Posts by Matt Rumsey — Guest Contributor
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Data on lobbyists comes too late, is too hard to use
Want to find out who is trying to influence the way the DC Council or Mayor’s office approach important issues facing the city? Good luck. Important information about lobbyists’ activities just isn’t available when needed or is hard to find. DC’s lobbying disclosure and reporting requirements need reform, as WAMU’s Patrick Madden recently… Keep reading…
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Make ANC financial reports available online
The chairman of ANC 5B stole about $30,000 from the ANC last year. DC agencies struggle to provide enough oversight of dysfunctional ANCs. The District can start to increase accountability and transparency by making ANC financial reports available online. ANCs must provide the DC Auditor with quarterly financial reports. The DC Auditor is responsible for auditing the financial… Keep reading…
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Most sitting councilmembers absent on campaign finance
Campaign finance violations in DC have triggered numerous federal investigations and corrupted DC’s political process, but the vast majority of sitting DC councilmembers still seem unwilling to risk cutting off their own sources of money to fix a serious problem. Amendments from Tommy Wells (Ward 6) on last year’s ethics bill to ban “bundling”… Keep reading…
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Help choose DC’s delegates to the Democratic convention
On Saturday, registered Democrats in DC have the opportunity to elect 14 delegates to send to Charlotte, North Carolina in September for the Democratic National Convention. There are 92 people running for the slots. Residents of Wards 3, 4, 5, and 7 (the wards along DC’s northern border) vote for one set of delegates, while residents of the other wards vote for a different… Keep reading…
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Ward 5 progressives must unite behind one candidate
In early- to mid-May, DC will hold a special election to fill the seat vacated by Harry Thomas Jr. Many potential candidates have already emerged. The time is right to elect a councilmember focused on ethical and effective representation for the people of Ward 5, but to do so, progressives must unite to support a single candidate. If the race is as crowded as current speculation… Keep reading…
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The DC Council should abolish Constituent Service Funds
The draft ethics bill under consideration by the DC Council takes steps to limit the use of Constituent Service Funds. The Government Operations Committee should take a bold step and abolish the funds altogether when they report a final bill. Analysis conducted by DC for Democracy makes this painfully clear. DC for Democracy found that very little money raised for CSFs went to… Keep reading…
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Draft ethics bill fails to address pressing issues
Councilmember Muriel Bowser released a draft ethics bill Friday. The bill takes some steps to follow best practices in municipal ethics, but is overly reactive to recent scandals, contains significant loopholes, has relatively weak enforcement and punitive powers, and ignores or passes the buck on some much needed reforms. Bowser chairs the Council’s Committee on… Keep reading…
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The Ward 4 council race is crowded. Will it be competitive?
The race to represent Ward 4 on the DC Council is shaping up to be a crowded one. Whether or not it will also be competitive remains to be seen. At least 7 candidates are vying to unseat councilmember Muriel Bowser, who is running for her second full term. Bowser was first voted onto the council in a 2007 special election to fill the seat vacated by Adrian Fenty when he was elected Mayor. Keep reading…
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Our 2012 DC election coverage will focus on issues
Washington, DC’s next primary election is scheduled for April 3, 2012. With roughly 7 months until that day, candidates and story lines are beginning to emerge. This post will explain what readers can expect from Greater Greater Washington throughout election season. Our goal will be to examine the issues and races with the same depth and passion that we apply to our everyday… Keep reading…
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Ward 5 needs more, smaller ANC’s
The Ward 5 Redistricting Task Force recently began the process of deciding if and how to redraw the ward’s Advisory Neighborhood Commissions (ANCs). The task force should create more ANC’s with fewer Single Member Districts (SMDs) in each. SMDs are the individual districts that make up each ANC. Each SMD serves around 2,000 constituents. Commissioners are unpaid,… Keep reading…