This was originally posted to the Adams Morgan Listserv on February 20, 2018, as message #47556, groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/AdamsMorgan/conversations/messages/47556
With Chancellor Wilson’s resignation I’ve lost trust and confidence in the Mayor and Council. We can’t afford weak kneed pandering when it comes to our School system. To praise Wilson in one breath and then call for a his resignation in another and spot some mumbo jumbo about a lost of trust and the rules is B.S.. Especially given the harm caused by resulting instability at DCPS. As well, the lack of consistency when it comes to the Mayor and Council when it comes to the rules. Either Wilson was up to the job or not. If not, resignation calls were long past due.
When the Mayor supported and the Council went through the process to provide a $60M Tax Property Tax Abatement for Douglas Development and the Advisory Board Inc. this was contrary to the rules and District Law. Projects such as this don’t qualify for property tax abatements under District rules/Law. Further the CFO ruled that the project did not require an abatement. Yet, the Mayor and Council created an exception in the rules and law. Why, so Douglas Development can line its pockets and the Mayor and Council can cut a ribbon. Again, the CFO studied the issue and determined no necessary.
The Mayor and Council broke the rules when they sole sourced the disposition of public land at Bruce Monroe to a development team which including people very close to the Mayor. The Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development purposefully mislead the community when he publicly said there was no plan/promise to rebuild a school on that site. Resignation call?
My point is beware of serving up the “Wilson Standard”, you may be eating soon yourself.
William