1500 block of Wisconsin Ave.
What Does a Vincent Gray Mayoralty Mean for Georgetown?
On Tuesday, Vincent Gray soundly beat Adrian Fenty for the Democratic nomination for mayor. Given the one-party state that we live in, Gray can for all intents and purposes be considered the mayor-elect. So what will his mayoralty mean for Georgetown? It’s not clear, since he has not said too much specifically about Georgetown, but that doesn’t mean GM can’t do a little speculation on a few issues!
Hardy School
GM has kicked around the idea of writing an article about Michelle Rhee’s disastrous meeting with the Hardy PTA last December and call it “The Night Adrian Fenty Lost the Election.” Yes there were other single events that seemed to encapsulate everything that Fenty was doing wrong to get reelected, but the Hardy incident stands out as a particularly bad one. Not for nothing, but the meeting ended with Ward 7 councilmember Yvette Alexander delivering a rousing speech to the angry crowd that to get rid of Rhee they’d have to get rid of Fenty first. Step one can be checked off.
While the post-Pope transition appears to be going along with relatively minimal problems, it seems likely that an appetite remains within the Hardy PTA to roll back the changes and reinstall Patrick Pope as principal. Moreover, there may be an effort to finally convert Hardy entirely into a magnet arts school. Given that the Hardy situation became a bit of a rallying cry for pro-Gray voters, it seems likely that at least some change of course is taken.
Of course much of that depends on whether Michelle Rhee sticks around and how much latitude Gray gives her. The jury is still out on that. Continue reading
Filed under Government
The Morning Metropolitan
Water St. by Madame Meow.
Good morning Georgetown, here’s the latest:
- Hmmm, it must be the post-election hangover, but there just isn’t much going on today.
- Well how about this: It’s a little late but apparently Tuesday was the 196th anniversary of Francis Scott Key writing the poem that would eventually become the Star Spangled Banner. Baltimore takes all the credit for it since it happened there, but Key was a highly regarded Georgetown resident. His house stood at 3516 M St. until it was torn down in 1947 for a bridge that would bear his name. Check out more at the fantastic Peabody Room when the Georgetown Library reopens October 18th.
Filed under The Morning Metropolitan
No the ANC Didn’t Approve Those Awnings
Last week, Wendy Gordon of the Georgetown Dish wrote a screed against the ANC and the Old Georgetown Board that was factually inaccurate and misguided to boot. GM wasn’t going to comment on it, but now the false information is spreading so it’s time to clear the record.
Gordon’s original article complained about the OGB rejecting awnings proposed by Serendipity 3 for their windows. In the article, Gordon states:
matching awnings would be installed on the two (count ‘em) windows on the M Street side of the building, two doors on the Wisconsin Avenue side of the structure, and the recovering of the already existing awning over the main entrance to the building…The plan was presented and the votes counted. No pushback from residents, and a unanimous vote to pass by the ANC 2E. Resolution passed. One more hurdle to go…the OGB.
That’s simply not what happened. In fact the ANC did express reservations about the window awnings and passed a resolution stating as much. Here’s the text of the resolution: “ANC 2E appreciates the concept of the awnings. ANC 2E does want OGB to take a look at the awnings on the smaller windows to ensure that it does not mask historic fabric. ANC 2E has no objection to the awnings over the doors.” Continue reading
Filed under The Morning Metropolitan
The Morning Metropolitan
Circulator by EmilyHaHa.
Good morning Georgetown, here’s the latest:
- The Georgetowner waited until Monday to endorse Fenty. Way to not jump in too quickly!
- Michael Savage’s ballot petition was successfully challenged, so his name will not appear on the ballot for SMD03. He’s contemplating a write-in campaign.
- GM is guessing that about 42% of the voters from yesterday are starting to see the wisdom of GM’s point of view.
Filed under The Morning Metropolitan
Street Vendors and Georgetown
Photo by a loves DC.
GM has received several requests lately asking what’s the deal with food vendors and Georgetown, more specifically why aren’t they any food vendors in Georgetown?
Well, there are several reasons, and despite changes on the horizon to the applicable rules, it seems unlikely that we’ll be seeing many or even any food vendors in Georgetown soon.
The District has a bit of a spotty history when it comes to street vendors. Prior to 1998, an old fashioned first-come-first-serve street-justice ruled. In that year, however, the District adopted new regulations clamping down on the market and instituting a moratorium for new food vendor licenses. This situation puttered along, with the quantity (and arguably the quality) of vendors slowly declining over the years. In 2006, the Coucil passed legislation to lift the moratorium and order DCRA to design new regulations addressing the marketplace. Continue reading
Filed under Restaurants
The Morning Metropolitan
Fashion Night Out by Kineyas.
Good morning Georgetown, here’s the latest:
- Pics of people being fashionable.
- Another piece on the state of business in Georgetown.
Filed under The Morning Metropolitan
The Georgetown Metropolitan 
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