To those of us who stalk the halls of the John Wilson Building hoping to catch a legislator in a compromising situation, Thursday was a bust. All 13 members of the D.C. Council were compromising themselves at a private retreat at the convention center. Incoming Chairman Kwame Brown called the special session so the legislators could get to know one another better, beyond the workaday world. He wanted to hash out a few internal matters, outside the glare of pesky reporters. Oh, to have been a fly on the wall! Just imagine David Catania trying to get all warm and fuzzy with Marion Barry. Can you say “mortal enemies”? Or imagine eavesdropping on new pro tempore Mary Cheh and her predecessor Jack Evans. Or hear how Capital Hill’s Tommy Wells feels about Barry trying to expand his Ward 8 across the Anacostia River to Wells’ Ward 6 under the expected redistricting.
But I did have a mole or two in the room. What topic engendered the most passion? Crime? Schools? Ethics? Nope.
