EDITORIAL

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Sunny Days of August

Some people say they wouldn’t be caught dead in D.C. during August. Still, there are hopeful, happy, bittersweet things to note during this summer of heat, violence and pitiful politics.

Your local newspaper continues to endure through print and digital editions. It’s been tough, but we’re committed (in a good way) to bring you an array of stories, most of which you’ll find nowhere but in The Georgetowner.

Last month, we featured many and enjoyed a few productions of Capital Fringe, shown only in Georgetown. We sweated through — but enjoyed — the tennis of the Citi Open. We profiled the new owner of a century-old pharmacy and talked about the delights of the Little Free Libraries. We took a ride on the new canal boat and mused about the sunflowers across from the Russian Embassy. We even saw “Hamilton.” There was other harder news, of course, but you know that.

Perhaps the most touching, heartfelt moment of the summer arrived two weeks ago at the U.S. Naval Academy: the memorial service for Robert “Bud” McFarlane, who lived on Prospect Street for years and died May 12. There was love along with memories, all around, for this quiet, dignified and great American, who was also our neighbor. His was a life complete and with honor. Indeed, we were honored to have him as our neighbor. Your editor-in-chief was in the chapel with Georgetowners Grace Bateman, Paul Cohn, Jack Evans and Linda Greenan and hundreds more. It was a day of heightened sunlight that shone “Semper Fi” all around for all.

Non-competes: Ensuring the District Remains Competitive

BY BROOKE PINTO, WARD 2 D.C. COUNCIL MEMBER

At the Council, I have a responsibility to legislate in a way that will protect District residents, ensure all who are reading the law have a clear sense of their obligations, opportunities, or limitations, and also be strategic about the future success of the District within the region. We must remain a competitive place to do businesses and we must protect workers.

At the last Council meeting in July before summer recess, the Council passed a policy on non-compete agreements that both protects low and middle income earners while also ensuring our businesses can compete with businesses in neighboring jurisdictions.

For over a year and a-half, I worked with Council colleagues, the DC Chamber of Commerce, the consortium of universities, and other stakeholders on crafting a reasonable and workable standard for our city to protect workers – particularly low and middle wage earners – from overly broad and harmful non competes that keep workers out of the work place.

This work was critical to prevent the District from implementing a complete ban on noncompete agreements – what would have been the most extensive law in the country and one that would put the District starkly out of line with other jurisdictions in the region, harming our ability to draw businesses to our city. During the legislative process, I introduced an amendment that passed and is now included in the non-compete bill, establishing a $150,000 threshold before non-compete agreements can be used. This level of earning represents the District’s top 15 percent of wage earners who are often more likely to have access to proprietary or sensitive information as a result of their position. Allowing businesses to use non-compete agreements in these circumstances can help maintain a competitive business environment as we work to improve conditions for new and existing businesses in our city. While the new non-compete legislation will become effective this fall, the work to support our businesses and workers is far from over. I will continue to work with the Executive, our agencies, neighbors, businesses, Main Streets, and Business Improvement Districts to stay on the path of a robust and resilient economic recovery.

Reading, ’Riting, ’Rithmetic … and Religion

The other day I was talking to a neighbor whose daughter, a rising high-school junior, was beginning to plan her college visits. Suddenly, it’s become very complicated, she told me. “A few months ago, we were looking at academic programs and campus activities. Now it’s all about whether or not she could get an abortion in that state. And how close the clinics are to school.”

Tragically, so many parents and children are now asking themselves these sorts of questions: If I take this job in this state, can I get an abortion? Or even contraception? If I go to this particular school, do I have to recite a prayer, even if I don’t follow this, or any, religion? How can I support my non-binary child with the care they need to grow into the person they need to be? As a physician, how do I uphold my oath to “do no harm” under the threat of losing my medical license or worse? As an educator, can I still teach the fullness of our nation’s history without life-threatening interference from “God-fearing” parents and demagogues?

Whose country is this anyway? So-called “pro-lifers” from the Supreme Court on down are turning into mini Torquemadas, seeking to impose the worst fundamentalist practices in homes, schools, medical practices, and society. Threatening dire punishment on all those nonbelievers who persist in asserting their rights, Constitutionally enumerated or not.

Here, in D.C., we consider ourselves fortunate to live in a Democratic city. But let’s not fool ourselves. Without representation in Congress, it’s not too far a stretch to imagine that if the far-right GOP continues to win elections and undo formerly sacred precedents, they’ll make the nation’s capital a test case of religiously-inspired and imposed legislation.

In a recent article on the Dobbs decision in The New York Times, Linda Greenhouse decried “the pervasive role that religion is playing on today’s Supreme Court.” It is, one might say, the very opposite of what the Constitution intended in the First Amendment (freedom of religion) and its Establishment Clause (freedom from religion).

Whatever you think of religion (and, we confess, our feelings are mixed), it doesn’t take a religious or Constitutional scholar to know that prayers and doctrine have no place in our civic policy. Your beliefs -- as with so much else we’ve been debating -- are your business. Please don’t make them ours.

Metro’s Revolving Death Spiral

BY JACK EVANS

WMATA (Metro) once again finds itself on the precipice of yet another “death spiral.” This isn’t the first time the term’s been used to describe Metro. Former General Manager Richard White used the phrase over 20 years ago to describe the seemingly perpetual state of the region’s transit system.

Public transportation only works when it’s safe, affordable, reliable, and convenient. With its $350 million shortfall, 7000 series trains out-of-commission, and nearly half of the 500 train operators not trained and/or let certifications lapse, Metro currently fails on all counts.

During my time on the Metro Board in the 1990s and more recently from 2015 through 2019, I tried to change the culture at Metro. I propose the following solutions to help restore the system. • Make Metro bus and rail free for riders.

Period. Abandon the fare structure; this will be a boon for ridership and eliminate the obligation to enforce fares. • Scrap Metro’s governing structure.

During my tenure as Metro Board

Chairman from 2016 through 2019, we reduced the board from 16 to 8 members. • Implement a 5-member control board with total control over Metro. • The Federal Government must contribute $1 billion per year. This will make up for lost revenue from making Metro free to ride and match the combined contributions by D.C., Maryland, and

Virginia. It’s unbelievable that the

Federal Government contributes $0 to operate Metro, yet the system carries 70 percent of federal employees. • The Federal Government also must assume the $3.7 billion unfunded pension/

OPEB liability. • The four Metro jurisdictions need to increase their slice of the dedicated funding to address the billions of dollars in deferred maintenance. • Last, Metro needs to add more stops and additional lines. The second river crossing at Rosslyn, a new inner-city line along Wisconsin Avenue, a new line to National Harbor, an expansion of the Silver Line, and expansions to other underserved areas will boost ridership.

Without a fully-functioning Metro, the economic recovery of our region won’t happen. We must treat public transportation as a necessity, like our schools and emergency services -- not a luxury.

Jack Evans served for six years as Chairman of the Metro Board and as a Ward 2 D.C. Council member.