Mayoral contracting problems are not new
Re: “Could D.C. contracts quagmire have been avoided?” Nov. 10
This analysis of the circumstances surrounding the D.C. Council’s decision to prohibit the transfer of Department of Parks and Recreation (DPR) capital projects to Office of Public Education Facilities Modernization (OPEFM) is a bit superficial. Quoting unnamed city officials and my Ward 2 Council colleague Jack Evans, the article postulates that if I had not led the Council’s charge to block the transfer of project funds to OPEFM in 2008, DPR projects would be further along – and the executive’s surreptitious transfer of agency funds to the Housing Authority could have been avoided. A deeper look would have uncovered two vital points: 1) The law establishing OPEFM authorizes the agency to undertake projects only at school sites, thus eliminating the wide array of DPR projects not based at DCPS locations; and 2) Our budget office indicates that substantial problems exist with the contracting process OPEFM used in its summer 2008 projects, many of which still remain unresolved. The executive’s preference to devise workarounds rather than building agency capacity is a short-sighted approach to governing, and one that emphasizes outcomes at the expense of ethics, fairness, and competition.
Harry “Tommy” Thomas, Jr.
Councilmember, D-Ward 5
Council of the District of Columbia
Obama reverses years of cowboy foreign policy
Re: “Why does he hate us? Obama’s America-effacing presidency,” Nov. 15
I am very disappointed that The Examiner would print such a commentary, which goes beyond the pale of responsible right-of-center political opinion. After eight years of cowboy foreign policy, which made potential terrorists of thousands of Muslims, President Obama is restoring us to the position of a dependable and predictable ally, and a nation that has more than just military op¡©tions for defending its interests. It is not hate, but respect for basic American values, that brings about self-criticism, deliberation, and caution. We had more than enough impulsive action, closed-mindedness, and refusal to look at consequences under the previous administration. Furthermore, it was clear by the time of the 2008 election that Bill Ayers and Rev. Jeremiah Wright were not influential to Obama’s thinking. More than ever, our country today needs a loyal, rational opposition, not op-ed pieces and radio rant show hosts accusing the president of hating America.
Gilbert Adams
Washington
Charter schools already attract top-notch teachers
R
e: “Importing teachers in the District of Columbia,” Nov. 10
Barbara Hollingsworth correctly says that urban school districts need to empower schools to hire high quality teachers. However, D.C. public charter schools – which educate 38 percent of the District’s public school children – already have that freedom?, ?and use it to the lasting benefit of their nearly 28,000 students. While some commentators focus on public charter schools’ ability to fire underperforming teachers, a balanced debate would also highlight their flexibility to attract and retain teachers who provide high-quality instruction. For example, two-thirds of teachers at Thurgood Marshall Academy Public Charter School have worked there for three years or more, despite the fact that the school is only eight years old and has added one grade level each year that it has been open. The ability to hire and reward high-quality educators has helped make TMA the highest-performing nonselective high school in D.C.
Robert Cane
Executive director,
Friends of Choice in Urban Schools
