Quote of the Day and Weekend

I can't believe I forgot to do this earlier in the day.

From the Post article, "Nissan's Chief Chases His Biggest Idea Yet":

Among Ghosn's fans at the motor show was D.C. Mayor Anthony A. Williams, who recognized the executive's ability to articulate and act on his vision. "A great leader combines an ability to envision and to abstract and at the same time have an ability to implement on another level," Williams said.

I like Mayor Williams, but talk about disconnection from rhetoric to reality. Four examples:

1. With regard to the libraries, "Building a Community of Learning." Reality: a god-awful report, proposal for a Central Library, and an incredibly constrained "public" engagement process.

2. Comprehensive Plan: "Building an Inclusive City." Reality: why I testified about the Comp Plan a couple nights ago, and many others. A failure to address substantive issues such as urban design and transportation demand management in a fashion that breaks new ground and paradigms (really old paradigms, but new to the new suburban thinking residents of the center city).

3. National Capital Medical Center. Reality: too complicated to write out, but definitely a debacle.

4. Old Convention Center site:
Reality: two office buildings; two condominium buildings; a modicum of retail; and rather than a glorious public space, a glorified public patio.

Talk about letdowns...

Index Keywords: good-government