Carrots, sticks and jobs in D.C.

City Administrator Allen Y. Lew has described himself as a carrot man. I’m more of a stick girl — blame my Catholic upbringing. Laws must be enforced, vigorously. Violators must be punished. But, Lew could be onto something with his Workforce Incentive Program.

“What we’re trying to do is build a work force,” he told me, defending his all-carrot initiative and providing temporary relief from the D.C. Council’s continuing investigation into Mayor Vincent C. Gray’s hiring practices.