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Wednesday, June 24, 2015

At-Large CM Silverman responds to an Email from Brookland resident Daniel Wolkoff regarding McMillan

Here you go:


Date: Wed, 24 Jun 2015 07:22:42 +0000
From: amglassart@yahoo.com
To: ESilverman@DCCOUNCIL.US
Subject: Re: Take a Stand for McMillan
     
Council-at-large Silverman, thank you for responding to my email, Take A Stand for McMillan, for the people of DC!  I hope this reply will bring more clarity.
         
You should have seen the Council vote last Fall to "surplus and dispose" of our 25 acre green space and historic site. No Council member said a word before or after a 30 second, last minute vote violating all the integrity in this city. Which as you know is not a lot of integrity. Even Mary Cheh who told me "your writing on McMillan is inspirational" did not have a single question or word to say about a multi $billion deal for developers, demolishing our historic site and overcrowding the city with traffic congestion, air pollution and carbon emissions. Even Marion Barry was listed as "approval", from the grave! 
 
I believe, one honest amendment, any wording that simply says, 
"budget line of $69 million must include "investigate "exclusive rights process", DMPED  PR Campaign, and learn more before such major commitment" will bring the proper openness and transparency that CLOAKS this deal, and hides it from the vast majority of DC taxpayers and our children.
 
We know every single benefit from this development can be done more creatively, and the LOSS of 25 acre PUBLIC park land is not necessary. 
 
This is a corporate welfare abuse of incredible magnitude, and I am proud to be in DC Superior Court with a dozen brave citizens and community groups, right now, to stop this injustice and environmental blunder.
  
I have the following questions and await your response.
 
Is this the way the Council does the business of the people of the District of Columbia?
  
Trammel Crow paid top DC Lobbyist The Carmen Group $100,000 for a single appointment with Council-at-large David Grosso, and he suddenly expresses unquestioning support for VMP, when he previously told me he was unsure.
A PR firm (Jamie Fontaine) hired by DMPED Jeff Miller states openly it's intention to "neutralize opposition". So the City Council rewards the unethical DMPED and VMP with approval of the "surplus", and over $69 million in the budget. With the $100 million drop in the assessment, we are in the $200 million range, while hundreds of families are removed from their homes at Barry Farms! 
  
Does Ellissa Silverman subscribe to this open corruption of our rights to participate in govt?
 
Should the public trust to steward the McMillan site, be so atrociously violated for so long (29 years), only to have it "surplussed", and $100's of millions given away to VMP? Why not "public interest" developers, like Manna, if the Council and Mayor are so blinded by the proposed revenue to accrue from the destruction of the historic site. Council member look at revenue to NYC from Central Park, and you'll understand the tunnel vision and distortion here. Every penny of city revenue can come to the treasury just as well, when these condos and offices are built where they belong, like Washington Hospital Center or near Metro, but the most green building is the one already built!
  
Parks are development!
   
How does the Mayor manage to avoid the responsibility to provide open air recreation, and preserve our history, entrusted to them by gaining high public office? 
           
Who is going to demonstrate some integrity, while the entire council and three successive executives so miserably sell out the public trust, and community needs for responsible urban planning, to unethical developers. 
          
VMP and Jeff Miller at DMPED having demonstrated the depth to which they will sink to suppress the people of our community, why reward them, taking public land for corporate profit. 

let us not play games, our future generations, the babies we see in carriages all over our neighborhoods, are sold out to unethical developers by a cowardly City Council. These same council members and Mayor Bowser called for Vince Gray to resign, but have pushed his corrupt agenda on VMP, and our city still lies unprotected by its elected officials.
   
One Council-at-large, one honest line in the budget, as we must move away from the corruption, investigations, illegal campaign contributions and prosecutions. What ever Mayor Bowser says to Sunday morning TV cameras about "our ethics are in order", she is not demonstrating it by her acts!
 
I look forward to supporting you during your term, and further, thankyou for your cncern.  I know the cycle of arbitrary corporatist government can be stopped, must be stopped, for our healthy environment where these kids can grow. 
 
Daniel Goldon Wolkoff
McMillan Coalition for Sustainable Agriculture
1231 Randolph Street, NE
Washington, DC 20017
Tel: 202-232-8391


From: "Silverman, Elissa (Council)" <ESilverman@DCCOUNCIL.US>
To: "'amglassart@yahoo.com'" <amglassart@yahoo.com
Sent: Tuesday, June 23, 2015 10:01 AM
Subject: Re: Take a Stand for McMillan
 
Dear Daniel,
     
Thank you for emailing me about your concerns surrounding McMillan. A number of other concerned residents have reached out to me as well. As you may know, the second Budget Support Act vote has been moved to June 30th. My staff and I are continuing to follow this issue closely and are using the additional time to look into the language further. I hear you are having discussions with Chairman Mendelson, and I am very encouraged by that.
  
I certainly understand your frustrations with the process and welcome any other concerns you might have. I am gaining more clarity on the conversations that happened before I joined the Council and hope to continue working together to develop in the District’s best interests.
  
Elissa.
                     
Elissa Silverman
DC Council member, At-Large
John A. Wilson Building, Suite 408
1350 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20004
202.724.7772
 


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