For the third year in a row, District taxpayers checked the box on their income tax returns and donated money to the District of Columbia Statehood Delegation Fund Commission. To date, nearly 3,000 DC residents have given more than $48,000 to the fund designed to advance the cause of voting rights for the District.

Two things you should know about the fund: in the three years the city has been collecting money for the fund, not one penny has been spent; and the mayor not only doesn’t give to the fund, he’s not encouraging anybody else to give. “It’s up to the individual,” Fenty says when asked.

The cash has been collecting dust in the coffers of the DC Office of Tax and Revenue for going on three years now, the same place that allowed nearly $40 million to walk out the door. The money is waiting for Fenty and the DC Council to appoint the 11-member commission that by law can distribute the money. So far Fenty has named one member, John Cappozi.

Hardly the quorum needed to distribute the funds.

When asked about the delay in appointing the full commission, Fenty said he would “have to look into it.”

In fairness to the mayor, his predecessor, Tony Williams, didn’t appoint a commission either. But under the Williams administration, the city only collected a total of $1,343 from 11 taxpayers, an average of about $122 each.

The reason for the low total: In 2006, the first year of the fund, the head of the Office of Tax and Revenue, Sherryl Hobbs Newman, forgot to put the check off box on the tax returns. Oops! Apparently Hobbs Newman was too busy NOT catching her employees allegedly embezzling tens of millions of taxpayer dollars right from under her nose.

In 2007 the DC OTR collected $31,141.70. According to officials at the OTR, 1,763 taxpayers gave an average of 17 bucks each. A big dip from the average donation in 2006 but a huge jump in total money collected. That amount of money caught the eye of the three shadow delegates who were eager to start spending the cash and advancing the cause of voting rights the citizens had earmarked their money for. But they couldn’t get their hands on it because there was no commission to distribute the funds.

Despite the lack of a commission and the fact that two years worth of donations remain unused, the city was still asking citizens to check the box on their returns and donate what they could in 2008. In fact, this year the city has orchestrated its biggest public relations push ever by enlisting the help of Hollywood starlet Hayden Panettiere from the TV show “Heroes.”

“Be a hero, help end taxation without representation here in DC,” Panettiere says in the public service announcement playing on the District's website and cable station.

Panettiere's pitch is followed by a plea from Shadow Senator Paul Strauss to "think inside the box, and check off a contribution."

So far, the OTR reports they’ve collected $16,422 from 987 taxpayers this year. As stated above, the mayor is not one of the 987. When asked about the ad and if he gives and if he thinks other taxpayers should give, Fenty said, “No, and the answer to what taxpayers should do with their money, it's completely up to them.”
Hardly a rousing endorsement.

That quote caught Shadow Senator Paul Strauss off guard. “I’ll have to get back to you,” Strauss said when contacted by this reporter for a reaction. This was a first; any reporter in town will tell you Paul Strauss stands ready to give a quote on anything, anytime, anyplace. His silence on this was deafening.

One person who also stands ready to provide a quote to reporters and isn’t silent on this topic is WTOP political analyst, Mark Plotkin.

“The mayor should be the number one cheerleader for statehood. He’s telling everybody it’s OK to take a pass on this issue.”

DC Council Chair Vincent Gray isn’t taking a pass. Gray recently introduced emergency legislation that will bypass the nonexistent commission and give the money directly to the shadow delegates. So much for Chairman Cappozi’s commission. Fenty says he'll sign the legislation when it reaches his desk. That’s good news for Strauss and his fellow shadows. It will be the first time they will have the chance to spend a little money. It will be interesting to see what they do with it.

It’s going to be like a reality version of a reality show. I can hear the host now.

“Our contestants are the three shadow delegates for the nation’s capital. We’ve given them each $15,000 cash and one year to get a vote in Congress. Let’s see who will be the biggest loser.”

Nats Looking to Cash In … Again
It’s been a tough start for the Nationals. The opening game of the new ballpark went without problems and finished with a storybook game-winning home run by Ryan Zimmerman, but it’s been downhill from there.

There is a silver lining for the team, or at least the team owners, Ted and Mark Lerner. According to Forbes.com’s annual “Business of Baseball” report, www.forbes.com/lists/2008/33/biz_baseball08_The-Business-Of-Baseball_Income.html, the Nats sit atop the league in one very important category … PROFIT.

In 2007 the Nationals raked in $43.7 million dollars in operating revenue. Forbes defines operating revenue as “Earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization.” In other words, PROFIT. The Nats aren’t the most valuable team though. The MVT goes to the Yankees who are worth about $1.3 billion. The Nats come in 13th most valuable team worth $460 million.

Hardly chump change.

But don’t think the Lerner family is sitting around waiting for the Yankees to catch up in the profit category. The team is finding new sources of revenue everyday. For instance, you and your friends can now take a tour of the stadium … when the team isn’t there. It will cost you 15 bucks, unless you’re a kid, then it’s 12 bucks. You get to see a sky suite, the dugout, the exclusive VIP club, the press box and the clubhouse. Of course for 5 bucks you can buy a ticket and see most of that AND a game. I’ve seen the press box, the sky suites and the VIP club, you’re not missing anything. Yes other stadiums charge for tours. The O’s fetch 7 bucks for a tour of Camden Yards and the Yankees get $20.

The Nats are also encouraging you to drive to the new ballpark. The team has thousands of empty seats every night and thousands of empty parking spaces. The free parking and shuttle at RFK has been a big success. Perhaps too big. About 1,000 cars per game park at the old stadium. The Lerners have decided to make it easier for those cars to drive to the stadium and spend some money.

You can now pay cash for parking at lots once reserved for season ticket holders only. For $15 cash you can now park in lot HH and for 20 bucks you can slide into lots W or T. And for those high rollers out there, or really lazy people, you can now valet your car for $50 cash.

City officials are quietly complaining that the new policy will bring more cars into the neighborhoods and will undermine efforts to get people to take Metro to the game. Team officials dismiss that notion saying all of the traffic plans were designed to handle the impact of the garages being full. As for the free shuttle, there is no commitment from team officials to continue the free service next year.