Almost lunch links: the District's Republicans

Politics

Almost lunch links: the District's Republicans

by David Alpert • November 21, 2008 10:51 am

Photo by kimberlyfaye on Flickr.

Please do sully her legacy, Mr. Graham: Carol Schwartz is hurt that Jim Graham would propose ending the free Saturday parking she implemented years ago. "Graham says he had no intention of sullying Schwartz's legacy with his revenue-positive moves," writes Loose Lips. Graham's plan is a good idea, and the faster we abandon Schwartz's knee-jerk, cars-first legacy, the better. ~~Unfortunately, the meter hike is off the table, at least for now.~~ Graham will hold a hearing on Monday, December 8th, 10 am in the Wilson Building (1350 Pennsylvania Ave) Room 500.

What is "affiliated"? Everyone reported the DC Republican Party's lawsuit yesterday, which claims that Michael A. Brown is ineligible to serve on the Council since is is "affiliated" with the Democratic Party. He changed his registration to independent, but remained pretty obviously a Democrat, including calling himself an "Independent Democrat", campaigning for Obama, being an ultimate party insider, and more. I'm with Marc Fisher that we should junk this ridiculous minority-party rule, though I'd not complain if Mara replaced Brown on the Council.

Even Takoma Park can be purple: The Takoma Park City Council endorsed the Purple Line, though only if it doesn't hurt pedestrians or take away Takoma Parkers' inalienable right to park.

Think different, Detroit: A looming automaker bailout plus dropping gas prices has thoughtful commentators proposing alternatives, like raising the gas tax, a gas price floor, or expanding to build transit vehicles.

There's a heliport 0.5mi from my house! Last week, DC's very cutting-edge Office of the Chief Technology Officer (with the geeky acronym OCTO) announced the winners of their Apps for Democracy mashup contest. Top honors went to iLive.at, which combines WalkScore-like local listings with interesting pie-charted census data. Personal faves also include DC Historic Tours, which Google maps self-guided walking tours of historic areas, and Stumble Safely, helping you find the best and safest late-night route home from a bar.

10 comments

Tags: Carol Schwartz, environment, Jim Graham, links, parking, Patrick Mara, politics, Purple Line, Takoma Park, technology

Bye bye Carol (Sep 9, 2008)
DC 2010 budget would end Saturday free parking (Mar 24, 2009)
Klingle Road dead, dead, dead; bike trail alive (Jun 3, 2008)
Schwartz to run as a write-in; at-large race gets more interesting (Sep 16, 2008)
Where do DC's at-large Councilmembers live? (Jun 3, 2008)

David Alpert is the Founder and Editor-in-Chief of Greater Greater Washington and Greater Greater Education. He worked as a Product Manager for Google for six years and has lived in the Boston, San Francisco, and New York metro areas in addition to Washington, DC. He loves the area which is, in many ways, greater than those others, and wants to see it become even greater.

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I'm with Marc Fisher that we should junk this ridiculous minority-party rule.

Maybe. But the intent of the law was to encourage "diversity" on the Council and at least give the appearance that DC is not in fact a one-party state. Brown's behavior doesn't pass the sniff test. For instance, he was on TV on election night opposite Republican Michael Steele as a "democratic spokesman." Brown strikes me as worst kind of opportunist and ward-heeling party hack, no matter what his voter card says. It seems like the only kind of diversity that's not celebrated in DC is the ideological kind.

by Paul on Nov 21, 2008 12:26 pm • link • report

I am not sure I agree about ditching free Saturday parking. Meter hikes, yes. But Saturday parking creates some pretty huge inconveniences, such as forcing weekend guests into massively overpriced garages.

by Nate on Nov 21, 2008 12:50 pm • link • report

Nate: Free Saturday parking creates huge inconveniences, or paid Saturday parking does? With parking free, right now there are no spaces available, so that forces people into the overpriced garages. The meters would still cost much less than the garages.

The 2-hour restriction does indeed cause problems, and my understanding of Graham's plan would be to allow 4-hour parking at multi-space meters (like in Adams Morgan).

by David Alpert on Nov 21, 2008 12:54 pm • link • report

Waah! It's a two-party system. You're not allowed to oppose a republican without being a Democrat. Waaaaahhh!

If you're going to legislate a dumb rule like this, you open it up to what Brown did. And I have to say - good riddance. When one part of the political spectrum has the actual votes to dominate to this degree, they should. Republicans want affirmative action for Republicans, not affirmative action for minority parties - if the disability inherent in calling yourself an independent isn't enough to get a Republican elected, !@#$'em. They're irrelevant.

by Squalish on Nov 21, 2008 1:38 pm • link • report

Brown seems like a nuisance candidate, though I doubt the wisdom of the law in question, I'd be pleased with the result if Michael Brown were disqualified.

by Steve on Nov 21, 2008 1:57 pm • link • report

The states have "affirmative action" for political parties. It's called gerrymandering/redistricting. Maybe if we made Carol Schwartz's house its own ward, there would be a Republican on the Council again. The minority party rule has been around since the inception of Home Rule. One assumes it was the price (like the ban on a commuter tax) of getting the Home Rule bill passed.

It's worth noting that once-upon-a-time Hilda Mason held one of the seats as a member of the "Statehood" Party. It's not all about set-asides for Republicans. Maybe Michael Brown could run as representing the "Michael Brown Party". That would be real truth in advertising.

by Paul on Nov 21, 2008 2:07 pm • link • report

I tend to agree that the set aside is no better or worse than the tyranny of the majority that would exist without it. First past the post voting is inherently unfair to the minority, regardless of who that is. If you're going to get indignant about a voting system, then at least advocate for a more just system, like proportional representation or cumulative voting, rather than advocate for an equally flawed system that conveniently just happens to benefit your favored party.

by Reid on Nov 21, 2008 2:46 pm • link • report

IF Brown were disqualified, which I hope he is, it would be a very close race between Mara and "write-in." They'd have to count to see how many of those write-in's say "Schwartz."

by Tom A. on Nov 21, 2008 2:54 pm • link • report

I'd be in favor of ditching the "affirmative action" provision if the local Democratic primary was open. As that is the de facto election for Mayor and Council Members, it should be open to all. Otherwise, we need some system to protect minority viewpoints.

by TtE on Nov 21, 2008 4:29 pm • link • report

I'm underwhelmed that two Democrats were elected to the at-large seats on the City Council. I just want to know what took so long? See my blog for a fuller discussion, including a superior method to assure minority representation.

by Chuck Coleman on Nov 24, 2008 7:20 pm • link • report