Results tagged “kwamebrown”

Let's just say that the Fenty administration and the D.C. Council aren't planning any friendly get togethers any time soon.

First out of the gate to grandstand over the recent news that a Metro operator was suspended without pay for five days after being caught on video sending a text message while driving a Blue Line train: Kwame Brown (D-At large)! "I am shocked that an operator would be callous enough to risk the safety of passengers by texting on a cell phone," Brown said in a statement today. "Metro didn’t go far enough in the disciplinary action against the individual. The operator should be fired and anyone caught in the future should face the same consequences." Brown is a member of the D.C. Council's Committee on Public Works and Transportation, which has oversight over WMATA.

My local political prayers are being answered. It was just last week that I got giddy thinking of the potential mayoral match-up of Council member Kwame Brown (D-At Large), Council member Michael A. Brown (I-At Large) and Mayor Adrian Fenty. Well, it may just have gotten even more Brown-y. D.C. Wire is reporting that former Fenty campaign staffer Sulaimon Brown has officially announced he'll be challenging the mayor in 2010. If everything comes together as we all hope it does, we're looking not at one Brown, not two -- but three of them taking on Fenty. What are the chances of that? And which of the candidates is already regretting printing thousands of generic "Brown for Mayor!" campaign signs now?

When we reported last week that Council member Michael Brown (I-At Large) might be pondering a 2010 run against Mayor Adrian Fenty, we got just a little excited for the storyline possibilities. After all, both men are bald lawyers from Ward 4 with twin sons. But today City Desk's Mike DeBonis is telling us something that could only make the coming mayoral showdown that much more exciting -- Council member Kwame Brown (D-At Large) might run. According to DeBonis, Brown's father sent out an email over the weekend looking to get people to "draft" the younger Brown for a run at Fenty's seat. Of course, Brown was coy about the whole thing, though he didn't definitively rule out a 2010 campaign for the city's highest elected position. Should he run? Duh. More than one Brown in the race would be fantastic. Especially if the two Browns had run on a "Brown-squared" platform in the 2008 council election, which they did. Throw in Shadow Senator Michael Brown and you've got the makings of total electoral chaos! Fenty v. Brown v. Brown v. Brown? Yes, please.

The mayor's office and DDOT may have come to an understanding that the city will continue to foot the bill for extended Metro service after late night Nationals games, but at least some D.C. Council members aren't pleased. Here's a statement just sent out by At-large Council member Kwame Brown (D):

"The District paid an enormous price to build the Nationals Stadium,” said Councilmember Brown. “It’s absurd for District residents to cover the cost of extended Metro service when the Nationals are enjoying a stadium paid for by the people. At some point you have to ask when enough is enough. It’s time for the Nationals to step up to the plate."

With a hat tip to the City Paper's Mike DeBonis, today we find that one of our esteemed D.C. Council members isn't just complaining about a congressional amendment that would gut the District's gun laws -- he's trying to get even with one of its sponsors.

At-large D.C. Council member Kwame Brown (D) has just started a new blog dedicated to issues surrounding the presidential inauguration. His first (and so far, only) post concerns the D.C. Council's decision to keep bars and restaurants open 24 hours and allow liquor sales until 5 a.m., and asks the question: "Do you think DC should reverse the legislation or keep the law as it stands?" Sounds like Kwame Brown is definitely one of the Council members who Phil Mendelson referred to in a recent interview with WTOP as having "second thoughts" about the emergency legislation.

Maybe every political debate from now on should be held on a night where pretty much everyone has somewhere more important to be.

Earlier this year it looked like a measure pushed by some Ward 6 residents to impose volume limits on protests in residential neighborhoods was destined for failure. As we briefly mentioned yesterday, though, the D.C. Council endorsed an amended version of the legislation.

Remember those billboards that popped up in the 1980s that counted up the national debt, dollar by dollar? Pretty scary, huh? Well, District voting rights activists want something similar for their cause. Today the D.C. Council held a hearing on legislation that would allow the city to place two large LED billboards -- one outside the John A. Wilson Building and the other outside the new Washington Nationals stadium -- that would display the amount...

A day after the Washington Post put a number as high as $2.46 million on the amount of money that was stolen from the Office of Tax and Revenue in 1999, the last year that current D.C. Chief Financial Officer Natwar Gandhi was the head of the office, at least two D.C. Council members are starting to test the waters by suggesting that Gandhi ought to resign. At-large member Kwame Brown and Ward 1 Council...

Amid growing, vocal frustration over dilapidated, abandoned buildings on the part of residents in neighborhoods like Shaw and Petworth, a D.C. Council committee approved a measure to double the tax rate on abandoned properties. As the Examiner notes, the move could generate millions in additional revenue while at the same time serve as an incentive for land owners to either renovate and develop their properties or sell to someone who will. The measure, introduced as...

At a hearing before the Public Services and Consumer Affairs Committee yesterday, the D.C. Council heard testimony both for and against the so-called payday loan industry, which has often been criticized for predatory lending practices. The businesses market themselves as a way for lower income individuals who don't qualify for credit or a bank loan to get emergency cash. The industry's opponents charge that payday loans prey on our society's most vulnerable people by charging...

>> "Man, if I am ever refused service at a publicly funded institution for wearing a political shirt, I am leaving that fucking place in handcuffs. Someone gets their rights trampled on and she responds with a vegan cake? That is so fucking weak. Grow a pair." [why.i.hate.dc] >> "If you’ve always wanted one of Sen. John Edwards’ $400 haircuts, now’s your chance. Duvall’s Hair Co., in McPherson Square, put a sign outside its...

Welcome back to work, Washington. It's the Monday after a jam-packed weekend of fun for many of us, and we understand as well as you do that there's nothing so disheartening as reporting to your desk knowing that good times won't be in sight again for another five full days. It is therefore in the spirit of distraction that we present to you the weekend's funniest, and yet saddest headline for you to mull over...

Four hundred thousand people drive into D.C. each day for work and for fun, and the fact that none of them pays for the traffic and pollution they create has peeved more than a few city denizens. Asking drivers to cough up a few bucks to access our fair city is not a new idea, with everyone from local residents to the Post's Marc Fisher airing the idea out. Even Mayor Fenty (following the lead...

We hope you had a relaxing, if not warm, holiday weekend, Washington. Mixed in with the egg decorating and good cheer, we sure noticed a lot of grumbling about the ongoing cold snap (along with those flurries on Friday night), so let's get right down to the all-important question: When will this misery end? CapitalWeather.com is breaking it down like so: Most of this week will still see cold temps in the morning, with...

Last year ended on a bit of a sour note for District voting rights, but activists aren't letting a little bad news stop them. After being stymied by Republican leaders in the closing weeks of the 109th Congress, Rep. Tom Davis (R-Va.) and D.C. Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton re-introduced legislation on January 9 to grant the District one voting seat in the House of Representatives. The legislation, known as the Fair and Equal House Voting...

UPDATE: Sam in the comments points out that the WMATA web site has no current service alerts posted, so it appears the Mt. Vernon Square station is now open. Anyone been over there this morning? A few more details are available from the Post this morning about yesterday's Green Line derailment, though it's still not known when the Mt. Vernon Square stop will re-open. In all 20 people were injured, all of them minor except...

Boy howdy, yesterday sure was quite the hootinany over at the D.C. Council, as members scrambled to push their pet bills through before this year's session finally, finally comes to a close. Here's a quick rundown of what went on, gleaned from the WaPo and Examiner: >> We told you this was in the works before, but the council finally did pass a nice pay raise for themselves and incoming Mayor Adrian Fenty. From the...

Batten down the hatches, Washington. Proving that no good spell of weather goes unpunished, we've now got some major storms headed our way. Two separate storm lines, to be precise, are barreling down on the metro area as we speak, the first having just begun, and the second, more powerful system, expected between noon and 5 p.m. With winds at 30 mph, we'd suggest upgrading your umbrella to something more than cheap and crappy. District...

Though they left us with a good deal of thunder and lightning, the storms that hit our area yesterday cut a deadly path through other parts of the country, particularly Tennessee. We're not in the clear yet, though -- there is a wind advisory for the District and surrounding areas in effect until 1 p.m. today. D.C. Smoking Ban Really Goes Into Effect Today: Ahhhh, government efficiency. There has been some confusion to date...

In regards to the much talked about possible elimination of the current rent ceiling system here in the District, there will be a public roundtable on the issue today at 5:00pm at the John A. Wilson Building, 1350 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W. Two weeks ago, the City Council's Committee on Consumer and Regulatory Affairs voted 4 to 1 to overhaul the system. Right now, the cap is based on a particular unit's "rent ceiling", while the...

D.C. Mayor Anthony Williams may not be mayor for much longer, but he does have a few wishes for his successor's benefit, writes the Post today. First off, that the title be changed from "mayor" to "governor," a recognition of the fact that the District serves both the functions of a city and a state. Second, a good retirement package. Third and final, a mayoral house. Williams quickly backed off of asking for a mayoral...

As the clock rolled through midnight, there sat Marion Barry, hunched over in his too-big suit, red Nationals cap pulled low over thick glasses, interrupting the chair. He spoke haltingly, with long pauses, as he made his roundabout point, while Linda Cropp alternately reclined in exasperation and leaned forward over the desk, glaring at him in incredulity. Barry hushed Kwame Brown and David Catania by their first names as they attempted to clarify his statement,...

As Ryan wrote earlier this morning, much of the District went to sleep last night thinking the stadium lease had been voted down, fearing that they may wake up to MLB announcing it was defecting to across the river. And surely enough, local newspapers thought much the same -- the Examiner's headline this morning reads "Council Rejects Stadium Lease Deal; Mayor Williams Cries Foul" while the Washington Times similarly proclaimed "Council Rejects Stadium Lease." We...

When we last checked in on them, the Washington Wizards were 8-11 and facing a tough five game road trip that would go a long way in deciding the outcome of their season. After losing their first three in L.A. (to the Lakers), Portland and Seattle, the team pulled out the last two games in Denver and Phoenix, giving them some much needed momentum when they returned home to face the Lakers last night....

The Washington Wizards started last week one game below .500 and facing four games in a span of six days that threatened to send their season into a tailspin if things went badly. After an overtime win at home on Tuesday against the woeful Raptors, the team failed to gain any momentum, losing three games to Eastern Conference rivals Indiana, Chicago and Miami. Getting destroyed on national TV to the Pacers was bad, but...

In a sign of troubled times to come for the D.C. City Council, first term council-member Kwame Brown (D-At Large) has announced that he is endorsing council chair Linda Cropp in her run for mayor, notes the Examiner. In exchange for his support, Cropp has named Brown co-chair of her campaign. This is significant on a number of fronts. First off, since launching her campaign, Cropp has been seen as lacking the young blood that...

Politics can be dirty. And with the advent of the internet and its power to spread messages far and wide at almost no cost and at surprising speed, politics in these times can be anonymously dirty. While in decades past candidates and political activists had to act under cover of darkness and under threat of being caught red-handed, today they benefit from the ability to post and publicize information, rumors, and accusations with no...