D.C. Wire

During an emergency, government leaders often huddle at the emergency command center, which can serve not as only the nerve center for government but also a one-stop shop to get information out to the public through the media.

Over the weekend, for example, Maryland Gov. Martin J. O'Malley (D) was often seen giving live updates on the local news from the State Highway Administration operations center in Hanover.

The District also has a snow command center at the Reeves Center on U Street. But when it comes to updating the media, D.C. Mayor Adrian M. Fenty (D) has opted to hold hastily scheduled news conferences throughout the city.

Fenty's decision to move his snow updates from ward to ward, neighborhood to neighborhood, fits in with his campaign promise of being a visible mayor. It also makes for campaign photos.

But the tactic made it nearly impossible for many journalists - many of whom were immobilized during the height of the storm - to know where Fenty might pop up next to give his update.

Let's review where Fenty has been since Thursday to talk about the snow, according to media releases.

Mayor Adrian M. Fenty announced Tuesday that he will reinstate the snow emergency at 4 p.m. to clear major roadways in anticipation of the approaching storm.

Fenty (D) had lifted the snow emergency Monday, but he said emergency routes will once again need to be cleared by rush hour. Vehicles parked on those routes will be towed.

Fenty updated the city's snow removal efforts at a news conference shown live by NewsChannel 8.

Gabe Klein, director of the District Department of Transportation, and Bill Howland, director of the Department of Public Works, outlined new strategies to removing the snow that remains on side streets and fighting the next storm.

Klein partially blamed poorly parked vehicles for delayed removal of the snow. He said smaller equipment would be enlisted to get around those vehicles. He said it was important to dig residents out since they would need to shop for more supplies for the new storm.

Howland said they would also use bulldozers since some of the smaller plows could not get in other areas.

Both men said the city was getting more salt to shore up supplies.

Fenty said there was a "silver lining" to the snow, praising government workers and residents for helping each other. "It's been great to see the city unified," Fenty said.

-- Nikita Stewart

Send your thoughts and photos to Post reporter Sandhya Somashekhar or post them in the comments below.

For reference, here's what we wrote over the weekend:

Feb. 5: D.C. government closing at 2 p.m. for storm; residents must move cars off snow routes

Feb. 5: Fenty: Stay off the city streets tonight

Feb 7: D.C. Council member: City offices should close Monday

Feb. 7 Big changes to D.C. trash collection because of snow

And don't forget that there's more snow on the way this week.

Because of the snow storm, the District Department of Public Works will only collect trash in the front of homes and businesses, and recycling collection will be suspended the rest of the week.

Residents are asked to place garbage in dark-colored plastic bags and to put them out as close to the time of collection as possible. DPW recommends placing bleach in the trash to repel rodents.

Here are some other changes, according to a news release from DPW:

"Ft. Totten Transfer Station Closed to the Public: Ft. Totten also will be closed to the public on Monday, February 8.

No Bulk Collections Monday, February 8: DPW bulk collection drivers still will be on duty clearing the streets of snow.

Street Litter Can Collections Suspended: Litter can collections are suspended February 4 through February 9. Collections are expected to resume Wednesday, February 10. "

-- Nikita Stewart

Council member Kwame R. Brown (D-At Large) said he will close his office Monday to give his employees time to dig out of their homes and called on Mayor Adrian M. Fenty (D) to do the same for the entire government.

In a news release Sunday, Brown said the city has been overwhelmed by the snowfall.
Fenty, applauded for leading his administration through an effective snow removal during the last storm, has not announced the plan for government offices yet. But his administration, including D.C. Public Schools, has become known for remaining open while other jurisdictions shut down their governments and schools.

"I have received updates from all over the city of residents that have just begun to dig themselves out from the Blizzard of 2010," Brown said in a statement. "I have also received reports that most of the city's sidewalks are impassable, forcing many residents to venture out on foot to walk in the streets."

-- Nikita Stewart

D.C. Mayor Adrian M. Fenty (D) is urging motorists and pedestrians to stay off city streets tonight because snowfall rates could exceed 3 inches an hour.

At an 11 a.m. storm briefing in Logan Circle, Fenty noted the city could approach its all-time record snowfall of 28 inches, recorded in 1922.

"We are going to be right up against the most snow this city has ever seen," said Fenty, citing forecasts of 16 to 24 inches.

Gabe Klein, the director of the Department of Transportation, said there could be near whiteout conditions overnight.

Because of the impending Snowmageddon, the D.C. government will close at 2 p.m. Friday, and all government agencies will be closed Saturday. Essential personnel still will have to report.

All Department of Parks and Recreation centers and programs also will stop at 2 p.m. and remain closed through at least Saturday.

The District also has implemented its snow emergency plan, meaning all cars must be moved from marked snow emergency routes. The parking restrictions are expected to remain in place through the weekend.

-- Tim Craig

The D.C. Board of Elections and Ethics ruled Thursday, for the third time this year, that a proposed referendum on whether the city should legalize same-sex marriage cannot move forward.

The board said that city law does not allow a referendum or initiative on a matter covered by the Human Rights Act, which was designed to protect gay men and lesbians and other minorities from discrimination.

The decision is another setback for opponents of same-sex marriage. Last month, the Superior Court judge upheld a previous elections board ruling denying a public vote. But opponents are appealing the decision.

The same-sex marriage bill, which Mayor Adrian M. Fenty (D) signed in December, is slated to take effect next month if it survives a congressional review.

-- Tim Craig

It's certainly not as sexy as subpoenas, but how the District spends its money on goods and services is something all taxpayers should care about.

Mayor Adrian M. Fenty (D) held court this morning in the lobby of the hulking One Judiciary Square building to announce a complete rewrite of the city's rules for determining what the government buys, from whom and at what price.

David Gragan, the city's procurement chief, has spent more than a year trying to modernize and streamline the 35-year-old law to make it more transparent and flexible. The legislation, which will be submitted to the D.C. Council, generally tries to speed up the process and includes the promotion of environmentally friendly goods and more training for city workers.

"It's my job to demand that we move as fast as humanly possible and that we do it in an open and transparent process," said Fenty, who was surrounded by a crowd of procurement staff.

A reporter asked Fenty whether the proposed overhaul was in response to the Council's probe into contracts for recreation construction projects that were awarded to people with close ties to him. The mayor said the new rules had been in the works for the past year-and-a-half, and that the contracts in question were handled by the independent D.C. Housing Authority, not the executive branch.

Mayor Adrian M. Fenty (D) said Thursday that he still has not read The Washington Post poll published Sunday. The poll shows a dramatic slide in his popularity in the past two years, notably among African Americans.

During his weekly appearance on NBC4's "Connecting with the Mayor" segment in the morning, Fenty deflected reporter Joe Krebs questions about the poll. "I think you're referring to The Washington Post poll," Fenty said after Krebs quoted the poll's findings. "I haven't had a chance to read it. I will...This week has been busy with the snow and everything else. I just haven't gotten to it."

Krebs asked what Fenty's reaction would be once he read it and saw the "turnaround."

Fenty said he does not wait for polls to test public sentiment. He said he "tries to stay engaged with residents" and is out talking to them every day.

-- Nikita Stewart