The Thomas Connection
August 2009 Volume 3, Issue 8
Building Bridges, Finding Solutions, People First
http://www.harrythomas5.com
In This Issue…
Thomas to Investigate DPR Early Childhood Program
Thomas Bill Increases Protection of City Residents from DC Government RIFs
Thomas Questions Executive’s Personnel Decisions in Revised FY2010 Budget
Appellate Court Decision Strikes Down Checkpoints
ReStart DC to Provide AEDs to District Organizations
Thomas to Investigate DPR Early Childhood Program
Ward 5 Councilmember Harry “Tommy” Thomas, Jr., Chair of the Committee on Libraries, Parks and Recreation, held an additional committee meeting on July 16, 2009 at which committee members voted to support a resolution authorizing the committee to investigate the Department of Parks and Recreation’s Early Childhood Program. The Council approved the resolution at its legislative session on July 31, 2009.
The “Committee on Libraries, Parks and Recreation Early Childhood Program Investigation Authorization Resolution of 2009” authorizes the Committee to use subpoenas to compel the attendance of witnesses, obtain testimony, or produce documents or other items. Councilmember Thomas determined the need to launch an investigation after the Administration closed a number of Department of Parks and Recreation (DPR) daycare sites subsequent to Council passage of a law requiring the sites to remain open until September 30, 2009. At issue are inconsistent testimony, under oath, about the source of funding for the day care program and how the program has been administered by DPR and the Office of the State Superintendent of Education.
Thomas Bill Increases Protection of City Residents from DC Government RIFs
At the Council’s July 14, 2009 legislative session, Councilmember Thomas introduced emergency legislation to increase the protection of bona fide District residents from reduction-in-force actions currently underway in District government agencies in response to budget pressures. The Council passed the bill unanimously.
The “District Residency RIF Protection Emergency Amendment Act of 2009” amends the District of Columbia Comprehensive Merit Personnel Act of 1978 to raise the threshold of creditable service from three to six years for reduction-in-force actions for District residents. Providing an increased preference to District government employees who are District residents mitigates any potential reduction in the city’s income tax base. “In times like this, it is fiscally prudent to adopt a RIF strategy that preserves our local tax base to the greatest extent possible. Raising the preference threshold from three to six years helps us achieve that goal. ”
Thomas Questions Executive’s Personnel Decisions in Revised FY2010 Budget
In a July 20, 2009 letter to Council Chairman Vincent C. Gray, Councilmember Thomas raised a number of concerns regarding the revised FY2010 Budget forwarded by the Executive to the Council of the District of Columbia on July 18, 2009. The District’s FY2010 budget must be adjusted to eliminate a $150 million budget gap due to a decline in the city’s revenue estimates.
The Executive’s revised FY2010 budget retained numerous new managerial positions, some of which included signing bonuses, annual salaries exceeding $100,000, and no District residency requirement. “I find it inconceivable that the Executive would continue to hire highly compensated, management-level employees who are not required to reside in the District while simultaneously preparing to release, through a Reduction-In-Force (RIF), hundreds of District residents who earn much less, but whose residency supports our tax base,” said Councilmember Thomas.
In his letter to Chairman Gray, Councilmember Thomas proposed the following for his colleagues’ consideration: 1) a freeze on new hires; 2) a review of all new hires within this calendar year; 3) a review of all bonuses paid or proposed to be paid this fiscal year and next; 4) consideration of pay reductions for MSS employees with annual salaries of $100,000 or more, but who are under no requirement to reside in the District; and 5) consideration of salary freezes for MSS employees earning $100,000 or more. The FY2010 budget passed by the Council on July 31, 2009 includes a review of all new hires and eliminates bonuses.
Appellate Court Decision Strikes Down Checkpoints
Councilmember Thomas announced on July 10, 2009 that he was pleased that the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit had ruled that the “Neighborhood Safety Zones,” or police checkpoints, deployed in the Trinidad neighborhood last summer violate the U.S. Constitution.
“The Appellate Court decision reflects the sentiments of a number of residents in the Trinidad community,” said Councilmember Thomas. At a June 13, 2008 community meeting, Trinidad residents completed a survey about the Neighborhood Safety Zones. Survey results indicated that the Trinidad residents most impacted by the checkpoints generally had negative opinions about them, with more than three-quarters viewing the checkpoints as ineffective at deterring criminal activity. More than seven in ten opposed the strategy of closing streets and alleys to funnel vehicular traffic to the checkpoints. The vast majority also opposed turning away at checkpoints drivers who could not or would not state their purpose for entering the community.
Councilmember Thomas supports a broader approach to fighting crime, emphasizing early intervention with youth, as outlined in the 10-point action plan he drafted last year. To address youth gang and crime challenges, Councilmember Thomas introduced the “Youth and Young Adults Promise Act of 2009” at the July 8, 2009 legislative session. The bill requires the Executive to collect and analyze data on juvenile delinquency and criminal gang activity, and implement an action plan to intervene and assist at-risk youth and young adults.
The bill also calls for the Executive to develop a Center for Youth-Oriented Policing that would be tasked with providing a comprehensive approach to curtailing juvenile delinquency and criminal gang activity, focusing on positive, early police intervention. “Research indicates that we must take a holistic approach built upon positive intervention to combat youth gang activity,” said Councilmember Thomas. “Fighting crime is important, but is most effective when part of a complete approach that includes addressing the root causes of crime.”
ReStart DC to Provide AEDs to District Organizations
Councilmember Thomas participated in the official launch of ReStart DC on June 11, 2009 at Holy Comforter-Saint Cyprian Roman Catholic Church. ReStart DC was founded by the Richard B. and Lynne V. Cheney Cardiovascular Institute to increase awareness of sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) and the need for broad access to automated external defibrillators (AEDs). ReStart DC will donate 200 AEDs to organizations serving low-income communities in the Washington area, as well as provide AED training and medical oversight. Two Ward 5 churches-Bethesda Baptist Church and New Samaritan Baptist Church-are enrolled to receive AEDs through the program.
Councilmember Thomas recognized the importance of broad access to AEDs when he introduced legislation in 2008 to mandate the placement of these devices in all District Department of Parks and Recreation facilities. The bill became law on March 25, 2009.
Bates Area Civic Association 