Welcome to our live chat with Mary Cheh, Councilmember of the District of Columbia (Ward 3) and Chairperson of the Committee on Government Operations and the Environment.

Greater Greater Washington live chat: Mary Cheh(05/01/2009)
12:56
GreaterGreaterWashington: Welcome to Greater Greater Washington’s live chat with Councilmember Mary Cheh.
12:57
GreaterGreaterWashington: We’ll be starting in a few minutes. In the meantime, please enter your questions in the box at the bottom of the chat. We’ll start asking some of them once Councilmember Cheh is here.
1:01
GreaterGreaterWashington: OK, Councilmember Cheh is here with us now. Welcome!
1:01
Mary Cheh: Hello everyone. I’m Mary Cheh, Councilmember for Ward 3. Thanks for having me on today!
1:02
Michael Perkins: Good afternoon and thanks for chatting with us.

1:02
Michael Perkins: Let’s talk about the DC budget process and where it stands right now. What are the major budget questions in Government operations and Environment?

1:04
Mary Cheh: Well. All the Committees have gone through their agencies, scrubbed the budgets, and made recommendations for reallocations. Now, the Committee reports will go to the full Council and further adjustments will undoubtedly be made. The final vote on the budget itself will be May 12th, though supporting legislation will be necessary and voted on in June…
1:05
Michael Perkins: What are some of the major changes that your committee made?
1:07
Mary Cheh: In times of economic constraints, the Committee focused on cutting out excess allocations and making government operations more efficient. We also instructed our various agencies that they must be both more transparent about their spending, and forthcoming with details. In any areas where an agency could not justify or explain its spending requests, we eliminated them.

1:07
[Comment From David Alpert]

What’s the status of the Anacostia Cleanup and Protection Act (“bag bill”)?

1:09
Mary Cheh: That bill has been referred first to the Committee on Finance and Revenue because of its fee implications. Once that Committee has moved it out, my Committee will take it up. I expect to have a markup sometime in the middle of May. And then I would expect a first vote by the Council at its June session.
1:09
Michael Perkins: Do you think it has enough support to go through the Council?
1:09
Mary Cheh: Yes.
1:10
[Comment From David Alpert]

The Committee of the Whole just reprimanded the Mayor in pretty strong language for not implementing inclusionary zoning by the February deadline. What can the Council do now about this important issue?

1:11
Mary Cheh: The Council has taken very strong action. When laws are passed directing the Executive branch to take specific action, they are to take it. What we have on our hands is an Executive that is refusing to follow the law. It’s now up to the public, the press, and sites like these to insist that the law be followed.

1:12
[Comment From David Alpert]

IZ is just one example of the Mayor seeming to ignore the wishes of the Council. What can the Council do to restore the rule of law?

1:14
Mary Cheh: Ordinarily, a contest between the Executive and the Council is not likely to be resolved in the Courts. That means that each branch has to use the resources available to it, and public involvement, to press the other branch to do the right thing. For our part, that means using our oversight function, our budgetary tools, and the bully pulpit.
1:14
[Comment From SG]

I am very interested in the Wisconsin Giant project. Is there a real risk that this seemingly great project could get torpedoed by the vocal minority of opponents?

1:15
Mary Cheh: I don’t think so. As I testified before the Zoning Commission, this project has broad-based public support. I think the members of the Commission have been able to discern that over the course of days of testimony. Not to mention, it happens to be a very good project. Most recently, At-large Councilmember Kwame Brown has added his voice in support of the project. I think we will be ok.
1:17
[Comment From Guest]

A follow up to the previous Giant question. It seems that it is unique that there are proponents of a development project. One commenter noted that it was great for democracy in the city. Any thoughts?

1:23
Mary Cheh: I think that it is extraordinary that there were and are so many supporters of this project. But it just goes to show how great of need there is for it, and how good of a project it really is.
1:24
[Comment From Geoffrey Hatchard]

Of course, the entire community is behind the Giant-centered project at 7th and O Streets, NW, yet it is still struggling to begin (due to financing problems). Does the city know that the developers will actually be able to get financing for the Wisconsin Ave. Giant?

1:25
Mary Cheh: I have no inside information about this. But, the project managers seem pretty upbeat.
1:26
[Comment From Guest]

Councilmember Cheh, we discussed the Tenley-Janney public-private partnership here when the Mayor recently announced they were moving ahead without a mixed-use project, at least for now. What do you think went wrong? Where did hopes for a mixed-use project here go off the rails?

1:28
Mary Cheh: As you know, I fully supported a public-private partnership for the site. However, I think the matter was badly handled by the developer and, frankly, the Executive branch. The developer in particular failed to supply information and realistic plans so that, in the end, even groups that were willing to support the project, particularly the school community, simply gave up. And at the end, the developer seemed to run out of money.
1:28
[Comment From William]

A follow up to the Tenley-Janney question: Is there a snowballs chance that the project could actually be done correctly?

1:30
Mary Cheh: It seems unlikely. I have asked that as the Library goes up that there be structural supports in place to allow building on top. But it would take a new vision, a new RFP, better public relations with the community, and all of this coming together in the near term is unrealistic.
1:31
[Comment From Dan Wolkoff]

I’d like to know more about your vote for the Brookland Small Area Plan. Some of us feel that this is removing park and green space from the area.

1:33
GreaterGreaterWashington: (Of course, many of us feel that this was a great plan.)
1:33
Mary Cheh: The Small Area Plan is actually a very good transit-oriented project. It will bring new life and energy to that area, thus increasing the tax base and the amenities to citizens. And, it’s also good for the environment. The more we can get people to live near transit, near stores, in a walkable, livable context, the less need we will have for automobiles and the pollution that comes with them.
1:33
[Comment From William]

We talk a lot on this blog about the urbanism, smart growth and transportation issues associated with making this a ‘greater great Washington’. What is Mary Cheh’s vision for a greater Washington?

1:35
[Comment From Geoffrey Hatchard]

some of us feel that your vote for the Small area plan was fantastic.

1:36
Mary Cheh: I think we need to know where to grow and where not to grow. In my own ward, I have championed growth along our major corridors, such as Wisconsin Avenue and Connecticut Avenue. And at the same time, I have been a fierce defender of preserving green space, such as Klingle Valley, where we overturned initiatives to open a road through park land. Around the District, I would like to see us have neighborhoods where we can shop and have lively street life, and travel to work (if indeed we have to travel at all) by subway, bus, bike, and foot.
1:37
[Comment From SG]

How can the DC government incentivize “green roofs” for private citizens to make it extremely cost-effective for average citizens and businesses to install?

1:41
Mary Cheh: We are moving to do just that. The RiverSmart program, by DDOE, provides grants for mitigation of storm water outflow at residential properties. It could be used for green roofs. Anyone interested should check out the DDOE website at ddoe.dc.gov. Unfortunately, at the moment, for our businesses, we don’t have much by way of incentives and we are relying more on a stick approach, which will make it more expensive for businesses if they fail to deal with water runoff. DDOE has a Business Outreach specialist who can offer advice on strategies for green roofs and other environmental initiatives.

1:43
[Comment From Dan Wolkoff]

I’d like to know what steps DC can take to improve local air quality by reducing the amount of small gasoline equipment use like lawn mowers or blowers.

1:45
Mary Cheh: I have actually been thinking about doing away with gasoline-powered mowers. I haven’t done enough research to determine which direction to go in (i.e., either a ban or incentives for purchase electric-powered equipment). But I would be interested in anyone’s ideas along these lines.
1:46
[Comment From Michael P]

Councilmember Cheh, what is the District doing to help consumers reduce their energy costs?

1:50
Mary Cheh: As you may know, we have a number of programs in place. Last year, the Council passed major energy legislation that, once implemented, will involve a what we are calling a Sustainable Energy Utility, namely a third party, whose sole design in life will be to offer energy conservation opportunities to consumers. As part of that bill, we also introduced a requirement that separate metering for businesses, because we know that we entities can measure their own use of energy, they tend to control it better. In addition, DDOE operates a weatherization program for low-income residents, providing for such things weather-stripping and appliance replacement. And all are invited to have a Home Energy Audit to learn about their own energy use and learn how they can be more efficient. For more information and for details, I encourage you to log onto the Department of the Environment’s website.
1:50
[Comment From David Alpert]

Your committee has oversight of the Office of the CTO. Right now, many public documents across agencies, like the dc register, the municipal regulations, development filings, transportation plans, historic preservation applications, and more are either just posted as scanned pdfs (which are not searchable, like the register) or worse yet, not available online at all (like zoning applications). Is the DC government working on any initiatives to improve electronic access to this kind of information across agencies?

1:52
Mary Cheh: I am working on legislation right now that would require the Government to post information online in electronic, searchable format.
1:53
[Comment From SG]

I’ve noticed Wards across the city are receiving much-needed streetscape improvements to their major commercial/residential corridor. Are there plans in Ward 3 to make Wisconsin Ave (and Conn. Ave around Van Ness) more attractive?

1:54
Mary Cheh: Glad you asked. I was just able to get into the budget money for a streetscape project in Cleveland Park. In addition, the project for Glover Park on Wisconsin Avenue should get underway in the next six months, though I am a bit worried whether the financing for this project will come forward in a timely fashion.

1:55
[Comment From Pedestrian advocate]

Last year you introduced a bill to require adding sidewalks on streets that lack them. Many of those streets are in Ward 3. What are you doing to ensure that our neighborhoods are more accessible and safe for pedestrians (and bicyclists)?

1:58
Mary Cheh: I re-introduced that bill again this session, but as before, it is not in my Committee, and the Committee it is in is not moving it. Nevertheless, the bill codifies what is currently DDOT policy, namely that when a street is paved and curbs put in, there should be a sidewalk on at least one side of the street. This enhances safety, accessibility, and compliance with ADA rules. As far as other safety matters, we have had a number of initiatives in Ward 3 and throughout the District. As you may know, I passed legislation increasing the penalty for failing to stop for pedestrians in a crosswalk. And we have had a number of forums bringing together DDOT and MPD to increase safety at intersections.
1:58
[Comment From Re-cycler]

What is your vision for making Ward 3 more bicycle friendly?

2:03
Mary Cheh: Again, glad you asked. This gives me an opportunity to publicize my upcoming bike tour in Ward 3, which will be held on Saturday, May 30, beginning at noon at the MPD 2d District Station on Wisconsin and Idaho. We have had several bike tours, each with a different theme. This one will focus on bicycle upkeep and safety.

More generally, I would like to see more bike paths and I support several Council initiatives that would improve safety for bicyclists. And of course, we need more bike racks. I hope everyone will join us on Bike to Work Day on May 15, 2009.

Finally, I am happy to see that the Executive branch is expanding its SmartBike program.

2:03
Michael Perkins: That’s all the time we have. Thank you for taking the time to talk with us. And thanks to everyone that submitted questions.

2:04
Mary Cheh: Thank you again for having me. It was a great pleasure to answer your questions.
2:04
GreaterGreaterWashington: Thanks very much to everyone who participated, and especially to Councilmember Cheh. Thanks for being such an advocate for smart growth in the DC Council. Sorry we couldn’t get to all the questions. You can weigh in with your opinions of Councilmember Cheh’s statements in the comments.
2:04

Michael Perkins blogs about Metro operations and fares, performance parking, and any other government and economics information he finds on the Web. He lives with his wife and two children in Arlington, Virginia.