It was far from the best of times, then it became the worst of times. But to be fair, the District’s troubles can’t all be blamed on 2011.
D.C. Councilman Harry Thomas Jr. created his nonprofit organization years before the city’s attorney general found he had diverted $300,000 from disadvantaged youth to his personal account. Chairman Kwame R. Brown apparently first sought that black-on-black luxury sports utility vehicle in 2010. What’s more, it’s his 2008 at-large council campaign that U.S. Attorney Ronald Machen Jr, has been investigating.
Vincent C. Gray’s problems began in 2010 when his campaign became Sulaimon Brown’s new best friend. In December of that year, the mayor’s transition team began implementing what Councilman David Catania has called the “friends and family treatment.”
So, let’s not shout good riddance to 2011.
Besides, it provided some very entertaining moments: Who could forget Brown’s sunglassed-testimony before the council’s Committee on Government Operations. Equally hilarious were the unforgettable words that escaped the mouths of elected officials and other government employees.
Here’s a little test to determine if you were paying close attention. Please feel free to use this column as post New Year’s entertainment. Don’t simply guess who uttered the comment, try to remember the context.
Who said:
1. “My service to the city was a calling and never a source of self-enrichment.”
2. “My job is to do oversight; it’s not to catch people who are stealing.”
3. “This is a good time for me to clear up anything, especially during the election.”
4. “How do you give young people an opportunity to become leaders of tomorrow?”
5. “There has not been a history of corruption and pay-to-play in this government at all.”
6. “I’ll have each and every one of you on the news by next week.”
7. “I like to deal in round numbers.”
8. “I made no hiring decisions, nor did I set or influence the salary of anyone hired.”
9. “We go after everything we find.”
10. “My integrity is more important than anything.”
BONUS ROUND
A. “They become amnesiacs as soon as they cross the Anacostia River.”
B. “At the end of the day, there is no entity in local government that can darken your
doorway and send a cold chill down someone’s spine.”
C. “Can you stop campaigning from the dais for half a second?”
Don’t worry if you missed more than you answered; there’ll be plenty of opportunities in 2012 to experience madcap D.C. politics.
Answers: 1).Gerri Mason Hall, mayor’s former chief of staff. 2). D.C. Councilman Jack Evans 3.) D.C Councilwoman Yvette Alexander 4) Mayor Vincent C. Gray 5). DC Councilman Marion Barry 6). Sulaimon Brown 7). Former D.C, Personnel Director Judy Banks 8) Lorraine Green, Gray’s campaign chairwoman. 9)Inspector General spokesman Roger Burke 10) Councilman Harry Thomas Jr.
Bonus round: A) Ward 7 political operative Paul Savage B) Councilman David Catania C). D.C. Councilwoman Muriel Bowser.
Jonetta Rose Barras’s column appears on Monday and Wednesday. She can be reached at [email protected].
