Photo by Kevin H.Good morning, Washington. Freeman Klopott has the rumor that presumptive Mayor-elect Vince Gray has put former OCTO Chief Technology Officer Suzanne Peck on the shortlist for the vital City Administrator post. Peck, who now works at WMATA, helped Gray’s campaign this fall with fundraising and other “individual projects,” and was Gray campaign manager Adam Rubinson’s boss when Rubinson worked at OCTO. Obviously, considering OCTO’s rather checkered history (including a recently revealed overcharging issue which took place between 2006 and 2008), there will be plenty of questions about whether Peck would be the right person to oversee all of the city’s agencies.
Peebles Spent $100,000 On Primary: Mike DeBonis finds that Don Peebles, who spent several months waffling about whether to run for mayor this year before bowing out, spent about $100,000 — most of which went to a Democratic mailing firm in Texas — right before the primary. It’s not clear what the money paid for, but since Peebles was a harsh critic of Adrian Fenty, we’d assume it was probably for some kind of pro-Gray or anti-Fenty mailing. In the end, and as DeBonis points out, Peebles got exactly what he wanted: a shake-up in leadership, for which he didn’t have to spend a whole lot of money. Though it’s interesting to hypothesize about what kind of effect Peebles would have had if he had run — how far would he have cut into Vince Gray’s nine-point margin?
Up Next: Disapproving Of Beer Because Some People Drive Drunk: Here’s was a headline that piqued our interest this morning: “HIV/AIDS Doc Opposes Medical Pot.” P.J. Orvetti at NBCWashington.com reports out the claim, in which Andy Catanzaro, an “infectious disease physician practicing in the District,” says that the availability of medicinal marijuana could blind HIV and AIDS patients to other, more effective treatments for the affliction. Catanzaro even goes so far as to suggest that HIV/AIDS patients might end up smoking so much weed that they’d forget to take their medication. Of course, the doc sure is taking a big logical leap here in assuming that every single person in the District who has HIV/AIDS not only has access to, but actually wants to take such advanced medications.
More Wild Crime News From Maryland: When Marylanders aren’t busy attacking each other with machetes, ejaculating on college students or hitting young children in strollers with their cars, they’re just stabbing each other in bar fights. Four people, including three students at the University of Maryland, were stabbed last night after a brawl broke out at The Thirsty Turtle bar. No arrests have yet been made, and none of the wounds were life-threatening.
Briefly Noted: Yesterday’s Metro disruptions actually went relatively smoothly…Maryland legislator considering road redesigns to increase pedestrian safety…Georgetown finally gets a fully solar-powered home…Woman killed while walking on I-270 last night…Mick Foley to speak at Jon Stewart rally.
This Day in DCist: Last year, suburban people were learning how to ride the bus; in 2008, we pondered whether D.C. should repeal its height restriction.
