East of the River

Ward 8 Reports

by: Gabriel Pacyniak

Return of the Chair

The Chair is back! After the Ward 8 landmark was removed last August, the 40 foot tall seat has returned to its rightful place in front of the old Curtis Brothers’ furniture warehouse building in downtown Anacostia. The old chair, built from mahogany in 1959 to advertise the furniture business, had succumbed to the elements after 47 years of exposure. Of course, the chair only had light use during that time. Its most frequent occupant was probably Santa Claus, who sat down regularly during the holiday season.

The new chair, manufactured from aluminum, should outlast the original.

On April 25, Ward 8 residents welcomed the chair back. Ward 8 Councilmember Marion Barry took the opportunity to connect the new iteration of the chair with other development projects taking place in the Ward: the new Giant grocery store and pharmacy at Camp Simms; and the Anacostia Gateway. Union Temple Baptist Church Pastor Willie F. Williams observed that the Big Chair should remind Ward 8 community that they “deserve a seat at the table.”

Ward 8 Democrats Candidate Forum

The Ward 8 Democrats held their second 2006 candidate forum in April, hosting candidates for chair of the District Council. All three registered contenders -- Ward 5 ANC Commissioner Robert Brannum, Ward 3 Councilmember Kathy Patterson and Ward 7 Councilmember Vincent Gray -- attended the event, which featured both questions from guest panelists and from the crowd. Top issues included council leadership, unemployment, the hospital, public safety, HIV and Ward 8 development.

Asked early to list their accomplishments East of the River, Kathy Patterson took credit for the new paint job at Washington Highlands Library, the location of the forum itself, which she helped facilitate as chair of the Committee on Education, Libraries and Recreation. Brannum pointed to youth work and mentoring he had performed with area students. Gray, noting his East Washington pedigree, pointed to his advancement of the redevelopment of Skyland Shopping Mall. The National Capital Revitalization Corporation had successfully achieved 91 percent site control in the past 15 months that he had been in office, he stated.

Questioned on her leadership skills, Patterson spoke of her record of winning support for controversial legislation, such as the School Facilities Modernization bill. Pointing out that although the bill had been introduced by Ward 4 Councilmember Adrian Fenty, it was through her committee leadership that resulted in its unanimous approval. In contrast to Gray, Patterson promised to eliminate closed-door council meetings, commonplace under the leadership of Chair Linda Cropp.

Echoing a theme he has used successfully in Ward 7, Gray told the crowd that his emphasis would be on making the District of Columbia “One City” He also plans to hire additional professional staff for the council. “We brought in a consultant to help negotiate the baseball deal, and it made a huge difference, because he knew much more about those types of negotiations. I think we need to do more of that,” Grey stated.

Brannum played up his outsider status. The council operated too much in a “tower,” he stated. “They need to take some of those closed door meetings and hold them out in the community where everyone can see.” He also promised to only give leadership positions to Democrats on the council; currently, two non-Democrats serve as committee chairs.

Ward 8 Councilmember Marion Barry addressed the crowd in the middle of the debate, saying “we have two excellent candidates here, who would both make good council chairs.” Brannum, who was not included in the endorsement, protested. But, Barry shrugged him off, saying he did not know Brannum. Barry also advised voters to look to see which candidate was most courageous, “because too often elected officials promise a whole lot but don’t have the heart push it through.”

Anacostia Interim Library Lease Approved

A lease has been signed for an interim Anacostia library branch , to be located at 1800 Good Hope Rd., SE, on property skirting the existing facility. The branch was closed a year ago with the promise that a new library would be built. However, the building contract was cancelled after delays and price increases. A new building agreement is in the process of being awarded, but the community will be without a permanent library for at least another year.

The interim library will be a high-tech establishment that will host up to three times as many public access computers as were available in the old branch, stated library officials. It will also offer a new book collection and make available a substantially increased number of CDs, DVDs, books on tape, VHS tapes.

There are also plans to place a modular library unit on the site of the Benning library that was also closed under similar circumstances. That facility, the building of which requires approval from the National Park Service, would be located at Benning Rd. NE, and 41st St., NE.

MLK Elementary Wins Accreditation

Martin Luther King Jr. Elementary School, located at 3200 6th St., SE, has won accreditation from the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools. Accreditation is not required for District of Columbia Public Schools, and only a few schools have successfully gone through the lengthy and rigorous process.

“What does accreditation mean?,” asks Principal Valoria Baylor, who stewarded the school through the process, “It means that we are a school devoted to a mission. We accept objective evaluation, and we have the capacity to maintain our own quality.”

Martin Luther King Jr. serves students from Head Start through fifth grade in the Congress Heights neighborhood.

Anacostia Slots Application Cleared by BOEE

If US Virgin Islands gambling entrepreneur Shawn A. Scott can legally gather the estimated 18,000 signatures required, his referendum on slot machine gambling in Anacostia will go to District voters. In a May 3 decision, the Board of Elections and Ethics ruled that the slots initiative was eligible to begin the petition process. The initiative would grant a license to Scott for a site with up to 3,500 slot machines at a location on the corner of Martin Luther King Jr. Ave. and Good Hope Rd., SE. A quarter of the earnings from the site would go to the city as taxes.

In 2004 Scott proposed a similar referendum for a site in Ward 5. However the BOEE found that petition workers employed by Scott had broken multiple election rules during a five-day petition campaign. Scott was slapped with a $622,880 fine by the BOEE. He has yet to pay it.


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Ward 8 Reports

by: Gabriel Pacyniak
Return of the Chair The Chair is back! After the Ward 8 landmark was removed last August, the 40 foot tall seat has returned to its rightful place in front of the old Curtis Brothers’ furniture warehouse building in downtown Anacostia. The old chair, built from mahogany in 1959 to advertise the furniture business, had succumbed to the elements after 47 years of exposure. Of course, the chair only had light use during that time. Its most frequent occupant was probably Santa Claus, who sat down regularly during the holiday season. The new chair, manufactured from aluminum, should outlast the original. On April 25, Ward 8 residents welcomed the chair back. Ward 8 Councilmember Marion Barry took the opportunity to connect the new iteration of the chair with other development projects taking place in the Ward: the new Giant grocery store and pharmacy at Camp Simms; and the Anacostia Gateway. Union Temple Baptist Church Pastor Willie F. Williams observed that the Big Chair should remind Ward 8 community that they “deserve a seat at the table.” Ward 8 Democrats Candidate Forum The Ward 8 Democrats held their second 2006 candidate forum in April, hosting candidates for chair of the District Council. All three registered contenders -- Ward 5 ANC Commissioner Robert Brannum, Ward 3 Councilmember Kathy Patterson and Ward 7 Councilmember Vincent Gray -- attended the event, which featured both questions from guest panelists and from the crowd. Top issues included council leadership, unemployment, the hospital, public safety, HIV and Ward 8 development. Asked early to list their accomplishments East of the River, Kathy Patterson took credit for the new paint job at Washington Highlands Library, the location of the forum itself, which she helped facilitate as chair of the Committee on Education, Libraries and Recreation. Brannum pointed to youth work and mentoring he had performed with area students. Gray, noting his East Washington pedigree, pointed to his advancement of the redevelopment of Skyland Shopping Mall. The National Capital Revitalization Corporation had successfully achieved 91 percent site control in the past 15 months that he had been in office, he stated. Questioned on her leadership skills, Patterson spoke of her record of winning support for controversial legislation, such as the School Facilities Modernization bill. Pointing out that although the bill had been introduced by Ward 4 Councilmember Adrian Fenty, it was through her committee leadership that resulted in its unanimous approval. In contrast to Gray, Patterson promised to eliminate closed-door council meetings, commonplace under the leadership of Chair Linda Cropp. Echoing a theme he has used successfully in Ward 7, Gray told the crowd that his emphasis would be on making the District of Columbia “One City” He also plans to hire additional professional staff for the council. “We brought in a consultant to help negotiate the baseball deal, and it made a huge difference, because he knew much more about those types of negotiations. I think we need to do more of that,” Grey stated. Brannum played up his outsider status. The council operated too much in a “tower,” he stated. “They need to take some of those closed door meetings and hold them out in the community where everyone can see.” He also promised to only give leadership positions to Democrats on the council; currently, two non-Democrats serve as committee chairs. Ward 8 Councilmember Marion Barry addressed the crowd in the middle of the debate, saying “we have two excellent candidates here, who would both make good council chairs.” Brannum, who was not included in the endorsement, protested. But, Barry shrugged him off, saying he did not know Brannum. Barry also advised voters to look to see which candidate was most courageous, “because too often elected officials promise a whole lot but don’t have the heart push it through.” Anacostia Interim Library Lease Approved A lease has been signed for an interim Anacostia library branch , to be located at 1800 Good Hope Rd., SE, on property skirting the existing facility. The branch was closed a year ago with the promise that a new library would be built. However, the building contract was cancelled after delays and price increases. A new building agreement is in the process of being awarded, but the community will be without a permanent library for at least another year. The interim library will be a high-tech establishment that will host up to three times as many public access computers as were available in the old branch, stated library officials. It will also offer a new book collection and make available a substantially increased number of CDs, DVDs, books on tape, VHS tapes. There are also plans to place a modular library unit on the site of the Benning library that was also closed under similar circumstances. That facility, the building of which requires approval from the National Park Service, would be located at Benning Rd. NE, and 41st St., NE. MLK Elementary Wins Accreditation Martin Luther King Jr. Elementary School, located at 3200 6th St., SE, has won accreditation from the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools. Accreditation is not required for District of Columbia Public Schools, and only a few schools have successfully gone through the lengthy and rigorous process. “What does accreditation mean?,” asks Principal Valoria Baylor, who stewarded the school through the process, “It means that we are a school devoted to a mission. We accept objective evaluation, and we have the capacity to maintain our own quality.” Martin Luther King Jr. serves students from Head Start through fifth grade in the Congress Heights neighborhood. Anacostia Slots Application Cleared by BOEE If US Virgin Islands gambling entrepreneur Shawn A. Scott can legally gather the estimated 18,000 signatures required, his referendum on slot machine gambling in Anacostia will go to District voters. In a May 3 decision, the Board of Elections and Ethics ruled that the slots initiative was eligible to begin the petition process. The initiative would grant a license to Scott for a site with up to 3,500 slot machines at a location on the corner of Martin Luther King Jr. Ave. and Good Hope Rd., SE. A quarter of the earnings from the site would go to the city as taxes. In 2004 Scott proposed a similar referendum for a site in Ward 5. However the BOEE found that petition workers employed by Scott had broken multiple election rules during a five-day petition campaign. Scott was slapped with a $622,880 fine by the BOEE. He has yet to pay it.