MR. KOJO NNAMDIFrom WAMU 88.5, at American University in Washington, welcome to "The Politics Hour," starring Tom Sherwood. I'm Kojo Nnamdi. Well, the Dalai Lama is in town. He's here to give a talk for world peace, and I am sure that that's probably not as great a challenge as bringing peace into the life of Tom Sherwood. He is our resident analyst. He's an NBC 4 reporter and a columnist for the Current Newspapers. Can the Dalai Lama be of any help to you?

MR. TOM SHERWOODYou know, this will come as a shock to you, but, you know, while I'm not a Buddhist, because that would be, like, a yuppie thing to do...

NNAMDIYes.

SHERWOOD...I do appreciate the inner peace and mindfulness that the Buddhist -- it's not really a religion that Buddhist -- what do you call it?

NNAMDIFaith, I guess. It's...

SHERWOODWell, whatever -- method.

NNAMDIYes.

SHERWOODI do appreciate that. I don't quite get -- I can't say all the words. I can barely speak English, you know, being a Southerner that English is a second language. But what does it call -- the Kalachakra or whatever that is, the thing at the Verizon Center this week.

NNAMDIYou're talking, pal.

SHERWOODBut...

SHERWOODWell, I'm not -- you know, it's like the, you know, "Wheel of Fortune." I have to buy a vowel to pronounce some of those words, but it's pretty interesting. I think it's kind of cool they came in -- it has come here -- and that many people take spiritual relief from the things he preaches.

NNAMDIWill you be covering any of this at all?

SHERWOODNo, I didn't go. John Triffin went to -- I think, the first day, he was there. I asked to cover it because I thought I could take my kind of agnostic views down there and maybe score some nice incense or something.

NNAMDIAnd I can see as a result of your request to cover, the response was, uh uh, don't think so. July 4 fireworks, it is my understanding that you, a Washingtonian who, I think, really likes and appreciates the city, somehow feels that New York's fireworks are better than ours.

SHERWOODWe were cheated. We were cheated.

NNAMDIHow were we cheated?

SHERWOODI like the fireworks. You know, I have a nice view from my apartment building -- fireworks -- and they're very nice. But then after it was over and I went and just turned the TV on to see what the latest news was, I happened to see a channel that had the New York City fireworks.

NNAMDIYes.

SHERWOODAnd there were -- they're in the Hudson River, five barges, each apparently loaded with more fireworks than we had at the mall, and they were going off in sequence, computerized sequence. There were all kinds of music, patriotic and otherwise, and it was a spectacular show. Now, someone said, Sherwood, the difference is the Park Service puts on the fireworks here, and they had a budget issue, while in New York, it's sponsored by Macy's. So the answer is...

NNAMDIWe have to get a corporate finance sponsor...

SHERWOODWe need a sponsor.

NNAMDI...corporate financed fireworks.

SHERWOODHave a corporate financed fireworks and have fireworks all up and down the mall, make it really kind of cool or put them on the water. I don't want New York to be first. I want us to be first, but we need more private financing.

NNAMDIOn to the business of "The Politics Hour." Leslie Johnson has finally decided...

SHERWOODMaybe we get Harry Thomas -- I'm sorry -- we would come to that.

NNAMDIWell, we'll get to Harry Thomas Jr. in a second. Leslie Johnson...

SHERWOODLeslie Johnson, yes.

NNAMDI...the Montgomery County councilmember, the wife of Prince George's County councilmember, the wife of former Prince George's County executive Jack Johnson, has decided she will step aside but not soon enough for her colleagues on the council. They would like her resignation to be immediate in the wake of her pleading guilty to various and sundry charges with which everyone is familiar.

SHERWOODYeah, well, let's be clear. She pled guilty. It wasn't like she's charged and she has some opportunity to defend herself. She pled guilty to destroying a $100,000 check to putting $78-, $79-, $80,000 in her garments to try to hide them from the FBI. She pled guilty. And then she's, oh, I'm going to retire -- I mean, I'm going to resign, but not till July 31. Maybe there's some kind of retirement benefit she gets if she goes all the way to July 31.

SHERWOODBut -- well, she's kind of disappeared. Maybe she's gone to Disneyworld. Maybe she -- somebody said she may own a house in South Carolina or North Carolina. She's down there resting up for her resignation. But why not resign on the day that you plead guilty to violating the law? I think that might be a good system to have in place.

NNAMDIThat's certainly what county executive Rushern Baker was hoping for, but that apparently is not going to happen, from people who have pled guilty to other elected officials who are being investigated. You mentioned Harry Thomas Jr. "Loose Lips'" Alan Suderman has a column this week detailing how some of the funds for Team Thomas were spent. And I ask people to remember that Hooters does serve food.

SHERWOODLet me...

NNAMDICome on.

SHERWOODLet me just pass it on, pass Hooters. You know...

NNAMDIBut they do have meals at Hooters.

SHERWOODYes. But I don't think you take young children that you're trying to take off the streets or to give summertime activities to, you don't take children to Hooters.

NNAMDISchooling them. You're schooling them.

SHERWOODTo school them in sports, at least not that sport.

NNAMDIYes. This is true.

SHERWOODThe fact is Alan Suderman has done quite a service just of laying out for the most painful information for us to see that Tommy Thomas, the councilmember from Ward 5, who talked about children and all the work he wanted to do for children, apparently went on a spending splurge for himself.

NNAMDISo...

SHERWOODAnd that's what they -- in civil suits about. And that he has a lawyer for it and will get some -- all the legal stuff, but this is a horrific listing of abuse of public money, if any of it is true.

NNAMDIThe U.S. attorney is investigating that, and city council Chairman Kwame Brown through his attorney, Fred Cooke, has asked the U.S. attorney to investigate his 2008 campaign financing and whether he violated any laws. Before the office of campaign discuses fines or anything else, he has said he'd prefer the attorney general to look into it.

SHERWOODWell...

NNAMDIThe U.S. attorney has indicated he's already looking into it.

SHERWOODWell, it's like being fired, and you asked to be, you know, fired, so that you look like you're leading the parade, you know. But he's not leading this parade. The board of elections and Togo West, the chairman, said it clearly, we're referring this matter to the U.S. Attorney's Office because we believe criminal activities took place. And so Fred Cooke, who I thought was brilliant in what he tried to do, he came in and says, you know, let's skip with the administrative part of this fine that may be facing us.

SHERWOODAnd let's go ahead and go to the U.S. Attorney's Office and clear up the questionable legal criminal stuff first. And then we'll come back, whether we have a fine or not. Well, that was him just getting, I think, ahead of the parade that was already marching down the street. And so, now, the U.S. attorney has got that, Soileman Brown and Mayor Gray and Tommy Thomas. Maybe the U.S. Attorney's Office should move down the street from 4th Street down to 1350 Pennsylvania Avenue.

NNAMDIWell, one of the things that the U.S. Attorney's Office is supposed to be doing is getting this resolved more quickly than if it was the board of elections continuing to investigate it because they have more staff. So what would you see as an appropriate timeline for us to find out about everything?

SHERWOODWell, you know, Ron Machen -- I always say his name wrong -- the U.S. attorney, Machen, M-A-C-H...

NNAMDIIt's not Moten. That's for sure.

SHERWOOD...Machen. You know, it's not Moten.

SHERWOODBut the timeline is that this is an -- and this U.S. attorney said, when he took the job that, you know, public trust is an important thing. And so there's great hope that the U.S. Attorney's Office, which does not have a good record of pursuing these kinds of matters, will, in fact, double-down on this and get -- find out what happened as quickly as possible, bring criminal charges if necessary, if not, clear the air, so people of the city will know that this is -- work is being done properly.

NNAMDIBefore September, before the end of the year...

SHERWOODI don't -- well, you know, you have to have a thorough -- and you have to have a, you know, a legally defensible inquiry into all of these. But the good news is the U.S. Attorney's Office, already, is looking into the Kwame Brown 2008 campaign and whoever knows what else. So I think I just would urge them to do it as expeditiously as fairly as possible. That's all we can ask of them.

NNAMDITom Sherwood, all of this can be fodder for our next guest. Tom Sherwood is our resident analyst. He's an NBC 4 reporter and a columnist for the Current Newspapers. You're listening to "The Politics Hour." People know him in this town as a lot of things -- an activist. He runs a nonprofit that squashes beefs between neighborhood crews. He started a magazine. He produces go-go music.

NNAMDINow, he wants people to know him as the D.C. councilmember from Ward 7. Joining us in studio is Ronald Moten. The U.S. attorney is Ron Machen.

SHERWOODMachen.

NNAMDIRonald Moten is a Democratic candidate for the D.C. Council. He's running for the seat that represents Ward 7. He's the founder of the nonprofit Peaceoholics, which works with young people in the District to combat violence. Ron Moten, thank you for joining us.

MR. RONALD MOTENThanks for having me, sir.

NNAMDIYou can call us at 800-433-8850 if you'd like to join this conversation with Ron Moten. Or simply go to our website, kojoshow.org. Join the conversation there. Why are you running? What makes you think you would be good at this job?

MOTENWell, I've been a resident -- no, a citizen. Some people are residents. I'm a citizen of Ward 7 for the last 10 years. And I watched a lot of things happen. And I'm not satisfied, as well as a lot of my constituents and soon to be constituents, if they get behind me, are not satisfied with what's being done right now. I want and people in the ward want a responsive person in office who will respond to the needs of the people and not special interests.

MOTENAnd we believe that while the city is growing and a lot of great things are happening in the District of Columbia, right now, those things are not happening for Ward 7. They're not happening for us. Economic development, where people who want to help our ward are not getting support from the office that they need, where the crime -- you know, we have 1,438 people who were in one hospital in the District of Columbia who were shot, 1,300 who were stabbed, 1,200 for assaults.

MOTENAnd it cost our city $100,000 for each shooting in the city. And there has not been one comprehensive plan put together to deal with this in Ward 7 or throughout the city.

NNAMDIA number of influential, or supposedly influential, Ward 7 residents, including the former Councilmember H.R. Crawford and Paul Savage, who was one of the people who pushed Anthony Williams to run for mayor, got together. And they decided that the incumbent, Yvette Alexander, was not representing the ward well. Have you had any conversations with those people? Do you think they might support you?

MOTENWell, I've reached out to them. And I hope that they would support me. But my campaign will be about the people. It would be about addressing the needs of the people. I would have all of my ears open and listen to the people. I will not be a person if I'm elected, who once I'm sworn in and take my hand off the Bible, I forget about everything that I promised to people. I will be a person who will be a public servant, not a self-servant. So I act to be the person who they get behind and serve the needs of the people.

NNAMDITom?

SHERWOODWell, that sounds very good civic politics, but it also -- it's not very precise. Yvette Alexander is the incumbent. Just name two things you think she hasn't done that she should had done.

MOTENSure. Well, let's start with the redistricting. I mean, we've got D.C. jail for -- that -- to balance the Ward 7 to go from 72- to, I believe, 74- to 75,000 people. And for that to happen without the citizens being engaged and having some input on it, I mean, to me, it doesn't make any sense. And it's something that has stop.

SHERWOODSo she gave up fighting for some parts of Ward 6 on Capitol Hill that only got the jail. Why don't -- you know, you've been an advocate for returning felons. Why not -- you'd be a great person to represent the people in the jail.

MOTENI sure would, and I think they would support me because Ms. Alexander...

SHERWOODBut you're mad at her for putting them in your ward where you're going to run.

MOTENBut I'm not saying I'm mad.

SHERWOODThat's not consistent.

MOTENNo, no, no, no. I didn't say that I was mad that the jail is in our ward. I said that's all we've got, like there were -- I went to a meeting with the PTSA from Eastern Senior High School...

SHERWOODWhat's the PTSA?

MOTENParent teacher student association.

SHERWOODOkay. All right.

MOTENThey want -- by the way, I was the vice president of Ballou Senior High School, so I know about, you know, the impact of listening to these people who want their voices be heard. They want it to be in Ward 7 because they said that 100 residents of Ward 6 were eligible to send their children to Eastern, and none of them sent their children there.

SHERWOODSo she didn't fight enough for the ward for redistricting. What about some other issue that goes directly to the well-being of Ward 7?

MOTENWell, also, if you deal with the property taxes, our property taxes in Ward 7 are higher in areas like Hillcrest, Deanwood, Kenilworth, but, you know, we -- the value of our houses are not going up like in Ward 1 and Ward 2 and Ward 5. So there's a problem with that. We're not being represented. We have nobody down there who understands or surround themselves with people who understands the issues of the people. Therefore, she's been a rubberstamp for certain people in the council.

SHERWOODCertain people, who?

MOTENWhenever -- whatever bills that need to be passed for any councilmember, they can count...

SHERWOODMayor Gray is hosting her campaign kickoff. When you say certain people, do you mean that she's too close to doing what Mayor Gray wants and not what the ward wants?

MOTENWell, I would say that that's why a lot of the constituents who have said, if you look at the Hillcrest...

SHERWOODAre you saying you can be the leader if you win?

MOTENWell, I think she's a rubberstamp for not just the mayor but for a lot of people, you know? We have a council where a lot of people say, you scratch my back, I'll scratch yours. And that has to stop. It has to be about her constituents and her ward. And I'm the type of person that I'm going to go all the way for my constituents. I'm not going to sell them out for anybody, so...

NNAMDIBefore I get to the telephones, a couple of other issues. You've done a lot of work with young people. You've worked alongside law enforcement with Peaceoholics. Tell us what you think about some of the other big issues before the council, like education, public health, jobs. Let's start with the schools.

SHERWOODEthics.

NNAMDIWell, I'm about to go get to ethics.

SHERWOODOkay.

MOTENSo when we talk about jobs, I'm appalled that, you know, we have all of this development going on in our city. We had over $2 billion worth of construction in Ward 7. Very few of the residents of Ward 7 were employed. And I just get tired of hearing people say that our residents are unemployable. I know of 25 electricians who went to Homeland Security and applied for a job who were union electricians, and not one of them got a call back.

MOTENAnd to my -- what's more appalling about it, none of them had a record. So if they can't get a job, what about all of these other citizens in our wards who have records? So then you go, and you look at the situation with economic development in the ward. We had all of these things going on in the city, like I said, and nothing, nothing has been done to help the people who want to do things in our ward. It's like we're running away from the people who want to help us. We're, like -- we're slapping them in the face.

MOTENSo we have to address this. Another thing, Phelps, we spent $80 million dollars to rebuild this school and train our young people to have skills so they can be employable. I know of young folks who've gotten the skill, who've gotten the trade and left Phelps and can't get a job. So with all of these people coming from out of town and getting jobs in the District of Columbia, it seems like First Source is a joke and more rhetoric than a reality. That's something that I will fight for.

NNAMDITom Sherwood mentioned ethical issues, casting a pretty dark shadow over the city council right now. The city's attorney general has sued a councilmember, accusing him of abusing city funds that were supposed to be directed to youth sports programs. That's Harry Thomas, Jr. You run a nonprofit that's benefit quite a bit from the city's earmarking process. What thought have you put into how the council should respond when it comes to ethics and transparency?

MOTENWell, I'd like to put on the record that, one, I was one person who talked about a lot of the things that we see today, and it's -- part of that, I think, is my fault. You know, I'm a very passionate person. And as a candidate and elected official, I will have to tone it down some. Gandhi once said that, you know, when you...

SHERWOODYou're talking about the real Gandhi. You're not talking about Nat Gandhi, the chief financial officer.

MOTENExactly.

SHERWOODJust want to make sure it's the spiritual Gandhi you're talking about.

NNAMDIMahatma Gandhi.

MOTENYes. He basically said, you know, when you correct people and you teach people, you have to do it with love. And sometimes I did it with a lot of passion, which was love, but some people didn't take it as love. So I think a lot of people didn't listen to a lot of the things that have come true that I've said. So I know that's something that I will have to change, and I have changed it. And I'm willing to change to be a public servant.

NNAMDIBut there are people who have said that your group's relationship to Adrian Fenty and the Fenty administration was not all above board. They weren't very clear. There was not transparency as far as they were concerned.

MOTENWell, you know, the thing -- what happened with that was we have some elected officials who utilized their public office and abused it to put out myths on people, such as I. I'm so happy that Yvette Alexander asked for an audit of my organization because she did me a benefit because I believe when it comes out, it will show that no money was misappropriated. The books were, you know, good. We did the work. We didn't take $120,000 that was for the needy and spend it on things that it was not designated for.

SHERWOODWho's doing that audit, D.C. Auditor?

MOTEND.C. Auditor. It's been going on for a long time, and I believe we will have a draft next week, which we will put out in the public immediately because we know that there's nothing that we've done that's illegal and that we had over 70 people employed, the majority of them returning citizens. We have over 161 children in college. We did 29 truces. And let me go back.

NNAMDIAnd the auditor is going to say all of that.

MOTENWell, the audit will say a lot of it. I mean, the audit, mainly -- you should have seen the questions. I would ask anybody to go on the way -- on Google. Yvette Alexander, a letter that -- where she asked for the audit of the Peaceoholics, and you will see that it was more political than about really getting to what people wanted to know. But, like I said, this audit will clear up a lot of speculation.

MOTENAnd I'm so happy that she did it because I believe that every -- the citizens of the District of Columbia have the right to know where every dime of the District of Columbia goes and where it's spent. And I'm here to say that millions of dollars have gone to the trust, and they have not gotten paperwork and got the right reports to show where people have done their work. But we have. And those people have still gotten their money, and they're still holding our money up. And we've done the work.

NNAMDIWe're talking with Ronald Moten. He's the Democratic candidate for the D.C. Council running for the seat that represents Ward 7, 800-433-8850. Put on your headphones. We're about to go to the telephones and talk with Harold in Washington. Harold, you're on the air. Go ahead, please.

HAROLDYes. Good afternoon. I'm a small business owner in Ward 7. And I just want to say the only time you see people like Yvette Alexander is during the election time. She helped small businesses in Ward 7, gave them the attention that she gave -- is giving Wal-Mart. We would be much further along. I just want to encourage Ron Moten.

HAROLDI think you'll be an outstanding representative. With the crowd of investigations that's going on now in the (unintelligible) I'm thinking it's time for residents to turn the page. We need young community activists to step up and understand that the historical unemployment problem in Ward 7 is no laughing matter.

NNAMDIWell, we'll be inviting Yvette Alexander to join the program in our coming weeks, but you say you don't see her a lot. She only comes around at election time. Do you see Ron Moten a lot?

HAROLDOh, in fact, we just seen him the other day in Penn Branch shopping center. And we've always seen him in the ward, Ward 7 and Ward 8, working with young people to address a lot of these truths. But Ron Moten is not yet an elected official. And so he is not held to the same accountable standards as Yvette Alexander who has been elected and is paid quite a considerable salary to represent the residents of Ward 7.

HAROLDThe unemployment that we have in that ward is just horrific, and for it to be not held steady but to be increasing is almost criminal.

NNAMDIOkay.

HAROLDIt's really no fun to have these people out of work for this long, and now small business do not get the support and a part of the economic development path.

NNAMDIOkay, Harold. Here's what Ron Moten has to say about that.

MOTENI believe that he's right. The small businesses normally are people who reside in the ward. And we have not empowered the small businesses. We have not been creative in setting up things where we can start entrepreneurship in our communities because, at one time, we had an enriched community where we had people starting businesses from the community. We have this great thing that's coming in the ward. The farmer's market is coming to Ward 7, which is great. It's also in Ward 8.

MOTENThese are things we have to start teaching our young folks, how to start their own business, how to be entrepreneurs, how to do for yourself and stop depending on other folks. I would think that I didn't talk about, you know, Yvette sponsored legislation on TANF dollars, dealing with TANF and a lot...

SHERWOODThat's the welfare payments, right?

MOTENRight, right. Welfare payments. And one thing that we haven't done as a people and as a city is be creative in dealing with this issue. This is a very sensitive issue because a lot of people don't believe in giving people checks that sit home on their butts.

NNAMDIWell, Mayor Barry and others have proposed the very thing that the city, for a change, cut off the benefits for people...

MOTENThat's my point.

SHERWOODAre you for it or against it?

MOTENI'm getting to something. I'm getting to something.

SHERWOODOh, I'm sorry. Well, hurry up. This is a radio show.

MOTENGot you. So, what I would do -- one of the things that I want to do is start giving people resources to be family again. People should not be given resources to keep the man out of the household. This is one thing that George Bush did that was great. He had initiative where people were paid to be family until they can get on their feet and build their family up. I'm not talking about 18 years. I'm talking about a couple of years. This is what's needed.

MOTENThis is what's left the black family, building family, man and woman raising a child together. But this comes back on the money we spend to deal with crime, with poverty and all of the things that we see in our community. And we -- this is the type of creation -- the creativity that I will bring as the Ward 7 candidate.

NNAMDIIf you win this race, you will have to work with Vincent Gray as mayor for at least two years.

MOTENYes.

NNAMDIYou recently produced a song that laid pretty bare much all of the different grievances you have with Mayor Gray. We'll take a little bit of a listen to that.

NNAMDITom Sherwood generally evaluates these things on the basis of the beat and whether it's danceable or not.

SHERWOODYou know, you couldn't see under the table, but I was tapping my foot. And I think it was to the beat.

NNAMDIHe liked the beat. How will you be able to develop a workable relationship with the mayor after something like this?

MOTENWell...

SHERWOODWill you chase him down the hallway during the campaign?

MOTENWell, he called me a $10 million crony, and I forgave him. And even though Howard Brooks was a $10 million crony, I mean, I forgave him for that. And my thing is we have to be what we preach to our children. And we tell our children to put their petty differences aside and do what's in the best interest of the people. I don't see myself having a problem with Mayor Gray. Before the campaign and before these politics got into play, we were very close friends. I have footage of him praising my organization.

MOTENI have -- oh, that is from him, and so we really don't have a problem. That's just politics. I can put that aside because I'm a man of my word. And I would agree to work with Mayor Gray. And the other thing we must understand, a lot of times, you get along better and don't work with people who you don't necessarily agree with everything that they do. And I'm one of them people who can get along with people like that.

SHERWOODNow, the election is not until April, right?

MOTENYes, sir.

SHERWOODYou got lots -- how many months to that, nine or so months? It's a long time.

MOTENMm hmm.

SHERWOODHow are you supporting yourself? Are you still part of the Peaceoholics' budget? And I know you don't have some money from the city. How are you supporting yourself?

MOTENI'm glad that you asked that question. One thing is I haven't received a check from the Peaceoholics in almost two years. One of the things...

SHERWOODSo how have you been supporting yourself?

MOTENOne of the things that I have done -- people know I do T-shirts. I'm a promoter. I do a lot of consultant work.

SHERWOODSo you have a small business license?

MOTENRight.

NNAMDIThe OtherSide magazine.

MOTENRight. And let me be the first to say, it's not easy. It hasn't been easy. But before I started the Peaceoholics, I worked for free for nine years without getting a dime and sacrificed a lot. In fact, I was almost home, just heating my word up in a microwave right before I got my first contract. So it's never been about the money. It's always been about the people for me. I mean, at one time in my life, I was somebody who took away from the city. And it was a privilege for me to give back.

MOTENAnd it would be a privilege for me to service the citizens of Ward 7. And I just ask to be given an opportunity for people to take a great look and a good look at my record and what I do and what my platform would be, though I'll be -- will reveal later. On this Saturday, we will have a meeting at the Benning Library at three o'clock. Those who want to ask questions can come on the 25th at First Rock Baptist Church. We will have a town hall meeting on jobs and (word?).

SHERWOODWe're going to charge you for that. We're going to charge you for that commercial.

NNAMDIFor that -- that's a commercial.

SHERWOODNow, but let's me just be clear about it. You know, that...

NNAMDILast question.

SHERWOOD...as a public candidate, you're going -- everyone is going to look at all your finances...

MOTENRight.

SHERWOOD...all along, and you're ready? You're good for that?

MOTENRight.

SHERWOODOkay.

MOTENAnd one thing I was taught by the civil rights leaders that I worked with, who were with King, your private life is your public life. So anything that you do privately is going to come out publicly...

SHERWOODOkay.

MOTEN...and you have to be ready for that.

SHERWOODAll right.

NNAMDIWell, Ron Moten is -- Ronald Moten is the Democratic candidate for the D.C. Council. He's running for the seat that represents Ward 7. He's the founder of the non-profit Peaceoholics, which works with the young people in the District to combat violence. We're looking forward not just to his campaign, but especially to his campaign music.

MOTENBig Wax.

NNAMDIYeah, you're going to promise some good music for the campaign?

MOTENOh, yeah. We -- you know, we're -- in Ward 7, we have a lot of older people in the Penn Branch and Deanwood and Kenilworth and even in some public housings that have been -- who have been forgotten all about. People have just turned their back on public housing. So we're going to have some slow songs, some R&B, some -- a little bit of everything.

SHERWOODCountry?

MOTENCountry? Whatever.

SHERWOODYou call me when you get to country music.

NNAMDIRonald Moten, thank you so much for joining us. You're listening to "The Politics Hour," starring Tom Sherwood. He is our resident analyst. He's an NBC 4 reporter and a columnist for the Current Newspapers, who claims to have been at the Kastles tennis match in Southwest Washington on the waterfront last night. The Kastles have now come to your neighborhood. And it is my understanding, that, because you live there, is one of the reasons that the Kastles have decided to have their new stadium there, is that correct?

SHERWOODWell, I would say this, that my moving there did improve the neighborhood. But I think the Kastles Stadium there right on the Water -- right in Water Street, there's a lot of life there on Monday night when it opened up and last night, when I was, in fact, there. Although you alleged you were there, I've seen no indication. No one's called in to say you were, in fact, there.

NNAMDIBut let's...

SHERWOODI saw Michael Ein walking around. He's...

NNAMDILet's ask somebody who should know. Mark Ein joins us...

SHERWOODMark Ein.

NNAMDI...by telephone. He is the owner of the Washington Kastles' tennis team. And he can tell you whether or not I was there last night. Mark Ein, thank you for joining us.

MR. MARK EINHey, guys. How are you? Thanks for having me.

SHERWOODI saw you bouncing around to different sections of the stadium last night, saying hello to people in the more expensive seats. I was up a little bit higher, so that you couldn't get up to me. But I didn't see you with Kojo at all.

NNAMDIWell...

EINI was -- I had every part of that stadium last night. I was at -- I think I've -- I think we saw a lot folks.

NNAMDIYes. And he sat with me for a little while. Mark Ein, as I said, thank you for joining us. The new location, now that it's there, it seems like a no-brainer. But what was it that led you to that location?

EINYou know, we've thought about different places where we could bring our team and our stadium. And, you know, one of the things that we've tried to do is to use it as a way to get people to think about parts of town that have fantastic potential, but maybe haven't been used to their fullest. You know, obviously, the City Center site was one that, while in the middle of the city, it's sort of been vacant for a while. And, you know, that felt really good.

EINAnd I just think this part of town should be the best real estate, the best part of Washington, D.C., and it is. And then a lot of -- you know, a lot of citizens -- a lot of great activity down there. And we thought if we brought it down -- our stadium down there, that we could help bring people back down to that part of town that maybe hasn't been there in a while.

NNAMDIYou certainly got people coming down. It was sold out last night. But what's the future of the stadium when the Kastles are not actually playing there?

EINSo we're going to use it for other events. We've done community events. We did a street soccer tournament. Mia Hamm is doing a charity soccer event. We're looking to do concerts. So we're going to use it for a variety of activities around the year.

NNAMDIWell, you were sold out last night, as I mentioned. You had Serena Williams. You now have both William sisters active on the team at the same time. That certainly gives you a certain amount of star power. But what I found more interesting were that the young people, the kids, like, from the Southeast Tennis Center were there. And they seem to be really impressed with it. How important is that to you?

EINIt really is the reason that I started this. And what really motivates us is to really use this as a way to give back to the community. I mean, you know, it's -- we spent much more time on that component in what we did by any other part of the team. And as you said, we, you know, we bring between 100 and 200 kids through different community organizations to the matches, free of charge, each night. And then we also do clinics.

EINThose -- Serena, yesterday, did a clinic for 70 kids, including kids from Southeast Tennis and Learning Center and some other groups. And Venus did one the night on Tuesday night. And then we'll do seven or eight just with the team and our coach both in the stadium in the neighborhoods over the course of the season.

SHERWOODAre you a profit or non-profit organization?

EINI call this my biggest accidental not-for-profit.

SHERWOODOkay. And so it taking your -- it is a non-profit organization?

EINWell, it is a...

SHERWOODI know you want to make some money. You spend the money on related things, but I just...

EINNo, no. It's a regular -- it's a corporation that doesn't -- that loses money, that...

SHERWOODOkay. So you're for-profit, but you're not profitable yet. Okay, I got it.

EINYes.

SHERWOODWhat is the long-term plan? Are you -- I know that's a $2 billion-development under with PN Hoffman, in other words, at Madison Marquette or whoever they are.

EINYeah, yeah.

SHERWOODWhat is the long-term plan for -- do you hope to have a permanent location there in the redevelopment? Are you just there taking advantage of the vacant land?

EINYou know, it's -- yeah, so we're going to be in this specific location for two years, and they anticipate starting construction on the first phase of development at that point. And assuming that happens, we'd likely move down the site to another parcel there for another, roughly, three years. And there is plans for some sort of permanent facility there that might be a joint concert and, maybe, tennis venue that we've talked to those guys about.

SHERWOODDown closer to Arena Stage. I (unintelligible) you know, I live right down there. I live in the other side of the Arena Stage, so...

EINYep.

SHERWOOD...as a reporter, I'm very interested in this. As a citizen of the neighborhood, I'm extremely interested.

EINIt really is a fantastic -- I mean, it's such a fantastic part of town. And you, you know, the other thing is, just from a fan experience, you know, to having people come down there and then see the views of the water and, you know, feel the breeze on the summer night.

SHERWOODGo to Cantina Marina.

SHERWOODWell, speaking of breeze, Billie Jean...

EINCantina Marina, yeah. We...

NNAMDISpeaking of breeze, Billie Jean King was a little concerned that it was so close to the water that the breezes might cause some of the balls to go awry. But I didn't see any evidence of that so far.

EINNo. I know she did mention that. And, obviously, that is a little bit of a -- it could be a concern, but it hasn't. It hasn't. It's been a great benefit for the fans and hasn't been a hindrance to the players at all.

SHERWOODWell, we've stepped on you. You were saying something nice about the Cantina Marina. Have you ever been there, Kojo?

EINOh, no. You know, I was going to say is that we...

NNAMDIYeah.

EINWe announced we were the first stadium in the country to offer boat parking for people who want to come to the matches. So I love Cantina Marina. I think that place is another jewel. And, look, I will admit that I heard a lot about it. And until we started this, I haven't been there. And I went there, and I just love it. And that's really our hope, is that when people come down, maybe they come down from tennis, maybe they come from parts of D.C. or Maryland, Virginia, they come down and then realize what a fantastic part of town this is.

NNAMDIYou got John McEnroe and Chris Evert coming up, and you had some partisan rooting from members of the Obama family there last night, holding up Kastle signs.

EINYeah, that was a great privilege to have them to come out. You know, the First Lady and her kids came out. And they all love tennis. They play a lot. Mrs. Obama did a PSA for the USDA, encouraging kids to take up the game and exercise, playing tennis. They really love it. And, you know, we love the fact they came out. And I think the fact that it's a team sport, you know, we're the only professional sports league where men and women play together on the same team, (unintelligible) ideals and priorities in life.

EINAnd then just, you know, the environment. I always, like, tell people it's like tennis in a basketball arena, and we have mascots and cheerleaders and music and the guy on stilts. And so while the tennis are the best players in the world, you know, it's also just a really great environment. And I think the first family really -- they said they really had a great night last night.

NNAMDIMark Ein is the owner of the Washington Kastles' tennis team. Mark, thank you so much for joining us.

EINThanks for having me. I look forward to seeing both of you at the matches.

NNAMDII'll bring Tom next time. Maybe then somebody will actually see it.

EINI look forward to visiting with you guys. Thanks.

NNAMDIYou're listening to "The Politics Hour." Tom Sherwood is our resident analyst. He's an NBC 4 reporter and a columnist for The Current Newspapers. A lot of people have been up in arms about a troop that some members of the Virginia General Assembly recently took to France. Joining us in studio now is David Englin. He's a member of the Virginia House of Delegates. He's a Democrat who represents the commonwealth's 45th district, which includes part of Alexandria. Delegate Englin, thank you so much for joining us.

MR. DAVID ENGLINThanks for having me.

NNAMDIAs I said, a lot of people have been up and arms about their trip because it was financed by a mining company that, frankly, smelled bad to people worried about the influence of corporations on the general assembly. You wrote in The Washington Post this past weekend that you went on the trip, that it was legal, and that you are not sorry about it. How do you see it?

ENGLINWell, the way I see it -- my priority as a legislator, when it comes to issues around mining and anything that touches the environment is to, first and foremost, protect public health and safety. I've been a League of Conservation Voters, legislative hero, multiple times. My constituents are well aware of my record of fighting polluters, big tobacco, a whole variety of corporate interest. They know that my vote can't be sold.

ENGLINWhen I was offered the opportunity to go on this trip, what occurred to me was there are going to be a lot of legislators going on this trip, seeing the presentation from Virginia Uranium.

ENGLINAnd when they come back to Richmond and we're in that committee room deciding an issue that could affect the public health and safety of Virginians for -- in theory, for centuries to come, they're going to have a level of credibility, being able to say I was there, I saw it done safely in this comparable site in another country, and if at least some of us environmental champions don't go and see that same presentation and have the opportunity to ask tough questions and really come at it from an environmental perspective, then I'll be in that committee room in Richmond and just not have the same credibility as people who are pushing this issue.

ENGLINThat is, fundamentally, the reason why I went on the trip. I also think it's important for folks to understand we didn't go to France because it's a tourist destination. It just so happens that France is the comparable mine site to what we have in Virginia. There are many uranium mine sites around the country and around the world, in fact. But other mine sites in the United States and in places like Niger and Kazakhstan and Australia are in dry, dusty, arid climates.

ENGLINThe mine site in Virginia and the mine sites in France are in lush, fertile areas, literally right next to rivers that supply drinking water for major population centers. And there's agriculture all around there. The other similarity is in -- most uranium deposits are in sandy and rocky soil in Virginia. And in France, they're encased in granite. And so it's just a fact of the geology and the science that, if you want to see a comparable site, you've got to go to this area of Bessines, France.

NNAMDIIf you have questions or comments for Delegate Englin, call us at 800-433-8850. Send us an email to kojo@wamu.org, a tweet, @kojoshow, or go to our website, kojoshow.org. Tom Sherwood.

SHERWOODI listened to your YouTube statement I saw on your website. Your (unintelligible) that you list yourself as a liberal in Virginia, which, of course, is startling in itself.

NNAMDIProgressive is the word.

SHERWOODNo, the word is liberal.

ENGLINI say liberal or progressive, call me what you like.

SHERWOODIt's liberal on his Facebook page. All right. So the Uranium Virginia calls you up and says, we know you're an environmentalist. You have a record of that. We want you to go to see what we do, and you said, yes.

ENGLINThat's correct.

SHERWOODAnd then -- so how many people actually went?

ENGLINWell...

SHERWOODNot how many who chickened out along the way and all that.

ENGLINYeah, the...

SHERWOODHow many actually showed up?

ENGLINThe truth -- there were half a dozen of us on the trip...

SHERWOODOkay.

ENGLIN...I went, and then there was a trip the previous week that, I think, had (unintelligible).

SHERWOODHere -- as a reporter, and maybe I missed it, but I looked at a pretty good Google search or -- when was it announced by Uranium Virginia, or by you, that you were, in fact, going? Or did this become a story about you guys going, and then you reacted to it? I don't think I...

ENGLINThey...

SHERWOODI couldn't find an announcement.

ENGLINYeah, they took a couple of legislators a year ago. So...

SHERWOODDid they -- I'm getting to the...

ENGLINYeah.

SHERWOODHere's where I think your problem, politically, is, is that this -- no one -- I think the media reported this trip. Why didn't you just say, I'm going to go see this and put out an announcement yourself, a press release from you, Delegate David Englin, saying, I'm going to see it? And then you wouldn't have had this, oh, look, he's going off on a cushy trip to Paris.

ENGLINSure.

SHERWOODI mean, did you get -- I mean, did you announce...

NNAMDIIt made it seem as if they got caught...

SHERWOODRight.

NNAMDI...doing something.

ENGLINYeah.

SHERWOODI mean, this is the biggest problem I'd find with public officials who go on these trips. If you think it's worth going, and it's your reputation, why not announce it in advance and let people complain? But at least you've said in advance, I'm going.

ENGLINSure. And, quite honestly, Tom, I don't think that's a bad idea. I didn't make an advanced announcement of this trip, but I certainly was aware that there could be some controversy. The key in Virginia on all of our very permissive campaign finance rules and gift rules and everything else, I mean, we probably have the most permissive lobbying rules in the country. The key to all of them is transparency.

ENGLINAnd I would also say that we probably have the most transparent set of disclosure requirements in the country. So...

SHERWOODWhen would you -- for example, under the law, when would you have to disclose this trip?

ENGLINThis particular trip would be listed on our annual statement of economic interest disclosure, which includes a section about gifts that we've received.

SHERWOODAnd when would that be?

ENGLINAnd I believe that it would be this coming January. It's a January cycle.

SHERWOODSo it would be after this fall election though?

ENGLINIn this case, that would be right. Yeah.

SHERWOODIt would be. Okay. So I'm just -- as a reporter, you understand...

ENGLINYeah, no. And it's -- I do, and it's a fair point. But, you know, in my case, you know, I'm very proud of the fact that I have a very open and responsive relationship with my constituents. You know, I represent the smartest, best-educated, best-informed people in the county in Alexandria, Arlington and Fairfax. And I pride myself on the fact that...

NNAMDIAnd you have a very strong record on the environment as far as that goes.

ENGLINThat's exactly right.

NNAMDIBut think of it in terms of this kind of perception. Virginia Uranium is saying, this guy has a strong record as an environmentalist. He's probably likely to oppose us. How can we get this guy on our side, so to speak?

SHERWOODOr neutralize him.

NNAMDIWell -- or neutralize him. Well, we can treat him really well by giving him an all-expenses trip -- trip to France, by putting him in a nice hotel, and, yes, we will take him to see comparable uranium mines in France, comparable to what we would have in Virginia. But by then, we'll have softened him up.

ENGLINSure.

NNAMDIHe'll be thinking of us as really nice people. He won't be as hostile to us. We will have, as Tom said, neutralized him.

ENGLINWell. Sure. Well, as -- Kojo, anyone who's followed my political career would laugh at the notion of neutralizing me in any way. I mean, I -- if anything, the criticism I tend to get is that I tend to be pretty aggressive. You know, I've been called the aggressive progressive. You're not going to neutralize me by taking me on a trip. What they did was they came to me, and they said, look, we know that you're opposed to this.

ENGLINWe know that you're going to vote against us, but we're so confident in the science-based case that we have to make, that we'd like you to see the information. And my feeling was I don't want to be the one environmental champion in the room. I'm on the sub-committee that will likely work on this issue if a bill comes up. I don't want to be the one guy in the room who doesn't have the ability to say, I was there, I saw these sites.

NNAMDIOkay.

SHERWOODShould the law...

NNAMDIWhat did you accomplish while you were there? There seems to be a narrative that not much was accomplished.

ENGLINWell, I don't know who's pushing that narrative. It could be...

NNAMDIIt could be me.

ENGLINWell, it could be. But while we were there, we have the opportunity to see sites where they've been mining uranium for about 50 years in France, again, in this comparable geology, comparable climate. And now they're in the mode of reclaiming these sites so that they are trying to secure the tailings and the waste and other things to -- in a way that -- where they'll be stored for the long-term.

ENGLINSo we had a chance to see some of the sites, to see the technologies that they're using to sequester waste and protect the local drinking water and farmland and those kinds of things. We also -- and I think this was very valuable -- had a chance to sit down with the mayor and town manager of Bessines and ask them a bunch of tough questions. And, quite honestly, to me, in some ways, that was the most interesting part because I asked the mayor of Bessines very directly.

ENGLINHave you had public health and safety problems from 50 years of mining? And I also asked, would you -- if they found more uranium here tomorrow, would you let them reopen the mines? Would you support that?

NNAMDIAnd I bet you the answers to those questions were no and yes respectively.

ENGLINThe answers were no and yes respectively. That's exactly right. And I took that information back to the environmental leaders here in Virginia and said, okay, this is what legislators, who are going on this trip, are hearing from the locals there. You have talked to me -- you, the environmental community -- have talked to me about science and public health reports that contradict that. So show me those.

ENGLINAnd what I've asked both sides to do is respond to each other's information because it is conflicting information. My goal is to protect public health and safety based on the best science possible.

SHERWOODWhat are the ethics of allowing Uranium Virginia to pay for it? It has a -- an interest -- the interest in making the decision. We are in the nation's capital. We are the world headquarters of -- the congressional delegations, the (word?) that -- you know, guys -- members of Congress that we be respectful. Members of the House and Senate travel the world, but the taxpayers pay for it. And it would be illegal for them to accept money from corporations. Why not -- if it's so important, why not have the general assembly travel budget pay for?

ENGLINWow, that's a very good question. I have had some constituents ask me that. And I have to say Virginia is at the bottom of the barrel in the country in spending on human services, social services. Our teachers get paid less than the national average.

NNAMDISo, yeah, we'd like to have in the budget so that we can take a trip to France to look at the uranium mine.

ENGLINYeah, I mean, that's just not -- it's just not going to fly. I mean...

SHERWOODWell, how about mandatory advanced disclosure in the law?

ENGLINThat wouldn't be a bad idea. And, in fact, I have sponsored and worked on many pieces of legislation to make our disclosure requirements even more transparent. And, frankly, I've worked on legislation to tighten up these permissive rules, but they haven't passed. So then what we're stuck with is dealing with the rules as they currently are, not as what you want them to be.

SHERWOODBut you -- or you could go beyond the rules if you like. But would you say -- for example, you say you want to go to Canada to see what Canada is doing. If Virginia Uranium -- Virginia decides to fund that, you'll announce it in advance?

ENGLINYou know, you've suggested that here, Tom, and I think...

SHERWOODI've only said it three times.

ENGLINYeah, and I think it's a great idea. And, in the future, I certainly would announce it in advance.

NNAMDIHe's crossed the line between suggestion...

SHERWOODWell, if the mayor goes to the Paris Air Show, for example, ask him, Mr. Mayor, if it's worth going, it's worth telling the people about it before you go.

ENGLINNo, Tom, I think that's a great suggestion. And, you know, one of the things I -- again, I pride myself on getting good ideas for legislation from lots of different sources...

NNAMDIWell, Tom, as you should know, walks a thin line between suggestion and coercion. Here's Shirley in Alexandria, Va. Shirley, you're on the air. Go ahead, please.

SHIRLEYThank you very much. Mr. Englin kind of said -- and it's part of my question about he's going to sponsor legislation regarding these trips. I know he had an article in the Sunday Post, July 3, why he went on this trip. So my concern is, really, Delegate Englin, is you've been bought and paid for. And me thinks the man doth protest too much now. And you wrote in your article that you are planning to go to Canada again, that you're 100 percent environmentalist.

SHIRLEYBut you might not likely vote, you know, in favor of this, but, you know, might not likely just doesn't pass the smell test. So if you and your wife are going to these trips and you can't get legislation passed in Virginia to stop these trips from happening, why not and what would you do so that -- become a true politician, not bought and paid for? What will you do to get legislation passed in Virginia that will stop you all from going on the corporate dime's trips and not your own?

ENGLINWell, Shirley, I appreciate the question. The first suggestion, as Tom has brought up several times, is I think it's a good idea for us to start announcing these trips in advance. Again, I try to be as transparent as possible, and I wouldn't agree to go on it in the first place if I thought that it was something that I wanted to hide or conceal from my constituents. So I think that advanced disclosure is a very good idea.

ENGLINThe question of the influence on my vote, I have -- I opposed uranium mining in Virginia before going on this trip. I oppose it now. I didn't hear anything on the trip that changes my point of view, but I have more information. And, frankly, because I went on this trip, the leaders of the environmental community are coming to me, asking me, hey, David, what did you learn? What is Virginia Uranium's case that they believe so strongly in?

ENGLINSo I feel very confident that if any constituent looks at my record, the idea that I'm selling my vote is just not the case, and I have great faith in my constituents to make that judgment.

NNAMDIAll of the seats in Richmond are up for grabs this fall, including yours. What are your expectations for this year's elections? What do you expect are going to be the issues that define this upcoming election?

ENGLINWell, issues like transportation and education are always the most salient issues here in Northern Virginia and across the commonwealth. As a Democrat, my concern in the House is after redistricting, trying to make sure that we come back with as many Democrats as possible. The redistricting plan that the Justice Department recently approved creates three open seats in Northern Virginia.

ENGLINAll of them are actually very competitive for Democrats, and we've got some great candidates running in there. So, as a House Democrat, my focus is going to be trying to come back as strong as we can. Now, on the Senate side, it is vitally important that Democrats maintain and, hopefully, expand their majority in the Senate because the Virginia Senate has been the backstop for all kinds of horrible legislation.

SHERWOODQuick environmental -- are you for offshore drilling?

ENGLINAbsolutely not.

SHERWOODYou know, senators from Virginia are stirring that up again...

ENGLINI know they are and I...

SHERWOOD...Democratic and Republican -- Democrats...

ENGLIN...support them both. I think they both do a good job, but they're wrong on this issue.

NNAMDIThe clock is ticking on Gov. McDonnell. He's got two legislative sessions left to get something done on roads, the issue that's befuddled Virginia governors for what seems like forever. What do you think he needs to do to make progress on that front?

ENGLINWell, if you ask him, he's already solved the problem. He got this $4 billion bond package passed, leaving future governors and future generals' assembly very little borrowing capacity to deal with transportation infrastructure. The problem that Gov. McDonnell has -- and, frankly, the problem that we have as a commonwealth -- is the unwillingness to do what is necessary to get a long-term sustained funding source for transportation.

ENGLINWe need something on the magnitude of a billion dollars a year, every year, for the next at least a couple of decades in order to make the investments in transit and other infrastructure necessary to solve the problem.

SHERWOODAnd now do live in Del Ray?

ENGLINI do.

SHERWOODI'm going to -- I know where Del Ray is. My son actually wants to move, buy a house there.

ENGLINWell, you should. It's a wonderful place to be.

SHERWOODHe's staying in the District.

NNAMDIDavid Englin is a member of the Virginia House of Delegates. He's a Democrat who represents the commonwealth's 45th District, which includes parts of Alexandria. Thank you so much for joining us.

ENGLINThanks for having me.

NNAMDITom Sherwood is our resident analyst, despite the fact that he knows where Del Ray is.

SHERWOODIt's a very nice community.

NNAMDIHe's an NBC 4 reporter and a columnist for the Current Newspapers. Thank you all for listening. I'm Kojo Nnamdi.