Every year, special interest groups come to the John A. Wilson Building, cups in hand, begging. One group wants to ensure its programs aren’t cut; another wants to blunt potential tax increases; and still another aggressively advocates for tax hikes. This ritual of spring is rivaled only by District elected officials’ tradition of pandering to such organizations.
Ward 7 D.C. Councilwoman Yvette Alexander promised senior citizens during her public hearing Friday that “There will be no budget cuts to the Office on Aging.” Like her colleagues, she ignores reality: The city faces an $800 million revenue gap for fiscal 2010. If the economy gets worse, that shortfall could expand.
Even those who might have the courage to say no find themselves weakened by the appearance of someone like Dorothy Height.
The 97-year-old leader of the National Council of Negro Woman isn’t your run-of-the-mill advocate hoping to feed at the public’s trough.
Wearing one of her fabulous signature hats and seated in a wheelchair, Height told Committee on Economic Development Chairman Kwame Brown the building her organization owns at Seventh Street and Pennsylvania Avenue NW needed infrastructure repairs.
She also said she wanted support for a training program. The mayor had promised to provide funding, but the NCNW isn’t included in the 2010 budget.
“The office committed to looking for funding in the [fiscal 2010] budget,” confirmed Sean Madigan, spokesman for the Office of the
Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development. “But given our budget pressures, we were unable to secure it.”
A day after his hearing, Brown explained why he pledged to get NCNW the $1 million Height requested. He said a litany of organizations — Ford’s Theatre, the Corcoran Gallery of Art, Arena Stage, the Washington Ballet — had received in the past multimillion capital grants from the city. In fact, a couple are scheduled to get money in 2010.
The District is earmark heaven. Both the council and mayor are equally guilty of the practice, which doesn’t necessarily guarantee the best use of public funds.
Brown said he wasn’t acting just because of the organization’s history. “If that was it, I would have given money to her the first [year] she requested money.” He said Height had asked for assistance three years straight. He said she kept her promise of starting a pre-apprenticeship painting program, and has trained more than 60 District residents.
“We have 10 percent unemployment, and they are helping provide skills that could lead to jobs. How could we not look at that request?” he said, adding that there hasn’t been such a tangible return on money given to other groups.
Help me. I’ve entered dangerous territory: I actually understand Brown’s logic.
Still, earmarking is troubling. Local nonprofit organizations, including NCNW, should get support from the government the old-fashioned way: They should compete. Good and worthy investments will rise to the top without an assist from any elected official.
Jonetta Rose Barras, an author and political analyst, can be reached at [email protected].
