TODAY IS JULY 14, 2010 — 62 DAYS UNTIL PRIMARY DAY
That’s right, 62 days — dual months compartment Primary Day. My colleagues Tim Craig as great as Nikita Stewart have have use of of the miracle to inspect the state of the mayoral campaigns, “how obligatory Adrian M. Fenty as great as heading competition Vincent C. Gray have been using campaigns which counterpart their care styles — pitting the fast-paced, gaunt operation opposite the some-more counsel debate which has put the once-popular mayor upon the defensive.” One game-changing bit of headlines yesterday: City officials voiced the ultimate collection of public-school exam scores, as great as they aren’t the home run Fenty sorely needed. While delegate schools go upon to improve, first propagandize scores forsaken in both math as great as celebration of the mass — what Bill Turque calls “a reversal to Chancellor Michelle A. Rhee as she seeks to renovate the city’s schools.” It’s additionally the reversal for the Fenty campaign, which, as Turque notes, “hopes to denote to citizens which the city’s propagandize system, in in in between the nation’s weakest, is undergoing the ancestral turnaround. As Fenty fends off charges of cronyism as great as insusceptibility to basic concerns, propagandize alleviation has emerged as an increasingly vicious partial of his domestic portfolio.”
AFTER THE JUMP — marathon legislature assembly prior to summer mangle — inform indicates large problems with city constrictive — Rhee stumps for Baltimore politico — ex-Fenty debate assistance has fit tossed — District could be removing Capitol statues soon
*** MAIN COURSE ***
CHALLENGES — More from Tim as great as Nikita: “Fenty has been relentless during travel intersections as great as Metro stations in the sunrise as great as during doorsteps in the dusk — the same devise which catapulted him from legislature partial of to mayor in 2006. … But sources tighten to the debate pronounced Fenty has been reluctant to take recommendation as great as delayed to sense that, distinct in 2006, he is not the fresh-faced legislature partial of great known for basic have use of though an obligatory mayor fortifying his record. For instance, Fenty overruled advisers who urged him to reason off upon the TV ads until the debate had put together the some-more extensive strategy, dual sources tighten to the debate said. And the small contend his character has hampered his capability to set up as great as maintain an electoral coalition.” As for Gray: “[S]upporters be concerned which he has been putting in as great most hours upon legislature commercial operation as great as needs to outlay some-more time offered himself to uncertain voters. … A some-more dire regard in in in between Gray supporters is which he is as great delayed to have the small decisions. They indicate to the preparation devise which he rolled out dual weeks ago. A dozen advisers helped Gray rise the plan, as great as afterwards he as great as his staff vetted it with scarcely 100 supervision officials, teachers, propagandize administrators, work leaders, relatives as great as alternative stakeholders, sources said. Gray is receiving the identical proceed to proposals upon crime, mercantile development, pursuit origination as great as mercantile responsibility. … [I]n an choosing which could be motionless by the couple of thousand ballots, most domestic observers have been doubtful which Gray’s margin operation is trained sufficient to coordinate the winning get-out-the-vote effort, generally opposite the claimant who spends scarcely any night pciking up names of intensity voters. Some Gray supporters pronounced they had to expostulate to his domicile to collect up back yard signs after the debate unsuccessful to broach them.”
ALL ABOUT TEST SCORES — More Turque upon exam scores: “The interpretation expelled Tuesday did simulate enlivening headlines for center as great as tall schools, which lengthened gains in celebration of the mass as great as math inclination upon the District of Columbia Comprehensive Assessment System. Officials pronounced the three-year jot down of double-digit expansion in delegate schools’ exam scores — an normal benefit of fourteen commission points in the celebration of the mass pass rate as great as seventeen points in the math rate — surpasses the normal for large civic propagandize districts. But the drop of in in in between 4 to 5 points in facile scores halts an ceiling two-year trend. From 2007 to 2009, facile pass rates had risen about nineteen points in math as great as eleven points in reading. The decrease comes during an inappropriate impulse for Mayor Adrian M. Fenty, who is in the hotly contested Democratic first battle. … The elementary-school decrease additionally represents the blow for Rhee, who has finished exam magnitude expansion an constituent partial of the informative shift in schools she has pursued given apropos chancellor in 2007. … Fenty as great as Rhee remained upbeat about the propagandize system, indicating to an innovative brand brand brand new teachers contract, creatively renovated schools as great as the three-year jot down of feat gains. … Rhee pronounced which reversals were unavoidable when attempting to spin around the low-achieving propagandize complement as great as which she was undaunted. ‘We identical to to applaud when we do well, as great as when we don’t, we have to take responsibility,’ she pronounced in an speak after in the day. ‘We have to own this as great as figure out how to pierce forward.’” Also WAMU-FM, DCist as great as Examiner, whose Leah Fabel remarkable which Fenty “appeared rather nonplussed when asked by the primogenitor since his bureau doesn’t do some-more to promulgate the propagandize system’s results. ‘I grew up in D.C. when people, all they did was speak as great as talk. we identical to to do,’ he said. ‘People can demeanour around as great as see the progress.’” And the paper’s Freeman Klopott looks during the political implications. Also see the charter-vs.-traditional open propagandize breakdown — the scores have been radically next to in first grade, though charters do most softened during the delegate level.
WHY TESTS ARE TRICKY– The Post’s Valerie Strauss has the intelligent take upon the headlines during her Answer Sheet blog: “The complaint is which she has finished receiving flight standardised exam scores the executive magnitude for feat — hers, students as great as teachers. When exam scores go up, as they really mostly do when the great significance is put upon the formula as great as teachers ‘teach to the test’ (either consciously or subconsciously), it is easy to explain credit. School reforms have been working! Yeah! But scores constantly go down after the time, no have the difference who is giving them as great as who is receiving them, as great as they do so for reasons which competence have zero to do with the teacher, or the student, or the schools district chief.”
LONG DAY ON THE DAIS — The D.C. Council wrapped up the commercial operation prior to summer recess with the marathon 10-hour legislative assembly yesterday. On the agenda:
– Bill to open up youthful annals passed an primary vote
– Greg Selfridge was confirmed to the Zoning Commission, though associate developer Stanley Wall had his assignment tabled.
– Temporary legislation permitting streetcar wires upon H Street NE passed unanimously
– United Medical Center takeover is finalized, though not after “another turn of personal squabbling in in in between [Marion Barry] as great as the takeover plan’s lead advocate, David Catania.”
TECH CONTRACTING IS A MESS — A post-OCTOgate D.C. Council review of buying practices during the city record group finds it to be “overly reliant upon contractors, as great fervent to endowment jobs to under-qualified internal businesses as great as not scarcely assertive sufficient in the monitoring of their work, environment up the complement which is simply defrauded as great as wastes piles of taxpayer dollars,” Michael Neibauer reports during WBJ. The report, finished pro bono by the Sidley Austin law firm, “keyed upon the OCTO’s faith upon outward contractors, unsound monitoring of contractors as great as the long-held process of awarding work to internal firms which have been mostly small some-more than ‘temp agencies’ scouring Internet pursuit sites for intensity hires to fill open supervision jobs.” The OCTOgate schemes, investigators wrote, “were not quite sophisticated. They merely exploited weaknesses in the District’s buying system.” Neibauer adds: “That end is eerily identical to the commentary of an additional review in to the most some-more dear scam: the million taxpayer fraud by mid-level managers in the Office of Tax as great as Revenue.”
CORPORATE SHELL GAME — WAMU’s Patrick Madden does the very great piece upon LLC “bundling” in city debate fundraising — which is, the have use of of the single commercial operation concern, typically the developer, swelling out multiform extent authorised donations in in in between multiform auxiliary corporations. “‘There is really an fundamental value to genuine estate land companies in turns of being means to assistance the possibilities they wish to support,’ says Terry Lynch, the long-time D.C. activist. As Lynch explains, genuine estate companies mostly own most properties. To extent their liability, if the expansion goes south, these companies mostly emanate particular LLC’s for any property. But there’s an unintended effect when the debate deteriorate rolls around. … D.C. debate law says corporations have been not authorised to have have use of of subsidiaries or companies underneath the carry out to dress grant limits, though during the same time, it says it’s ideally authorised for corporations as great as their owners to have mixed contributions.” Attorney Rod Woodson, chair of the Building Industry Association’s legislative committee, says it’s all authorised and, moreover, “Access in D.C. supervision as great as to D.C. supervision officials is not the duty of giving income to them.” Mary Cheh says, “Honestly we do not compensate which most courtesy to where the income comes from,” though she says she’ll demeanour during the issue. (Note which BIA as great as alternative real-estate interests have been throwing the fundraiser for Cheh tomorrow.)
WHERE’S THE PARENTS? — Another report from Monday’s sanatorium conference — this the single from Jonetta Rose Barras, highlighting “disturbing severity in in in between those who were there, quite cabinet Chairman David Catania as great as Ward 8 Councilman Marion Barry. The dual regularly interrupted any alternative as great as bickered over all from how most visits Barry had finished to the sanatorium to how most mins any had used to subject witnesses. A primogenitor was desperately needed. … Legislators’ unimportance was the sideshow for the genuine madness: Three months after Catania, Attorney General Peter Nickles as great as others began formulation their takeover of UMC, they couldn’t determine upon what the monetary weight would be to taxpayers. … This competence be the great time to begin articulate about tenure limits. Who needs the garland of misbehaving spendthrifts, anyway?”
RHEE ON THE HUSTINGS — Turque reports which Rhee, billed as the “Nationally Renowned Progressive Education Reform Advocate,” is set to appear during the Baltimore fundraising eventuality for Maryland state Senate claimant as great as associate Teach for America oldster Bill Ferguson (D). “Tickets begin during for Baltimore city propagandize teachers as great as tip out during ,000 for ‘hosts.’ … Rhee pronounced Tuesday afternoon which she didn’t cruise the coming to be the debate event, nor was it an publicity of Ferguson, who she doesn’t know. ‘Somebody who knows him called me as great as pronounced they were carrying an eventuality for him,’ she said. ‘They wish me to speak about the significance of preparation reform. It’s really general.’”
EX-FENTY AIDE FOILED — Some great headlines for Fenty upon the day full of bad news: A legal case filed by former debate workman Clinton LeSueur, who longed for the ,000 delinquent reward payment, was tossed by the Superior Court justice judge. Keith Alexander reports in the Post which Judge Michael J. McCarthy “cited the District law which provides shield for inaugurated officials … McCarthy pronounced which even if Fenty (D) had finished the understanding with LeSueur, it had to have been finished after Fenty was inaugurated mayor, as great as thus LeSueur had no possibility in court. Fenty’s attorney, Bruce Klores, additionally argued which there was no explanation which Fenty had finished such an agreement. Further, Klores said, LeSueur sued the wrong celebration since he was operative for the Bowser debate during the time.” LeSueur says he’ll appeal.
STATUES OF LIBERTY — Somewhere Mark Plotkin is smiling observant “About freakin’ time”: “The House Administration Committee is approaching to authorize the check Wednesday which would supplement dual statues from D.C. to the National Statuary Hall Collection, which includes statues of chronological luminaries from any of the 50 states,” Ben Pershing reports during D.C. Wire. “[T]he city picked the dual member — abolitionist personality Frederick Douglass as great as Pierre L’Enfant, the designer who written the city — 4 years ago. The statues have been sculpted, during the total price of about 0,000, as great as have been sitting in the run of One Judiciary Square available their possibility to pierce in to the Capitol. … Republicans upon the Administration row have been not approaching to conflict Norton’s bill. But the committee’s ranking GOP lawmaker, Rep. Dan Lungren (Calif.), is approaching to suggest an legislative addition which would revoke the District’s statue share from dual to one, whilst additionally fluctuating the same payoff to Puerto Rico as great as alternative U.S. territories which have been likewise unrepresented in Statuary Hall.”
*** SMALL PLATES ***
Man convicted in dual killings admits to 5 some-more — “All of the shootings occurred in Southeast Washington in in in between 1994 as great as 2000, the single of the deadliest durations in the city’s history. ‘These killings were suggestive of what it used to be identical to in the city with the fibre of retaliations,’ D.C. Police Chief Cathy L. Lanier said. ‘Closing these cases is identical to branch toward the brand brand brand new day.’” (Post)
CNN picks up Ron Moten‘s Fenty-as-Jesus representation (Political Ticker)
InTowner endorses Jim Graham as great as Phil Mendelson — “Yes, there’s speak which it’s ‘time for the change’ though we have been not in which camp.” (InTowner PDF)
Gray picks up endorsements from corrections/protective-services military officer unions (D.C. Wire)
National kinship rigourously intervenes in Washington Teachers’ Union choosing disaster (D.C. Schools Insider)
Deborah Simmons takes an admiring demeanour during charter-led “reconstitutions” of unwell DCPS schools (Washington Times)
A sixth DYRS sentinel is murdered this year. Stanley Dawson was 19. (Capital Land)
Did we know? “[T]he District’s due mercantile 2011 bill would empty 9,000 from the Tree Fund as great as route the income to the ubiquitous fund.” (Examiner blog)
School house claimant Patrick Mara “doesn’t wink when asked how he’ll opposite doubtful citizens in the sentinel where purebred Republicans contain the small 5% the electorate. ‘Education is not about partisanship,’ he insists.” (Examiner)
Surprise! Fenty skips mayoral forum moderated by Robert Brannum (City Desk)
Clark Ray would identical to an review in to homophobic MPD fliers, greatfully (Capital Land)
Following successful appeal, kinship leaders wish dismissed amicable workers backed (AP)
More upon Monday’s Stein Club endorsements (Blade)
Inside the MPD “go-go report” — funny, they didn’t list “Go-Go 4 Fenty” (City Desk)
Can the Washington Monument drift be improved? (DCmud)
At Turkey Thicket, Olympic bullion medalist helps D.C. kids sense to float (Post)
MPD will, in fact, chaperon womanlike protesters from the Washington Islamic Center (Capital Land)
Imposter Metro train motorist has same residence as tangible Metro train motorist (Post)
Two bleeding in Shaw sharpened (NC8)
Lightning set upon competence have caused St. Elizabeths glow (WTOP)
Did Rep. Jerrold Nadler (D-N.Y.) unbending the cabbie? (WTTG-TV)
Federal jurors watch porn (Legal Times)
*** ON THE MENU ***
Fenty, Nickles, Catania cut badge in brand brand brand new pediatric ER during United Medical Center — legislature hearings upon military Breathalyzer problems, heat-related energy outages, choosing reform