"It's hard to stand here and take this because it is not completely accurate,'' Mendelson said.

And with that, he offered this not completely accurate rebuttal.

"I argued for an iron-clad cap."

Really?

When it came time to support a spending cap on basbeball stadium costs, Mendelson traded votes with Kathy Patterson to kill David Catania's legislation to do just that, impose an iron-clad cap.

I wonder if anyone will ask Mr. Mendelson why, despite is stance on "public safety" he fought to have sidewalks built on a residential street by a nursery school and neighborhood pool last year?

He will claim he got involved due to ANC process. I say BS. If you are public safety, then if the community wants sidewalks and DDOT is willing to install them, why are you fighting it?

is there a transcript anywhere available on the internet? i really dont know who is worse. we know phil voted no on the lease. what did scotty say about the final lease voted on by council?

I've watched Mendelson for some time, and testified before him once or twice on behalf my Ward 2 ANC. While he lacks glamour, he's a principled, smart, and shoots straight. I greatly respect his quiet competence.

Bolden has been working hard for community and Democratic issues in DC for years. Not only does he bring a tireless work ethic to his endeavors, but he also has leadership qualities and the drive to get things done. Get to know Scott and you'll meet a man who dedicates plenty of time to charity and his family. And, despite what this blog says, Scott is not arrogant; he's confident. Confident enough to stand up to special interests and STAND FOR EVERYDAY PEOPLE.

What has Mendelson done? Not much, except to show his face in my neighborhood every 4 years when he's looking for votes.

Unfortunately it was a community meeting without video or transcript but i did attend and came away with the impression that Mendelson as mostly passive and narrow in his focus. At Large Councilpeople need to have a large scope. This city has many types of people with many types of problems. He seems to miss that. Bolden was energetic, bold and I think he deserves a chance.

I saw Bolden's stance on the stadium lease deal on his blog at http://blog.bolden2006.com

ty for providing that link :)
it looks like a blog with personality

dont we have enough councilmembers representing the chamber of commerce? i doubt bolden can ever say no to the chamber of commerce

yes agnes i agree with you since all city council members do whatever the board of trade and the chamber of commerce want i fail to see how mr bolden will be any different.

bolden will continue being waterboy for the chamber of commerce. buyer beware.

8 years ago mendelson won the deomcrat primary. beverly wilborn, phyllis outlaw, sabrina sojourner and bill rice were also on the ballot. mendelson narrowly won. first mendelson was infavor of the mayor taking over leadership of the schools and then he wasnt. now he's in favor of baseball and then again he isnt.

i would like to know the position of bolden and mendelson on the proposal to remove the whitehurst freeway from the georgetown waterfront.

Phil Mendelson seems at this point in his career to be in la la land.

On the property tax issue, that ward 3 candidate Rees (http://www.dc2006.net) shared his thoughts on lowering property taxes, Mendelson looked at what was suggested by Rees, said he would get back with Rees and never has despite efforts by Rees to discuss it.

My point is, has Mendelson thrown in the towel for the people of DC or was he never right for us and we voted blindly?

Its surprising how similar the messages of Mendelson and Bolden are. No one is realy bringing new thinking to the debate. A voice with an old message vs. a old voice with a tired message.

www.dcbubble.blogspot.com

I'm not sure what's more frustrating - a challenger who spouts off about how "we can do better" (hmmm, that's a novel approach) or one who thinks that it's acceptable to toss around unsubstantiated attacks laden with falsehoods and pie-in-the-sky promises that clearly shows he does not understand the political process. Sad things is Mr Bolden is a mixture of both, with a little ignorance and arrogance sprinkled in. We've seen people like you in the district come and go, and in a few months, you'll fade away into obscurity like the rest. For the next few months, I guess you'll have fun spending your money that the good folks from CA,PA, VA, TX, KY, NY and MD gave you (am I missing any?). I hope they don't mind wasting it on a candidate who could not even get re-relected as Democratic Committee Chairman.

if we're lucky they'll be an independent candidate in november who can defeat either of these two boring candidates and do the voters a favor.

brookland, please ask scott bolden his position on the whitehurst freeway. thanks in advance.

You mean the local party he left broke, after burning money on idiocy like catered meetings, etc...? Scott spends like a rich lawyer...unfortunately he also does with other people's money.

"Record fundraising" which was spent on catering and other garbage (~$10K to ship t-shirts to the convention...as one wag put it, "I hope those shirts were served Dom Perignon in their limo"), and filtered to get Scott political chits by violating neutrality in the primary and endorsing (and of course spending).

Yeah, those were some golden days alright.

um, what's going on here? is this a squabble within your party organization? because i'm just a regular enrolled democrat not a member of any faction.

New flash to DP--complaining that Bolden left the party broke is so false--i have seen the records to show otherwise, but the party was broke when he took over and has never had any real money until his tenure. That dog won't hunt! Moreover, he made us relevent; broke voter turnout records in 3 elections last year; built infrastructure when there was none; led the local party to Boston and was one of the top state organizations there last year and fighting for dc voting rights; included 8 diversity seats to the party--the first state party to ever do so and yes, raised a great deal of money to accomplish those things. And he even raised money including his own to pay for the convention costs after he was no longer chair. That's not a bad record at all. And yes, those were the golden days. And the new party after Bolden--not much done. Stop hating on him, besides most of the local dem state committee members are supporting him and he deserves their support. Finally, if the worse you can say is that he raised and spent lot of money and did not win reelection to a party post--i think i will vote for him.

DP, you are absolutely right. Somehow, it seems as though the Bolden faction here enjoys a selective memory, much like their fearless leader, Mr. Bolden himself! Bolden - Out of Facts, Out of Leadership.

If he was one of the best, then why wasn't he re-elected again? If measured, consistent, and thoughful government is something we decry, then I think we better rethink what we want in government. What this city does not need is a shoot-from-the-hip figure who has little knowledge of how government works. Do you think Councilmembers such as Catania, Graham, Evans, and Paterson will be snowed by Mr. Bolden? Doubtful. With all of the turnover that the Council will see after this election, it seems that Mendelson's vast knowledge of the issues and how government operates will be needed more than ever. I think Mr. Bolden needs to bone up on how to govern for results if his Mayoral, ooops, I mean Council, bid is going to be successful. I respect Mr. Bolden for what he is - a well-trained and seasoned lawyer - but I just don't see that he's qualified to serve on the Council. I don't hate the "player," I just look at the stats...

why doesnt mr bolden answer the question about the whitehurst freeway?

Martine, after a long day of campaigning, i am just getting to this blog.

I take the whitehurst freeway Mon-Friday to take my kids to school or pick them up. I also have studied the various reports and studies the administration has put out--the verdict is still out even with them on what the best modification is--if any. I am not convinced it should be changed--in large part because the traffic would be redirected to and through the georgetown and other areas and cause greater problems. I would not do it at this point.

If there is new info, i would be glad to look at it--but removing the freeway could be a real problem. To support it, I would have to be convinced that there is a plausable plan to avoid massive disruptions to the area. Thanks.

thanks for your clear and direct answer.
you have my support.

oh wait i just got called in the middle of the night by a neighbor...seems mendelson has the same position as bolden...sorry mr bolden. i'm withdrawing my endorsement.

For the record, ASB did not run for the chair again. He ran for reelection to the State Committee. The first time he was an ex-officio member. He lost reelection because of poor campaigning, plain and simple. There were many factors as many know that can be attributed to the defeat of most of the slate, but that is all water over the bridge. He was like some other incumbents, he was confident that he would win and didn't do all that he should to win. He won't make that mistake again, as you can clearly witness by his aggressive campaigning. He's not going to spend a lot of time talking about this loss, but will focus on the future of DC and why his vision is the best for DC. Already, more people have probably seen him campaigning this year than they have seen the incumbent over the past 8 years.

He is going to stay to the facts and not play with this blog. He is going to focus on the issues and tell it like it is. Watch him while you focus on the negativity of the past and he works with all the citizens who want to continue to move the city forward. This is not a game. We are talking about the future of DC and how citizens and their lives will be impacted. We need to talk about EMS and not so much as to what is on the menu at a chain restaurant. Keep the focus. Keep DC moving forward. Stop the player hating and focus on the issues. People want the issues, not a lot of senseless, uninformed candidate bashing. We're going to take the high road and let others be negative. We need new leadership on the council, plain and simple. Holler back (smile).

One more thing. Truth be told, not enough people even knew ASB's name in 2004 to really vote against him and a lot of people were not focused on the State Committee elections. This was the first time the elections were held with the DC Council elections. Normally they are held in May with the presidential election. ASB was not known then, but rest assured he will be known this election and will be a household name associated with respect, intelligence, hard work, ability, sense of fairness, and a willingness to fight hard and win for the average man and woman and their families. The signs in the yards don't begin to tell the story of how people are flocking to his candidacy. He is a breath of fresh air with a vision that citizens can accept and work with. He's a mover and a shaker and gets things done. He doesn't do a lot of whining and complaining. He rolls up his sleeves with the next person and makes things happen. That's why we need him on the Council. We need action not words. Gotta go. Talk to you soon.

Why is it when people get caught out on a sorry record, they immediately call it "negative", or "player hate" (while notably not denying the issues).

The "PH" line really should be the Godwin's law of elections. Whomever hides behind it can be safely ignored.

now i remember, wasnt there an anybody but bush slate that ruined it for all the party regulars during the last primary? is this where the bitterness comes from? help me out people, please?

Sounds like somebody must have hit a nerve. Play nicely and we can go back to just focusing on the facts and issues. Many of us are waiting to hear the exciting things that the incumbent has done to lead the city forward, besides just voting along with the crew. We've grown tired of the Bolden-bashing. Let's see what the incumbent has to offer and why he should be re-elected, or is that something foreign to this election? Where's that positive push for the candidate? Can he come out and play or is to be just the anti-everybody else but the incumbent channel? Have we gotten your best shot? Well, you know the old adage...Sticks and stones may break my bones... Have a good day. We need to focus on winning the election on September 12th and making sure that the wealth of supporters have yard signs to demonstrate the rising support in the city for Bolden. By the way, losing the DCDSC re-election is not a litmus test for success in elected office. The true test is competence, ability, and the desire and fortitude to connect with citizens from all walks of life in the nation's capital. It's about caring for the city and its people. It's about the city's future and who can really represent a majority of the people in all wards. Be blessed, not stressed.

last time out mr mendelson didnt even have a campaign headquaters and when he did it was a mailbox on vermont avenue. ok, i'm gonna tell it like it is. it pains me to listen to phil mendelson and when i do listen he's so wishy-washy. and as for mr chamber of commerce, scott bolden, could he be any worse than the last chamber of commerce councilmember harold brazil?

There is a grave misperception that Mr. Bolden is a Chamber of Commerce candidate. He has a wealth of knowledge obtained from a variety of groups that he has lead or in which he participated. It is so easy to brand someone negatively because he took the time to go out and lead and act as a turnaround agent. He is to be commended for his leadership with the chamber and other groups. Bolden is a scholar and a leader. He has what it takes to work with all groups of people, be they business persons, teachers, youth, unions, or regular citizens. He is able. So be encouraged. Eight years was enough of an average council member. Now let's try some new blood. We know what we have hasn't given us what we want, so let's ride a new horse and give him a chance. Bolden is unique so we won't waste time on a lot of comparisons. Some council members try to stay longer than they need to and consequently go down in defeat. Life happens. A significant number of voters want to give Bolden a try, so Bolden it shall be. We're going to make that happen by a lot of hard work and showing the voters what he can do and will do. He can get it done. It's a new day in the big city and we're ready for a candidate that can work with the business community, educators, labor, media, and every day citizens of all races, ethnicities, persuasions, and educational levels. So, when are we going to talk issues? We invite the incumbent's team to show us what they are working with and what issues they deem important to the city. All this other stuff is a distraction. How do we make the city better? The answers at the next forum. Go in peace.

if you're current chairman of judiciary what specific legislation would you be proposing? where does the dough for new cops come from? would you be rolling over for the chief like the others appear to?
by the way, should i vote for you because you look hot? :)

It's Monday morning, February 20th.

The most recent entry on this "blog" is the start of this thread, posted at mid-day on Friday, February 17th.

This "blog" has SIX listed authors.

I'm not sure what this is, maybe a "message board."

But it's sure not a blog worthy of the name.

David:

I noticed that too. And the posts themselves....not so great. I'm still reeling from the use of the phony balance tactic in the "Calling All Good Government Types" post. (Unfortunately, a certain candidate has been sending THAT all over the internet as "proof" of his weird allegations against his opponent.) Anyway, it's a total disappointment.

um, rome wasnt built in a day and i'm not sure what you expected so early in a campaign cycle. if i am disappointed it is because these are the top tier candidates of the democrat party. please dont blame the posters...the fish rots from the head on down.

Will citizens get to hear more on the issues regarding affordable housing, youth and crime, voting rights/statehood for DC, education, healthcare? These are issues of special interest to the electorate. I look forward to hearing the candidates speak on these topics. So far, I have only heard credible presentations from Mr. Bolden.

3+ days and counting.

They manage to put out a paper every day, even on three day-weekends. Six writers can't manage one posting since mid-day 3 days ago.

To quote Yoda: Do or do not; there is no try.

david,
First, this is a reported blog containing true facts, not just freeform opinions and ruminations. We like to think of it as quality over quantity (of course, you guys are the final judge). Second, we all have day jobs writing for the daily paper. Third, cut us some slack, it's a three-day weekend...

ARE YOU FED UP WITH THE HIGH TAXES IN DC....?

Rees for DC City Council Ward 3 ISO --YOU!

FORWARD THIS TO YOUR WARD 3 FRIENDS > http://www.dc2006.net

IF YOU ARE TIRED OF THE HIGH TAXES, THE POOR SERVICES WE ARE GETTING, OUR LOUSY SCHOOLS OR FEELING LEFT OUT THEN JOIN US BY TELLING ALL YOUR WARD 3 FRIENDS.

Check Rees out at http://www.dc2006.net

Eric:

Fine. Then its not a blog.

Best,

David

"reported?" Are you kidding? What I've seen has been a noticeable LACK of primary source reporting.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this blog and look forward to more on the candidates. That Bolden guy sounds like he is the man for the Council and I am going to vote for him. This is just a great place to sound off and learn. Toodles.

hmmmm. Could it be?.....

Yes, A. Scott Bolden for At Large DC Council. We need Leadership for Change. Yes, We Can Do Better. Let's talk issues.

Sounds like the Bolden supporter is a graduate of the Rees School of Campaigning.

You wish. So jealous. Get a life and talk issues not personalities. You cheapen the blog site.

VOTERS AND THE ZONING OUT OF POLITICS

By: Jonathan R. Rees

Management and Marketing are my claim to fame sort to say.

Nobody is denying that there is a tremendous amount of voter apathy out there and most experts believe that over 90% of the people have zoned out politics, do not care about the issues and when they do vote, they vote more upon a NAME they recognize as having seen more often. Only 10% of the people care and they have already made their minds up and are in the camp of one of the candidates.

Washington, DC being the heart of American politics has one of the worse records and I attribute it to the fact that half of us work directly or indirectly in politics and when we get home from our jobs, we just zone it all out and do not care.

If you have read all of the data that has been coming out the last decade on politics and political races as it concerns local races that DO NOT receive TV COVERAGE, all seem to agree on:

Massive advertising is needed to reach that zoned out 90%;
The less you say the better off you will be;
Public debates/forums will neither help or hurt a candidate;
Voters would rather deal with you one on one and not in a question and answer forum;
Catchy phrases work wonders;
Voters don’t believe what they read on blogs, message boards or chat rooms but see such places reserved for radical types who are bent upon misleading voters in favor of someone.
Candidates with shorter last names do better at the polls or with easier names to pronounce.
Attacking an opponent on errors in logic and mistakes made is cool but it will cost you an election in 2006 if your attacks are along the line of attacking an opponent’s family, martial success or failure and

A perfect case in point is the last primary in the race between Harold Brazil, Kwame Brown and Sam Brooks. In that race, it was clear people had finally come to wits end with Harold Brazil, somebody quietly began a campaign of mudslinging at Kwame Brown that hit below the political belt and the net result was, voters saw the quiet but polite campaign Kwame Brown ran and rewarded him by voting him in. Kathy Patterson was re-elected despite maybe some dissatisfaction once the opponent began some mudslinging with a last minute attack that gave her no chance to reply.

In sum, one thing about DC voters that many may not have observed and that is, once you have run for public office and lost, you are never given a second chance and get even less votes the next time you run. This is the DC JINX.

ok but i live in ward 7 and couldnt care less who slings mud in ward 3 and i want to know about bolden v. mendelson is all

Mr. Rees,

May I respectfully suggest that you create your own forum to post your messages. You have your own website. Try there.

Clogging up the threads here only go to work against your cause.

Ignore Rees.

Just ignore him.

Isn't it time for a new blog entry? This is mind-numbing.

Back to the real world of politics. Presidents Bill Clinton, Ronald Reagan, and Abraham Lincon lost elections before. Whether you like them or not, they won. There will be no mudslinging unless the mud is slung first. So much for the treatise on politics today.

The Bolden v. Mendelson forum was a good beginning, but there needs to be more. This race does not get the exposure that the mayoral candidates get.

I am looking to hear more on how the candidates can improve the city and what has been done by the incumbent over the last four years. I'll give the incumbent the first four as part of the learning curve.

How do we build on the good progress in the city and do away with the bad?

How do we get the council to be responsive to the needs of the people?

Wow. One can only wonder where the ward 3 "candidate" gets his ridiculous "research" about contemporary campaigning and voter behavior. Which is to say: What a total load! He's clearly just winging it and playing fast and loose with actual campaign research. I give him points for nerve, though, posting that in a city filled with REAL campaign professionals who read the Post, all of whom are going to enjoy a hearty laugh at his expense. Thanks for posting that - I needed the chuckle!

Apparently this is someone's idea of sophisticated, visionary campaigning: http://www.dcist.com/archives/2006/02/13/professionalism.php#more

r u tellin me that he will spam me with garbage if i go to rees website?

I agree with the comments about the lack of posts.

The real problem is that the Post doesn't really understand the web. This is the same type of issue that came up with the ombudsman, who didn't respond to criticism for several days.

NOTE TO THE POST:
You are subject to the 24 hour news cycle. That means that you have to be committed to constantly providing information. The Post never expresses sympathy toward politicians who are subject to the 24 hour news cycle, why should blog readers feel badly when we’re holding the Post to that same standard?

i never see mendelson out and about. but bolden is all over the district. the guy makes himself available. that is unusual, maybe bolden actually likes people. by the way, i am NOT associated with any campaign.

It's amazing how many comments sound like verbatim election propaganda scripts. Methinks there are paid Bolden partisans iniltrating our paper.

The simple fact is that Mendelson isn't flashy, but he works hard. That's good enough for me. I'd rather have someone who understands that government takes hard work and attention to detail, than another Marion Barry.

P.S. We all know Rees is one step away from Hinckley, with his mailbombing of non-politcal blogs, non-profits and any electronic messaging he can get his hands on. He couldn't win an election against David Duke.

I have to defend the Post and its purpose in providing this blog.

Keep in mind that the blogs most of these readers are accustomed to provide little to no original reporting and merely sound off on articles and pieces by newspapers, magazines or television news. Were the "mainstream media" to wither and die, the blogs would go with it, because they would simply become one writer's opinion; something, in a world without objective coverage, that is equivalent to a barstool philosopher.

And in age when resources at print media are being reined in, one can not and should not expect a journalist, in addition to reporting and putting his name on articles that carry tremendous moral, legal and personal responsiblity, to merely crank out snarky blog fodder all day every day is unfair.

If your boss increased your workload by 30-40 percent with little (or maybe no) extra pay, what would you say? This is a free service. You're getting quality coverage for nothing.

What Thomas says is correct -- up to a point. Because I'm not trying to trash the hard working reporters. And nobody's saying that they should donate their time to post to this blog.

But my criticism isn't with the reporters, it's with the Post management which just doesn't seem to get it. This, along with the Howell screw up, just goes to show the readers once again that the Post management is old school and outdated.

If you don't provide content then nobody's going to read your blog. This is the same rule as with a paper. If my paper arrived every morning full of blank pages then I wouldn't subscribe for long. If the Post is going to have blogs then they need to pay their reporters and give them the time to provide content. It's a resource issue.

Sorry but I can't give mendenson credit. Because he is part of a blundering experiment in creating a Administrative Court that screws the poor. Yes, I'm a fairly conservative, but believe there should be a level playing field. This administrative court has been operating for two years now and has big backlogs that hurt the average citizen get there rights. Lets look at unemployment appeals. It takes a long time to get your case decided by them, much lest get a hearing. Of all the programs that agencies had before this seemed to be successful. But thats the problem with the District government, they throw the baby out with the bath water. What has mendonson done on the Judiciary to get this Administrative Court functioning like it was envisioned to function. This is very important and it does not look like he has a plan to fix it.

i'm for scott bolden. sorry mendelson you're history come november.

The MS-13 gang has been very quiet for over a year now and probably due to the fact that the MPD has done its job and done it well but no thanks to any of our sitting council members.

It is interesting to read the posts by apparent supporters of Mendelson and Bolden. Mendelson is a generally boring individual who loves minutia. Bolden is an ego-maniac who loves himself.

I think the people of the District need to decide who they want to represent them on the Council. This race is like the rabbit and the hare. I think that slow and steady will evntually win. Mendelson has won citywide before, albeit in three way races. Bolden managed to come in 7th in his race for Democratic State Committee where only the first 6 are elected.

Judging by our Council it may be good to have one person on who cares about minutia. We already have too many who care only about promoting themselves.

It will be an interesting race to watch. Scott is bold and often comes up with attacks that present only half truths but make for good sound bites. He has a campaign consultant who does the same. Mendelson is shy about refuting them and therefore doesn't come out the winner. Mendelson may be wise to adopt a line with Bolden that starts out- There you go again-telling only half the story- it can apply to nearly everything Bolden seems to present at forums.

Either way I think supporters of each will have to wait until the voters are ready to focus on their race which hasn't happened yet.

The candidates may find it to their benefit to pick the Mayoral candidate they think will win and tie themselves to that candidate. The Mayoral race will clearly overshadow Council races this year.