Actually, this LL is already at the Wilson Building—joining us Tuesday will be Alan Suderman, who covers District government for the Examiner. He previously covered Montgomery County, where he dug up dirt on a tuition assistance program and possible conflicts of interest in a biotech tax credit. Suderman's also written about the Montana legislature for the Associated Press and about Sarah Palin for the Juneau Empire (back before she quit the Alaska government).

No doubt, he'll introduce himself here shortly after he starts. But those of you in city politics, consider yourself warned: This weekend is your last chance to do anything stupid without LL on the job. (And in fact, he'll be at the Palisades parade on Sunday—so look for him there.)

In the battle for celebrity endorsements, Mayor Adrian M. Fenty struck first, with a go-go concert celebrating his campaign. And now Council Chairman Vincent Gray is getting into the act, too.

Tonight, at Ozio, Gray will mingle with "young professionals" and NFL tight end Vernon Davis—a Dunbar graduate who also played basketball and competed in track and field, then went on to play three years at the University of Maryland—to raise money for his campaign. You, too, can talk about the San Francisco (and ask Davis if you should draft him this year in fantasy football) for a suggested donation of $25 or $50.

Good point, and it hews to a theme. There are a lot of planks dear to Councilmember Fenty that have lost their appeal to Mayor Fenty. Sure, snow response is a good one. A better one, though, is transparency. The Ward 4 councilmember always chanted about it, always expected it of everyone else. Furthermore, he was equal to his words, because he, as councilmember, was perhaps the most press-accessible politician in town. That's all changed now, too, in ways that we've too exhaustively chronicled to regurgitate here.

Note to D.C. residents: Curbside recycling to resume starting Monday, following the snow recycling holiday. Man, those trucks are going to fill up fast after the all the paper and plastic had piled up over the past two weeks.

Colbert I. King: Great on D.C. issues, not so great on national issues. But in this column, he weaves them together nicely, talking about how differently Ward 8 Councilmember Marion S. Barry Jr. and Prez Barack Obama use the term "empowerment." King, sticking to a long tradition of his, blasts Barry for poorly representing his constituents: "If the D.C. Council votes to censure him for corruption, as is quite likely, and takes the next step of stripping him of his committee chairmanship, as is possible, Ward 8 representation will be relegated to an even more powerless position."

More Post stuff: Ombo Andy Alexander does his take on letter-writing to the Washington Post. This is one of those columns in which the ombo sorta takes it upon himself to explain the newspaper to readers. That is, I don't need this in my Sunday paper: All letters are edited, and the writers approve substantive revisions. "The copy desk fact-checks the letters and, working with the writers, fine-tunes them for publication." I enjoy the more investigative sort of ombo column, like this one, for example.

What we really want to know is what happened within the administration of Mayor Adrian M. Fenty between roughly 5 pm and 9 pm. At the former hour, his people put out the word that the D.C. public schools would open a mere two hours late. What ambition!

That shocker came on the heels of a blizzard of far more cautious announcements: Montgomery County schools would be closed until Wednesday. And the school systems in just about every other regional county were counting Monday out, easy.

So on what twisted logic did Fenty and schools Chancellor Michelle Rhee actually believe that they could get teachers and students past impassible streets and sidewalks and into their often out-of-boundary schools? That would be question No. 1.

Question No. 2, logically, is who screamed at them following the 5 pm two-hours-late announcement and talked some sense into them? Was it the teachers? Hard to suppose that this group would have swayed the powers that be. Was it parents? Doubt it—parents want the schools to stay open. Was it Peter Nickles? Again, doubt it—Mr. Hard Guy couldn't be expected to advocate for such softness.

We're waiting for answers.

R. Donahue Peebles has had his say regarding the 2010 mayoral race.

So, now, has the Washington Post.

Which brings up the next question: What does Cardell Shelton have to say about the matter?

Shelton is, of course, the ultimate backyard D.C. politico. He roves around town in a beat-up pickup, with Old Glory jutting up from bunch of junk in back. He is the duly elected representative of advisory neighborhood commission district 8C07. He can rip into Marion S. Barry Jr. like no other person on earth. He sticks up for the rights of small, D.C.-based contractors—masons and carpenters and such.

And here's what this man has to say about the incumbent in this year's mayoral race:

"He's a tarantular dictator."

Whoa, hold on a second, Mr. Shelton. Are you saying that Adrian M. Fenty is, like, a "tyrannical" dictator, as in an all-out dictator, or "tarantular," as in the "large southern European spider once thought to be the cause of tarantism (uncontrollable bodily movement)"?

The latter, claimed Shelton, advancing the argument: "Not only is he a spider, he is the king. He's the new dictator, the emperor of the District of Columbia. No one questions his bidding. He's arrogant, and along with his arrogance, he has a personal persona that the only was it’s going to get done is his way and only his way."

At that point, Shelton drifted off into a somewhat technical discussion on how local tradespeople and craftsmen aren't getting enough jobs on District construction sites, and how Fenty is a big part of the problem. If you've ever interviewed Shelton before, this is the moment when you listen for a few minutes, wait for a tough-to-identify pause in his rant, and steer him back to the original topic.

So, anything else on Vince Gray v. Fenty?

"I think Fenty—he needs to retire, and I, along with a whole community of people, are going to put forth our best efforts this election year to get him out of office and if Vince Gray runs, I along with a whole community that I’m talking to now…we will form a coalition and do all we can to get him out of office. He does not represent the common people. He is too pompous, he is too, he is too arrogant and he is too self-c......"

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT—No, you didn't miss it.

Morning all. Big news of this Dead Week Tuesday is that a tree fell. Indeed, early on Tuesday morning, three cars at Ontario Road and Euclid Streets NW were pummeled by a tree that had apparently fallen victim to last night's strong winds. LLD will stay on this story.

After the jump: What's up with vehicle inspections—do they improve highway safety? Good times for Zipcar. D.C. Wire still idle. Arenas in trouble. D.C. housing bubble? Plus other non-news stories.

NOT QUITE AS BAD AS PLAX: The Washington Post recycles a story broken by CBSSports.com that Washington Wizards star Gilbert Arenas has been bringing some firearms to work with him, storing them in his locker somehow. The practice has drawn an investigation not only by the NBA but also by the D.C. police department. What distances Arenas from the moronic former New York Giants star Plaxico Burress are the following considerations:

1) Arenas didn't carry around loaded guns, apparently; according to the team his were "stored...in a locked container in his locker, unloaded and without ammunition";

2) Arenas didn't load one up and then drive into New York City, one of the toughest gun-law jurisdictions in the country;

3) He didn't then stuff a loaded weapon under his sweatpants, however that might work;

4) He didn't then let the gun accidentally go off.

So there's the complete analysis of the Arenas v. Plax story line.

SO, DO MOTOR VEHICLE INSPECTIONS IMPROVE HIGHWAY SAFETY OR NOT?—That's the question at the bottom of this quite-good WaPo story by Christian Davenport. A little primer action before we get into the good stuff: The administration of Mayor Adrian M. Fenty ended full-on vehicle inspections to save a few bucks—$400,000, to be exact—in a tight municipal budget. And it's in the justification where the back-and-forth gets kinda comical. As outlined in the Davenport story:

*"Jack Pfeiffer, a spokesman for Fenty (D), said in an e-mail that safety inspections 'have no correlation to road safety.'"

But hold on!

*"A study by the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation this year found that 'vehicle safety inspection programs appear to be a significant factor in lowering fatal crashes.'"

Not so fast!

*A study released by the North Carolina General Assembly last year that said "no evidence exists showing the safety inspection program is effective."

How to resolve all this conflicting information? Via common sense, of course. Like it or not, the D.C. inspection program was rigorous, spotting just about everything that could go wrong with your car, from front brakes to rear brakes to lighting to wipers and so on. There's no way the regime didn't make for safer highways. Just no way. Safety considerations aside, the Davenport piece does a nice job of explaining the real scam of the new system, and that is that even though they're not doing the 81-point inspection, they're still doing emissions checks, which means you still have to show up at Half Street SW. You still pay $35, for less services. And you still have to wait forever.

AP via Examiner on vehicle inspections. WTOP.

Keith Alexander and Megan Greenwell report that the suspect in that terrible Christmas morning killing will remain jailed. Mario Antonio Garcias will be held without bond. "At a news conference Monday evening, Mayor Adrian M. Fenty (D) and Police Chief Cathy L. Lanier praised detectives' work in arresting Garcias on Sunday morning, less than 48 hours after the shooting. Standing a block from the house where [Miguel Angel]Romero was pronounced dead, Fenty said the area is known for its annual block party, not for killings. 'A triple shooting in this area is extremely rare,' Fenty said." The killing took place in the 5400 block of 4th Street NW.

Check out this link to see where D.C. ranks among cities in terms of boosting math-test scores for its public school students.

D.C. Wire remains idle. C'mon, Post local political crew, you gotta refresh that thing! Just to let people know you're not snoozing on the dead week. Here are some suggestions:

*Call Jim Graham and ask him how he likes his chances for re-election in 2010.
*Figure out Fenty's triathlon sked for 2010.
*Check with Ward 8 Councilmember Marion S. Barry Jr., to see if he's getting an early start on his taxes this year.
*Interview activist Dorothy Brizill and ask what D.C. Wire can do to reclaim the Post's magic touch with respect to D.C. news.
*Call Attorney General Peter Nickles and ask if he's ever approved a FOIA request.

Good times for Zipcar, according to Housing Complex. WTOP. NC8.

Man who was hit by Metro train early Sunday morning is blind. He apparently lost his footing on the platform. Time for more robust rumble strips on Metro platforms? WUSA.

Fourth arrest made in robbery-connected killing that involves D.C. police officer Reginald Jones. NC8.

EYESORE WATCH! NC8 reports on the removal of unsightly billboards in residential areas. "Advertising things like cell phones and movies, these billboards aren't located along a highway. Amateur video of several billboards cluttered together in NW D.C. show that many are next door or leaning against homes. 'Just having the billboards in a residential community was a no no,' said ANC Commissioner Anita Bonds."

CAN THE FENTY ADMINISTRATION COUNT ON A NEW HOUSING BUBBLE? According to the WashBizJo, D.C. house prices have gone up for the seventh straight month. "Washington is among the few markets in the country to maintain steady improvement. San Francisco is the only other major city to post gains for seven months in a row. Minneapolis and San Diego have seen median home prices rise for six consecutive months, while Chicago broke its string of gains in October. 'The turnaround in home prices seen in the Spring and Summer has faded with only seven of the 20 cities seeing month-to-month gains, although all 20 continue to show improvements on a year-over-year basis,' said David Blitzer, chairman of the Index Committee at Standard & Poor’s."

WTOP breaks down New Year's Eve.

WAMU does its own take on the closing of Lambda Rising. Also, WAMU reports on the concerns of D.C. congressional Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton vis-a-vis airline security. "Norton sits on the House Homeland Security Committee. While she praises the Northwest Airlines crew and passengers for preventing Umar Abdul- Mutallab from setting off an explosive, she says she wants to know how he got on in the first place. 'I have watched these watch lists for years. And I can't fathom why the report given to the embassy did not raise red flags. Because it came from a very credible source, a courageous and difficult source- this man's own father,' says Norton."

Fox5's Sherri Ly is TOTALLY ALL OVER the pothole scourge brought on by the pre-Christmas snoMG. Here's a little service journalism from Fox: "You can request pothole filling services by calling the Mayor's Citywide Call Center at 311 or completing a service request online using the District government's Service Request Center. Indicate the pothole location (i.e. address, intersection) and describe the severity of the pothole problem (i.e. depth, width, number of potholes in one location). A service request will be put into the tracking system, and the resident will receive a service request number."

Fenty Sked: 10:30 am: Remarks, Fenty Administration to Reopen Champlain Street

Location: Intersection of Kalorama Road and Champlain Street NW

If the Fenty people find themselves in a bind, I suggest what I've come to call the John Fanning approach. For those of you who aren't deep into Ward 2 political history, John Fanning is a good old activist who was walking these streets during city's roughest years. In the mid-'90s, he found work as a Ward 2 constituent services outreach guy for Mayor Marion S. Barry Jr.

And that's just where he was when the great storm of early January 1996 crippled the city. We got walloped with a series of storm systems that just sat down and had lunch above the D.C. metro area. Result? 15-25 inches of accumulation.

Everything shut down, including, it seemed, the city's own snow-removal apparatus. Barry took quite a bit of heat for the response, which became a sore point among community activists.

After the worst had melted, Fanning attended a meeting of the Dupont Circle Advisory Neighborhood Commission, just to update the community on all kinds of business. To people who complained about the snow removal, Fanning replied, Hey, where were you going to go? Everything was shut down!

It was a good line, straight out of the crisis-management PR booklet.

And hey, the city this week may well need some snowstorm-related PR abilities, given the amazing incident with a D.C. cop at the intersection of 14th and U Streets NW on Saturday. Check out a complete rundown of the incident here on City Desk, with tons of extra information among the hundreds and hundreds of comments (a WCP record?). What happened is this: A bunch of young urbanites were having a collegial snowball fight. A Hummer passed through the intersection, and out jumped a guy who pulled a gun after his SUV apparently got hit by a snowball. He turned out to be a cop, one "Detective Baylor."

A big scene ensued, one captured on some widely circulated video. Snowballers engaged in a nasty exchange with the self-identified Baylor and chants went up: "You don't bring a gun to a snowball fight."

The cops later put out a press release about Det. Baylor's gun-waving activity.

Blogger bsom has a pretty good rundown of how the Post (mis)handled coverage of the Det. Baylor incident. The knock on the Post here is that the paper failed to get on the story early and that it didn't publish the truth about Baylor pulling a gun. Here's bsom:

"The story notes that a Post editorial aide, Stephen Lowman, was there at the scene, and saw the plainclothes officer hold the gun.

And that's troubling. Someone from the Post was there (whether on assignment or there for fun, who knows), and yet they still put up a story hours later buying the police claims that their own employee saw were not true? And they didn't update the story until 10:20 last night, and even then wouldn't outright say he had held his gun."

City Desk will remain all over this incident in the days to come.

Jesús Aguirre, the new boss of the D.C. Department of Parks and Recreation (DPR), has quite a bit in common with the departing boss, Ximena Hartsock:

1) He's Hispanic;

2) He comes to DPR from a top post in the school system, where he worked as director of school operations; and

3) He's an interim director.

There's more to that third point than meets the eye. When mayors hold press conferences to announce their pick to head an agency, they usually send the name immediately to the D.C. Council for confirmation. Not so in this case, explained Mayor Adrian M. Fenty at a press conference this morning: The administration will wait a while before passing along Aguirre's credentials to the council.

In Fenty's own words: "We will make sure we have exhausted every avenue to make sure the person we submit is the best person for the job."

Odd, huh? Does that mean that the Fenty people don't have confidence in Aguirre? Not necessarily. What it does mean is that the mayor is committed to avoiding a repeat of the nasty showdown that ended with the rejection of Hartsock as the permanent director of the agency.

Hartsock is a Fenty favorite and was hastily placed at the top of DPR in April following the summary dismissal of Clark Ray. The council declined to confirm her appointment in large part because of its frustrations with the whole Fenty way of life—including stonewalling on crucial mayoral-legislative matters and its failure to heed council directives in the recreation realm.

Though Hartsock will no longer be calling the shots at DPR, she has landed a slot as an analyst in the office of the city administrator. Neither Fenty nor City Administrator Neil O. Albert denied that Hartsock is a strong candidate to head up the Children and Youth Investment Trust Corp., a quasi-governmental outfit that partners with both public and private entities to fund youth-related programs.

Reporting by Mike DeBonis

UPDATE, 12:20 P.M.: Some initial thoughts from Ward 5 Councilmember Harry Thomas Jr., who as chair of the parks committee, played the lead role in derailing Hartsock's nomination: "I don't know much about him; I don't know if he has a recreation background."

Thomas did credit Albert with bringing Aguirre by his office this morning, but, like many a frustrated legislator, he felt he should have had a role in the selection process that he's not exactly entitled to. "I wanted them to work with us to find someone with relevant experience" in a "transparent process," Thomas said.

The "recreation background" thing may or may not be a big deal; Thomas made great hay out of Hartsock's "lack of subject matter experience," and Aguirre likewise doesn't have any particular resume items in the field—he's been in education for his entire career. But, says Thomas, "I don't know if it's automatically a deal-breaker," saying he'd credit experience in "budgets, managing people and programs." That Aguirre certainly has done at DCPS, as the guy charged with making the trains run on time.

The fact that Aguirre is in on an interim basis, Thomas says, also gives him succor. He called upon Fenty to conduct a broader search in the coming months in order to get the "best of the best." —Mike DeBonis

One contribution, though, sticks out among the lawyers and executives: $1,000 from "Spitzer, Eliot" at "985 5th Ave, New York, NY 10021" back in June.

Why does the disgraced former governor of New York have any stake in the mayor's re-election bid?

"I've met him, he's a good person, he's worked hard, and so I like to support candidates like that, people like that who work hard for their city," Spitzer told the Washington City Paper over the phone.

Spitzer's donation came a few months after he helped engineer the purchase by his father's company of a $180 million downtown D.C. office building. Did the purchase affect his decision to support Fenty?

"Absolutely not," Spitzer said. "One has absolutely nothing to do with the other. To suggest the two are related is, frankly, quite stupid."

The mayor is "a friend and somebody who I admire," Spitzer said, but refused to explain their relationship any further. Pressed on the matter, he said only that the two "met in a governmental context."

Fenty said that the donation came from a fundraiser in New York. Who held the fundraiser? "I'll get you that information," said Fenty.

The mayor said he had no second thoughts about accepting donations from a guy who'd used the District as a call-girl liaison pad. He also acknowledged milking his relationship with New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg and other Big Apple muni-luminaries to build up his campaign coffers.

"We've had a great working relationship particularly with the city of New York," he said. "It's a relationship that spans between city hall, education, and our similar passions on that end. There's a strong development community that works between New York and Washington D.C."

Fenty is the third candidate to receive a contribution from the ex-governor, after Mark Green and Cy Vance Jr. Is he flattered by that distinction?

"I guess the best thing to say about any particular donation is every single one of them is important. Every single one of them is appreciated."

Additional reporting by Mike DeBonis

More updates to come.

Morning all. Mayor Adrian M. Fenty: Everyone knows he's had a bad year. A slip on the firetruck thing, a stumble on the pool heater, and a general haughtiness that casts doubt on his image as a champion of the everyday D.C. resident.

But does all that hurt his chances for re-election next year?

The Examiner kinda-sorta suggests that it does. On the front page of today's editions, it is shouting the news that just 30 percent of respondents in a recent poll say that the incumbent "definitely" has their vote.

You listening, Vince Gray?

From Michael Neibauer's piece: "The new poll, commissioned by the business-backed Nation's Capital Committee for Good Government, implies the incumbent's popularity has waned. Only 30 percent of respondents said they would "definitely" vote for him again, while 13 percent said definitely not, and 46 percent said they would consider someone else."

Implies? What does that mean. The problem with this piece is that there's no comparison with a previous set of polling numbers. The poll gives Fenty a 68 percent favorable rating and a 25 percent unfavorable rating. So, OK, fine—but compared to what? That question goes unanswered. Other points about the poll: It covers only registered Democratic voters in Wards 1, 3, and 6, leaving out Fenty's home base in Ward 4. It was commissioned by the Nation's Capital Committee for Good Government, a front for "downtown business interests," according to Neibauer. Those folks have never been too big on the mayor.

In a companion piece, Neibauer explains the implications of the poll for council races. The upshot? Ward 3 Councilmember Mary Cheh, Ward 1 Councilmember Jim Graham and Ward 3 Councilmember Tommy Wells all appear safe.

Who isn't safe? Well, it's the same guy who's never safe. The guy who every four years has a target on his back, who the entire political class insists is vulnerable, whose days on the council are numbered. Yeah, Mendo: "At-large Councilman Phil Mendelson has the toughest road ahead, if the poll numbers are to be believed. Mendelson, who soundly defeated lawyer A. Scott Bolden three years ago, had the definitive support of only 32 percent of those surveyed. Thirty-four percent would consider a challenger, 8 percent would oppose Mendelson and 25 percent were undecided."

Examiner commentator Harry Jaffe also spins a piece out of the poll. Here's the key part: "Next most popular city official [after Fenty]? Council Chair Vince Gray? At-large member Kwame Brown? No and no. Most favorable ratings after Fenty went to schools Chancellor Michelle Rhee. The hard-charging school reformer got high favorables in Ward 3 (69 percent), Ward 6 (58 percent) and Ward 1 (57 percent)."

Jaffe also gets a laugh line out of the data: "Attorney General Peter Nickles might not want to enter any popularity contests. His fave rating was 17 percent."

Examiner's Nei-man also covers the aimless wanderings of the mayor's "blue shirts."

CHARLES COUNTY COURTHOUSE MADNESS UPDATE! OK, we advertise LL Daily as providing as much D.C. politics as "humanly possible," but recent events compel coverage of the hinterlands. Seems that a judge in Charles County may have gotten pissed enough about parking hierarchies that he allegedly deflated the tire of a car belonging to a courthouse cleaning staffer. This gem comes courtesy of the Washington Post's Ruben Castaneda: "Jean Washington, the owner of the Toyota, said in an interview that she had just entered the courthouse for her work shift when a sheriff's deputy alerted her, 'Jean, you need to move your car. Judge Nalley's going to let the air out of it.'"

Tattoo parlor entrepreneur who allegedly killed her husband will be held in jail, not in a halfway house, as her lawyer had requested.

GOOD POINT DEPARTMENT: Post editorial notes that even though Congress long ago lifted its ban on the District's paying for needle-exchange programs, language in pending legislation could have the exact same effect: "The House voted to end a 21-year-old ban and allow federal funding of needle exchange programs. It also voted to allow the District to use its own money for such a program. There's one catch: the programs cannot be located 'within 1,000 feet of a public or private day care center, elementary school, vocational school, secondary school, college, junior college, or university, or any public swimming pool, park, playground, video arcade, or youth center, or an event sponsored by any such entity.' This would render whole sections of cities off-limits."

Verizon Center not doing it for you? Well, the Washington Biz Journal is reporting that reps from Madison Square Garden LP are scouting the District for a new location. "The sports, entertainment and media company began contacting the office of Valerie Santos, deputy mayor for planning and economic development, and major landowners in early summer, according to Steve Moore, executive director of the Washington, D.C., Economic Partnership. 'They are shopping the District ... They're very interested. It's a question of finding the right spot,' Moore said."

Also on the development front: See breakdown from Washington City Paper's Ruth Samuelson on Fenty's unveiling of Northwest One, the Walker Jones Education Campus.

Here's a scoop from NC8: The District is preparing to close its Brentwood DMV facility. It'll cease operations at the end of the day Friday.

Lots of gunplay out there on a summer eve: Seven shot, one killed in less than nine hours in the District, according to WUSA-TV.

Fenty Today:

9:15 am: Remarks, Wheatley Elementary School Grand Opening
Location:Wheatley Education Complex, 1299 Neal Street, NE

10:15 am: Remarks, Chevy Chase Play Courts Ribbon Cutting
Location: Chevy Chase Playground, 5500 41st Street, NW

5:30 pm: Remarks, Convention Center HQ Hotel Bill Signing
Location: 9th and L Streets NW

Mayor Adrian M. Fenty has taken tons of heat for the installation of a heater in city's East Potomac outdoor pool. Seemed like a great amenity for a die-hard triathlete, a classic use of public resources for personal enjoyment, even though Fenty denied having anything to do with it.

Now that the hubbub over Warmwatergate has passed, and the summer pool season has fired up, another question surfaces: Did the city pick the right pool to heat?

Yes, we know about the bona fides of the East Potomac pool, including its Olympic size and the ample parking.

But check out this page here. It's the Department of Parks and Recreation's pool-usage charts, and according to these early-summer numbers, the East Potomac pool is getting lapped by a more centrally located competitor. The redoubtable Francis pool, located in the slightly wooded recesses Dupont Circle/West End.

The numbers show that Francis is logging in with 3,605 visitors, to East Potomac's 1,170. The only pool that deserves to be in the same qualifier with Francis is Volta Park, over there in much-neglected Georgetown, with 2,102 visitors.

Now: The usage numbers are supposed to "automatically" update every five minutes, according to DPR. But I haven't seen them budge in days. Whatever the updating frequency, I predict Francis's blowout lead will grow, especially after what had to have been high traffic over Pride Weekend.

So yank that heater out of East Potomac, near where no one actually lives, and put it in a neighborhood!

Photo of Hayward H400 pool heater courtesy of billjacobus1, Creative Commons Attribution

No, not on the political front, stupid. On the technology front.

Hizzoner long ago made a name for himself as a BlackBerryholic. One for general city business, one for critical, emergency alerts from police Chief Cathy Lanier and other public safety biz; and a third! for personal stuff.

Now here comes At-Large Councilmember Michael A. Brown, leaving a council hearing carrying a similar bounty of gizmos. The boundaries for Brown's three BlackBerrys go as follows: One for council business, one for the business of his firm, Edwards Angell Palmer & Dodge, and one for personal affairs. Too much!

By Mike DeBonis

One staffer at the Mayoral Bullpen at the John A. Wilson Building walked into the office at approximately 8:55 am carrying four Starbucks beverages. The Keurig machine in the bullpen doesn't get much rotation. Says communications chief for Mayor Adrian M. Fenty: "People use it for tea a lot."

Reporting by Mike DeBonis

The investigative piece, which puts to shame even the windiest of City Paper cover stories on the word-count front, delves into the decadeslong dysfunction in the agency. The basic message is that the people responsible for your well-being if you suffer a stroke, heart attack, or some other calamity are demoralized, underpaid, and poorly regarded by their firefighting peers in this agency.

One of the story's strongest points is its accountability moment for Mayor Adrian M. Fenty, who in his 2006 campaign promised to separate out the emergency medical part of the agency from its firefighting component. Here's the mag's treatment of that question:

Since taking office in January 2007, Fenty not only has reneged on his campaign promise, but he hired as fire chief Dennis Rubin, a DC native adamant about keeping EMS within the fire department. Rubin said at his confirmation hearing that if EMS were separated from fire, he would refuse the job and return to Atlanta, where he was fire chief.

Fenty has never explained his reversal. E-mail and telephone requests to his office asking why he broke his campaign promise to separate EMS from the fire department have gone unanswered. Some observers suggest that the firefighters union pressured him; others think he backed off because he realized it would be too politically difficult. He also might have realized that separating EMS from fire likely would mean closing firehouses, triggering fierce opposition from the firefighters union and its supporters in Congress. Civilian EMS personnel remain bitterly disappointed by Fenty’s broken promise.

“No one wants to touch the EMS-separation issue,” says one former city official. “It’s a hot potato with a lot of politics involved.”