Quote of the day and representation

Washington Post columnist Marc Fisher opines in favor of another term for Republican at-large Councilmember Carol Schwartz, in "D.C. Benefits From Schwartz's Fight Against Corruption," despite the Post's editorial endorsement yesterday ("More Choices for Voters in November: Third-Party, Unaffiliated Candidates on Ballot") of her opponent in the primary, who in their minds is more Republican and more oriented to business. (The Post editorial endorsements of candidates tend to have a pro-business bias, and CM Schwartz recently pissed off DC's business community for sponsoring a mandatory sick leave bill.)

A paragraph from Fisher's column is delicious:

But going back to the Marion Barry era, Schwartz, now in her fourth term as an at-large council member, has been a rare fiscal conservative in a government that views taxpayers as a bottomless source of cash for every fly-by-night contractor and every community group that purports to be doing something good.

That's the crux of the matter. As long as government is seen as a feeding trough, we're screwed. I was shocked to read in email the other day that the Ward 7 Business and Professional Association received $250,000!!!!!!!!!!!!!! for capacity and membership development.

Don't get me wrong, I have been arguing that an _infrastructure_ for developing the capacity of ANCs and community organizations be created for some time, including a specialized collection of materials on government, civic engagement, and planning materials, along the lines of the Urban Information Center, a unit of theGovernment Information Center at the Dallas Public Library.

But to give that much money to that specific organization, without having a system for prioritizing such requests, and not building a robust infrastructure to provide this kind of support across the city, well, it boggles my mind.

Today, AP reports that Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick of Detroit is resigning, will serve some jail time, and have to pay some restitution for his transgressions.

As long as we continue to focus on people-based politics and not simultaneously building the capacity and robustness of citizens ability to participate deliberately within civic life, we are likely to have repeat examples of spending a lot of money on programs and ideas without receiving much in return.

In the mean time, we need more competition within local politics, and fewer Councilmembers that are part of the machine. I know that end of the day, most elected officials are part of a joint consensus that promotes Growth (the Growth Machine). But it can be mediated.

Even though I don't always agree with them, having Carol Schwartz as a Republican At-Large Councilmember, and David Catania as an Independent (formerly Republic) At-Large Councilmember, helps us. So does having Phil Mendelson as a somewhat populist (but very technocratic) Democratic At-Large Councilmember.