On June 21, 2006, Anthony Williams took his final cannonball plunge into a D.C. swimming pool as mayor, his traditional way to open the city’s pools for the summer. Williams' two terms as the District's fourth Home Rule-era mayor began with a splash in 1999, when he made his inaugural dive. In 2006, Williams, who earned the nickname "Cannonball," stripped down to his red trunks for one last dip at Turkey Thicket Recreation Center in Brookland. The Washington Post described his final dive as "vintage Williams—neat and precise with nary a wave as he sliced into the pool."

As far as mayoral traditions go, Williams'—appearing shirtless in public and leaping into a pool—may be the most unique among the nation’s elected officials. The Post reported at the time that his spokesman, Vincent Morris, said, "We are very aware of how exposed he is—just a pair of trunks and nothing else." But Williams’ poolside antics had a purpose: He aimed to draw attention to D.C.’s summer programs.

The bow-tie wearing mayor urged his successor to keep the season-opener tradition alive, and D.C.’s political media was not quick to forget Williams' legacy. His successor, Adrian Fenty, dodged the question when reporters asked if he would carry on Williams' annual cannonball stunt. DCist wrote in 2007 that at one point Fenty challenged NBC4 reporter Tom Sherwood to take his place. But Fenty never took the leap, which Post and former Washington City Paper Loose Lips scribe Mike DeBonis tweeted was an early indicator of his aloofness.

This summer, Washingtonians wondered if the mayoral cannonball was a rite of the past, or if Mayor Vince Gray would put his administration’s controversy aside and dive in. In May, City Paper declared Cannonball Watch 2011 officially on during a sweltering Memorial Day weekend. But Gray stayed dry and fully-suited at the Barry Farm Recreation Center in Ward 8, where he ushered in the summer with the opening of 17 of the District’s public pools. Filling in for Gray, Jesus Aguirre, director of D.C. Parks and Recreation, gave the crowd their Williams-inspired entertainment.

Photo by Flickr user Lee Coursey via an Attribution 2.0 Generic Creative Commons license

Last One in the Pool is the D.C. Mayor: If you're reading this blog post, chances are you're not splashing around in one of the District's public pools right now. But you could be! Mayor Vince Gray officially opened the swimming season this afternoon with a ribbon-cutting and proclamation—but no cannonball—at Barry Farm Rec Center. Until the school year ends, most pools aren't open until after the final bell of the day. Which is probably good for preventing truancy, but not so good for any adults who want to skip work and take a dip. +4

Blue Line to Nowhere: Staying in town this weekend? Plan to get around by foot, by bike, by car, by Segway, or by bus—almost any way except by Metrorail. Four stations will be closed for maintenance, including tourist-heavy Capitol South and the closest stop to a large motorcycle rally, Stadium-Armory. The good news? The work that's being done will improve safety. The bad news? There's always the chance that more problems get discovered during the weekend. -1

Who Wants to be a Judge?: Sure, everyone knows President Barack Obama's kids go to Sidwell Friends. But the true test of how deep the school's clout goes may be underway now in D.C. Superior Court—where three judges, so far, have had to recuse themselves from a nasty lawsuit involving an affair and one of the school's shrinks, because they've got ties to Sidwell. Somehow it seems unlikely they'll be noting the deep connections to the city's legal community in the next admissions brochure, though. -1

Have an Onion, Kid: Getting children to eat more healthy meals and snacks has become a priority in federal and local government, and rightly so; childhood obesity rates virtually guarantee the U.S. will be spending gazillions of dollars on health care in the future (not to mention bode badly for future Olympic medals). But Turner Elementary School may have gone too far this week, when officials served raw scallions to first-graders. Who, predictably, didn't like them much. Maybe try deep-frying them next time? -1

Yesterday's Needle rating: 57 Today's score: +1 Friday bonus: +2 Memorial Day bonus: +2 Today's Needle rating: 62

There’s a definite gross-out factor in letting the doggies in for a dip. Though I’m not quite sure who should be more grossed out – the pooches or the people – particularly given the footage of a happy-go-lucky mutt named Taxi Dog lapping up the pool water. Decide for yourself: We’ve got photos and video courtesy of Wayan Vota and the Petworth Listserv. Thanks Wayan!

The indoor pool at the University of the District of Columbia was closed Mar. 4 “for leaks,” according to DOH spokesperson Dena Iverson. Apparently, water has been seeping out of the pool and into the ground for years prior to the shutdown, says UDC spokesperson Alan Etter, who says school officials have hired a contractor and hope to reopen the pool next spring.

“For years, they’d patch it,” he says. Now, “they just want to fix it right.”

The other four pools closed this year were inside apartment complexes, and the managers are none too eager to talk about their public shaming.

Eliot Bernold, manager at Brookland Manor, blames bureaucratic red tape for the June 25 closing at his complex on 14th Street NE near Rhode Island Avenue. 

“It was one day when there was a bureaucratic issue that was resolved within a few days,” says Bernold, before adding testily, “I have no more comment.”

Bernold was downright cordial, however, compared to the response from the Capitol Park Plaza apartments in Southwest, where manger Pat Rooks hung up the phone after insisting her pool was the victim of false allegations.

“There was nothing wrong with the pool. Someone made an accusation so the pool was closed for the day. But they reopened it,” Rooks says.

We’re still waiting to hear back from Iverson to confirm Rooks’ and Bernold’s characterizations of those two closings. About 48 hours after we first starting pestering DOH to check its records, Iverson said the department was still “investigating.” She did not respond to follow up question inquiring as to what there was to investigate since the closures took place some time ago.

Meanwhile, managers at two ritzier complexes—Vaughan Place at McLean Gardens and Market Square West—did not return phone calls.

Vaughan Place, which has a Web site prominently displaying a photo of a guy diving into clear blue pool water, was closed on July 21, according to the health department. Officials shut down the pool at Market Square West, near the Mall, back in June and still haven’t signed off on its reopening, according to Iverson.