Down and dirty in DC

Generally, when City Council or the Executive Branch get "overly involved" in development projects, it's because the principals are "seeking extranormal favors and considerations from various government agencies"

-- be it tax abatements
-- loans
-- property
-- the use of eminent domain authority
-- alley closings
-- etc.

The Florida Market redevelopment project is not atypical, it shows the dirtyness and unseemliness that marks such projects. Generally, in these kinds of projects, you see the same kinds of people (particularly the legal representation) going to the same kinds of City Councilmembers or to the Executive Branch (making strategic campaign donations along the way. Although mostly it's a matter of like-minded people hanging out with similarly thinking like-minded people. Frozen Tropics has provided notes from a meeting involving various parties in the Florida Market renewal project, one that has been imposed by City Council, in response to favor-seeking from the Sang Choi development group, represented by former (and still very well-connected) City Councilmember John Ray.

See "Notes From Closed Meeting RE: New Town."

I need a cartoonist to make a Peanuts inspired group image of a bunch of Pigpen-like elected officials along with their Growth Machine ilk.