

The slots filled last night were all “pledged” slots, which could only be filled by candidates who had filed papers pledging their support to a particular candidate. Three of the four slots were pledged to Barack Obama, based on the results of the District’s primary vote. Only the seat Evans won was pledged to Hillary Clinton. The Clinton seat was also the only one that drew a contested vote; folks who had signed up to challenge Bowser, Hudson, and Lindenfeld all withdrew their names before the vote.

Evans’ competition was Franklin Garcia, a committee member and technology consultant. His speech to his fellow members before the vote—which, according to witnesses (it happened before LL arrived), focused an awful lot on what a great candidate Obama is—failed to win him the Clinton slot: He lost 52-6.

Other than that, the drama was minor. There was a bit of uproar when Lindenfeld, a guy who has tended to stay behind the scenes over the years, stood for election by acclamation; one member declined to get with the program, saying “That’s unfair….I don’t know who the hell he is!” She was drowned out when the time to vote arrived.

Also there was an attempted solution to the Case of the Missing Ballots from the prior month’s meeting. Committee member John Capozzi put forth a motion that would have each committee member rise and tell their votes for the at-large unpledged delegates to the crowd; it would also require the state committee to keep ballots for at least 21 says after the vote. A vote on the motion was postponed to next month.

The full list of delegates is after the jump.

Read the rest of this entry »

Typically, the only time LL’s Thursday-afternoon strolls through the John A. Wilson Building even get a whiff of celebrity are the occasional Dan Tangherlini sighting in the mayoral bullpen. (Governance rock star, that guy!) But not this week.

Yesterday afternoon, distinguished Spanish tenor and Washington National Opera general director Plácido Domingo spent more than an hour roaming the building with a pair of WNO bigwigs in tow, as well as an official photographer. (Yes, LL had his picture taken with the maestro.) His rounds took him to the offices of most councilmembers.

A couple of members asked for a command performance from the tenor, including Ward 7 Councilmember Yvette Alexander and Ward 4 Councilmember Muriel Bowser, who rated his pipes as “excellent.”

Domingo treated Bowser and staff to a bit of Gounod’s “Ave Maria.” “We got a good taste, I think,” she said. Her chief of staff, Joy Holland, chimed in: “The first 10 bars, which is a good taste.”

So why exactly was Domingo roaming the Wilson Building halls? To ask for money, duh.

Later today, a panel of WNO bigwigs (not including Domingo) will appear before the council to make their case for a city subsidy. The mayor’s proposed list of budget earmarks leaves the opera out in the cold, even though such cultural organizations as the Washington Ballet ($1 million), Ford’s Theatre ($10 million), and the Ward 7 Arts Collaborative ($100,000) are currently in the money.

Domingo’s appeal played up the need for greater resources for arts-education programs. He then had to be rushed out to rehearse for his upcoming role in Handel’s Tamerlano.

Early Sunday morning, a gentleman was shot at the Island Cafe on the 800 block of Upshur Street NW. You know what that means: Cops shut the place down, the city liquor authorities shut the place down for even longer, and the politicians come out of the woodwork.

Within the next few minutes Ward 4 Councilmember Muriel Bowser will appear in front of the restaurant for the ritual posting of the club’s upcoming booze-board hearing date.

From Bowser’s press release:

“I have heard from Petworth residents, ANC Commissioners and members of the Metropolitan Police Department about their concerns about this club.” said Councilmember Bowser. “This club has been cited for violations for a number of years. I commend the Chief of Police and the ABRA Board for taking swift action with this club until the investigation is complete. This is an action that will keep our residents and neighborhoods safer.”

Grahamstanding: It’s not just for Jim Graham anymore.

This week, Loose Lips ran his Secret Santa column, resurrecting a tradition in which LL gives back to all those who have given him so much. Problem is, LL had to skip of lot of deserving folks in the Wilson Building and elsewhere, which has made for several unhappy politicos. All this week, LL’s been going around, saying he’d make a “supplemental appropriation.”

That’s a job I’m pawning off on you, readers. Here’s a selection of folks LL didn’t have room in his stocking to bestow with gifts, but are probably deserving all the same. Let ‘em have it in the comments:

• Ward 1 Councilmember Jim Graham
• Ward 2 Councilmember Jack Evans
• Ward 3 Councilmember Mary Cheh
• Ward 4 Councilmember Muriel Bowser
• Ward 6 Councilmember Tommy Wells
• Ward 7 Councilmember Yvette Alexander
• At-Large Councilmember Kwame Brown
• At-Large Councilmember Carol Schwartz
• Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development Neil Albert
• Fire Chief Dennis Rubin
• Fenty Communications Director Carrie Brooks
• Soon-to-be-former Attorney General Linda Singer
• Legendary tax thief Harriette Walters
• And anyone else is fair game, too…

Back in October, LL took Ward 4 Councilmember Muriel Bowser gently to task for failing to sign on to the Frank Harris Jr. Offset Justice Amendment Act when it was introduced.

Harris, to refresh some memories, is the St. Elizabeths patient who had gouged his eyes out in March 2003, and his family responded by suing the city over the incident. The Fenty administration then billed Harris for a $2.2 million “offset” to cover medical costs he’d incurred over the years. The legislation, introduced by At-Large Councilmember Phil Mendelson, aimed to stop Fenty from sending out such bills in the future.

LL took Bowser’s failure to sign up as a cosponsor as evidence of her oft-remarked Fenty fealty. Bowser protested such insinuations, claiming a failure to cosponsor did not necessarily indicate opposition to the bill.

Well, the bill is now in front of the full council, and today Bowser voted for it on first reading. Carol Schwartz, the only other member not to cosponsor, voted present, making her the only member not to vote in favor.

Mea culpa, Madame Councilmember! Advice: To keep LL off your ass, you might want to tell your patron to screw off a little earlier in the process next time.

On Tuesday, D.C. Vote held its 7th annual “Champions of Democracy” awards reception at the Carnegie Library (né City Museum). The festivities, like at many a fundraising bash, included a silent auction of lunches with D.C. politicos, with the proceeds to benefit D.C. Vote’s general operations.

Such a fundraising tactic has always held a certain appeal for LL because it’s about as close as one can get to a free-market determination of a councilmember’s relative clout. After all, who shells out big bucks to have lunch with a politico who can’t get things done? Herewith, an accounting:

$275 - Ward 3 Councilmember Mary Cheh*
$250 - At-Large Councilmember Kwame Brown
$200 - Ward 8 Councilmember Marion S. Barry Jr.
$105 - Ward 1 Councilmember Jim Graham
$90 - Ward 6 Councilmember Tommy Wells
$70 - Ward 4 Councilmember Muriel Bowser
$60 - Ward 7 Councilmember Yvette Alexander
$60 - Ward 5 Councilmember Harry Thomas Jr.

Now to be fair: Cheh’s number is inflated, considering a bid gave you a shot at an eight-person dinner with the councilmember at the home of local filmmaker and D.C. Vote board member Aviva Kempner, rather than the usual restaurant lunch for two.

The true champion of clout, though, was Council Chairman Vincent C. Gray, who got $500 for his offering. That, however, was a little bit more than just lunch: four spots in the city’s Verizon Center luxury box for a Wizards game.

“President Jarvis told me, ‘This is not a roast,’” said WRC-TV newsman Tom Sherwood, warming up as MC of this year’s Southeastern University Gala at the Washington Hilton.

The yearly benefit for the private school in Southwest D.C., headed by former Ward 4 Councilmember Charlene Drew Jarvis, is well-known as a forum for elected officials, business bigwigs, media types, and other big shots to loosen up and show their sense of humor. Sometimes they get a little too loose: Last year, Sherwood got in a bit of trouble for referring to himself as “not as white as Jack Evans, [but] blacker than Harold Brazil.” The MC alluded to having to write an apology letter to Brazil for last year’s act.

Sherwood, in fact, did keep things less controversial this year, with a few jabs at the likes of developer Victor MacFarlane and Idaho Sen. Larry Craig. The killer material of the night fell to others. And it did turn into a roast of sorts, mainly of D.C.’s most roastable character, Marion S. Barry Jr.

The entertainment, billed as “As the District Turns: A Humorous Spin on the City We Love,” kicked off with a “Dreamgirls” act featuring the ladies of the D.C. Council. Ward 3’s Mary Cheh, Ward 4’s Muriel Bowser, and Ward 7’s Yvette Alexander all donned slinky black dresses (a sequined number for Bowser), feather boas, and long white gloves for their act. None of the three’s dance moves were ever quite in sync, but Alexander—definitely the Beyoncé of the group—clearly knew the words better than the other two. Not in attendance: At-Large Councilmember Carol Schwartz, who was represented late in the act by a proxy holding a campaign picket.

Next up was a skit lampooning the distribution of those coveted low-numbered license plates—Channel 9 anchor Derek McGinty played the low-tag czar, and among his supplicants was former Mayor Anthony A. Williams. (Williams, of course, was not included on Mayor Adrian M. Fenty’s low-tag list earlier this year.) Williams’ begging—”Remember me? Tony Williams? We’re talking…executive baldness”—didn’t get very far with McGinty.

His retort: “Only Marion Barry gets to be mayor-for-life and gets a low tag.”

After that was a Top 10 list of sorts—”If D.C. became a state”—given by a number of other D.C. councilmembers, plus Chief Financial Officer Natwar Gandhi. Gandhi had a lame joke about how the state bird would be a cockatoo because it’s “always talking but never really saying anything”—you know, like a chief financial officer! Ward 6’s Tommy Wells saved the groaner: “I thought the state bird would be the Anthony Williams, because of its propensity to fly.”

At-Large Councilmember David Catania also had a good one: “The state drug czar is….I’m not even touching that one.”

Then WRC-TV weathercasters Chuck Bell, Veronica Johnson, and Bob Ryan engaged in a painfully bad singing sketch, exacerbated by a malfunctioning microphone, that sent dozens to the ballroom doors.

Congressional Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton took the podium to put a little bit of a federal perspective on things, lightly bashing Michigan Sen. Carl Levin and WTOP commentator Mark Plotkin. Her sharpest line, however, connected a neighboring state’s proposal to tax immigrants to the long-proposed D.C. commuter tax: “Interesting idea, Virginia: Tax people who cross your borders for good and services. Good thinking!”

New York Sen. Hillary Clinton recorded a video message for the occasion; it made fun of, among other things, her own controversial laugh, but there were a couple of local zingers. The best: “This is an exciting time for the District….There’s a bold new baseball stadium to delight 40,000 fans. And there’s parking for at least a thousand of them.”

The skits were over, but the Barry roasting continued. Council Chairman Vincent Gray took to the podium for a valedictory speech that was supposedly to be low on laughs, but the chairman read a selection of straight-from-the-dais quotations from his colleagues.

His closer: “Marion said, ‘Mr. Chairman, I want everyone to know that everyone should get a piece of the rock,’” Gray recounted. “True story!”

Last week, the city settled with Frank Harris Jr., the St. Elizabeths patient who had gouged his eyes out in March 2003.

Harris’ family had sued the city over the incident; the Fenty administration responded by billing Harris for a $2.2 million “offset” to cover medical costs he’d incurred over the years.

While the lawsuit has been settled, the Frank Harris Jr. Offset Justice Amendment Act lives. Introduced by At-Large Councilmember Phil Mendelson, the bill aims to prevent the mayor from ever again sending a bill to a legally insane person like Harris.

Only two councilmembers failed to cosponsor Mendelson’s legislation. One was At-Large Councilmember Carol Schwartz, who says her early opposition to the bill was part of her job as the council’s foremost taxpayer watchdog. “I felt we should have some leverage in a settlement,” she says. “What I hoped for happened.”

The other was Ward 4 Councilmember Muriel Bowser. In one of her first encounters with LL, Bowser expressed her dismay at being portrayed as a lapdog of the Fenty administration, as the previous LL had done. Such a perception would stem from the fact that Fenty threw his weight behind the effort to elect Bowser as his successor, helping her raise more than $200,000 to ward off a handful of other candidates in last spring’s special election, including a similarly well-financed Michael Brown.

Bowser explains that she did not wish to take an early position on the bill, and she may still vote for the bill as it works its way through the council.

Says Bowser, “If that makes me a lapdog, what does that make Carol?”

This photo, from Wednesday’s announcement that the city will be spending a portion of a budget surplus on the D.C. Schools, is currently in rotation on the front page of dc.gov:

I know the Mayor & Co. don’t want to look too gleeful when spending taxpayer money, but jeez–turn those frowns upside down!

Look up, guys–you got a $155 million surplus! It’s not so bad!

It’s a Friday afternoon in D.C. in the middle of August. The D.C. Council is in recess—has been, actually, for over a month. In other words, there is absolutely no reason for anyone to be working today. Even workoholic Mayor Adrian Fenty left for vacay today. And yet! Some of your public servants are still showing up to work. For Loose Lips Video No. 2, we took inventory of who still has their noses to the grindstone. Turns out it’s the council’s rugrats—rookies like Yvette Alexander, Muriel Bowser, and Tommy Wells—who are still marking time at city hall. Interesting tibit gleaned from our interviews: Wards 4, 6, and 7 all “never sleep”!

Thanks as always to intrepid cameraman Arthur Delaney.

P.S.: Those of you wondering when Loose Lips the column will be returning, look for it in the Sept. 7 issue.