- Historic Preservation:
- Blocked Giant's intrusion into the interior of the Tivoli Theater, and sponsored funds to preserve historic murals and other interior elements. Both actions helped end 20 years of fighting over this development.
- Allocated funds to preserve and maintain historic murals in the Recorder of Deeds building, and preserve the old Civil War Hospital on Capitol Hill.
- Seniors:
- Supported the award of EOFULA grants to programs supporting Spanish-Speaking Seniors.
- Supported allocating $4 million to the Office of Aging to construct the Ward One Senior Wellness Center.
- Vector Control:
- Sponsored an increase in the rat control budget every year, with an additional $500,000 added for next year.
- Supported legislation establishing fines of up to $1,000 for businesses that violate regulations regarding the management of trash and waste.
- Constituent Service:
- Installed a hardworking, accessible, hands-on constituent response staff to respond to specific problems, including trash and nuisance properties abatement, affecting quality of life in the Ward.
- Consumer Protection:
- Reapportioned funds to reestablish a new Office of Consumer Protection (OCP). The OCP is under the DCRA business licensing division to give it more muscle. The OCP will protect against fraud regardless of whether a contractor or repairperson is licensed. The OCP has also hired an additional 8-full time employees to focus on home improvement and car repair as a result of the increase in funding, the first increase in more than 10 years..
- Authorized two additional full time positions for the investigation and enforcement of consumer fraud complaints at the Department of Insurance, Securities, and Banking – focusing on predatory lending.
- Pit Bulls/Animal Abuse:
- Introduced legislation three times to ban pit bulls in the District.
- Sponsored legislation that made dog fighting and the intentional infliction of cruelty on an animal a felony.
- Quality of Life:
- Supported special liquor license moratorium in Adams Morgan.
- Opposed the installation of "Special Signs" (bill boards) in Ward One.
- Introduced legislation to modify the permitted hours for garbage collection and noisy resident work from 7 a.m. to 8 a.m., and no later than 9 p.m. weekdays.
- Latino Issues:
- Substantially increased the budget for the Office of Latino Affairs.
- Sponsored health insurance coverage for immigrant children without regard to their immigration status.
- Convened the first District Council hearing conducted entirely in Spanish.
- Held hearings on discriminatory treatment of Hispanics at the La Casa Shelter.
- Statehood Issues:
- Sponsored the installation of "Taxation Without Representation" Plates on all Metro buses and other vehicles and all District government vehicles.
- Voted No on overturning a referendum which limited Councilmembers to two terms.
- Parks and Recreation:
- Established dog parks on city and federally owned land.
- Inaugurated a heritage trail in Adams Morgan. The trail showcases the former homes of John F. Kennedy, Dwight D. Eisenhower and William Howard Taft, as well as the nation’s first Toys R’ Us store and the District’s first coffeehouse.
- Sponsored funding to improve Ward One parks--Kalorama Park, Walter Pierce Park, the Park View Recreation Center, Girard Playground and 11th and Monroe Park.
- Protecting the Homeless:
- Apportioned funds for The Green Team Project to hire and train homeless and low-income District residents to clean the U St. corridor and Shaw neighborhoods in NW Washington.
- Environment:
- Conducted hearings and co-chaired a task force on Green Building legislation that would put more environmentally friendly standards on new building construction and renovations in Washington, D.C.
- Education:
- Award “Jim Graham Scholarships” to Ward One, college-bound graduating seniors from each high school in the ward. Scholarships honor students who have outstanding academic achievements and strong community service.
- Appropriated $250,000 for music education.
- Attended a public hearing at Roosevelt Senior High School with three other Councilmembers to discuss how to generate $1 billion in revenue over the next decade to repair and modernize city schools.
- Fought to double the salaries of school board members to attract stronger candidates.
- Equal Rights:
- Introduced the legislation that made the Mayor’s Office of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, & Transgender Affairs a permanent office.
- Fought for full rights of inheritance as well as the obligation to pay alimony and child support to couples, gay and straight, who register as domestic partners.
- Co-introduced the legislation that amended the Human Rights Act of 1977 to prohibit discrimination based on gender identity or expression.
|
|
