The Politics Hour
Guest Host:
Social issues are dominating the debates in Richmond and Annapolis. In Maryland, Gov. O'Malley scored a major legislative victory on gay marriage. Meanwhile in Virginia, Gov. McDonnell backed off a controversial bill requiring ultrasounds before abortions. And in the District, lawmakers continued to bicker about the use of foul language. Join us for our weekly review of the politics, policies, and personalities of the District of Columbia, Maryland and Virginia.
Guests
Politics Hour Extra
Barry talks about maintaining his Twitter feed and who actually sends the tweets. "I never said I was a master tweeter," Barry said in response to Tom Sherwood's insinuations that he doesn't manage his own feed:
Barry talks about gentrification in Ward 8 and says that his highest priority for the ward is education. No schools in the ward have a proficiency over 50 percent, he said:
Comments
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Barion Barry needs to answer the questions, I hope that he is not going to be elected in the next Council seat.
I'm glad you finally said it at the end - his list of what he wasn't going to talk about on the air was quite long! My patience would have worn thin.
Marion Barry stated that "We don’t have one school in Ward 8 that has proficiency over 50%. Anacostia around 19%.”
He failed to consider two fine Public Charter High Schools in Ward 8. Thurgood Marshall Academy PCHS (where my son is a 10th grader, commuting from our home in Ward 5) and KIPP College Prep PCHS both have CAS performance well above 50% . Last year TMA achieved 67% proficiency in reading (75% in math). KIPP's 2011 results were even higher, surpassing all other open enrollment schools in the City.
Barry's description of himself as a consistent champion of Ward 8 representatives strikes me as a gross exaggeration. For example, a few years ago a co-worker bought a condo in Ward 8 that was offered through a DC housing program. Shortly after she moved in, the problems began--a leak in the roof and problems with moisture in the basement led to huge mildew problems, and the question of whom to hold responsible has yet to be resolved. I understand that at some point, Barry's office was notified about this but evidently did little or nothing to find a solution. Just recently, the Post had a couple of long, front-page articles on corruption in DC government sponsored housing in this very neighborhood, and named the developer of my friend's property as one of those involved--David Tolson. My friend tells me that people in her building are thinking of just walking away from their mortgages (or have already done so) because they are so frustrated at no one taking their complains seriously. Where is Barry in all this? The answer is, nowhere.