Here is Eileen Fogarty's letter of resignation
With all the electricity about Ms. Fogarty's resignation, the Growler neglected to mention that at last week's Inner City Civic Association meeting, Philip Moffat resigned from his post as ICCA Secretary.
Bill Campbell, our new Jefferson-Houston PTA President, was unanimously elected as the new Secretary of ICCA. Congratulations to Bill, who in a short time in the neighborhood has brought new energy to the community.
11 comments:
Don't see Harris Teeter expanding to Santa Monica anytime soon......
Blogger, how do you and Harris Teeter plan to handle the store's liquor sales? Have you considered the likely volume, the walk in trade - from nearby projects - and exactly what kind of street nonsense the rest of us will be expected to live with. For example, who picks up the street trash when the dumbsh-ts drop it? I am all for selling carrot sticks to sober types but you need to think outside the big box.
I dont understand your question. Maybe its because I dont understand Alexandria politics.
Isnt it up to the City and to the Police and to ARHA to control the residents so they dont act like (your word) dumbsh-ts?
Why is it the job of local neighbors to control whether drunks commit street nonsense or litter all over the place? There are trash cans on nearly every block in North Old Town, but you cant force people to stop littering.
But it sounds like what you are asking is why should North Old Town have anything nice or anything retail if all people are going to do is get drunk and litter.
In most parts of the world, its not the job of the citizens to ensure that local neighbors dont litter or dont get drunk and act stupid.. That is the police's and landlord's job.
One of the deep suspicions I have held about the redevelopment of the Braddock Metro Area is that the City and ARHA are afraid to redevelop, because they know as soon as they start to build up the area, there will be more and more people willing to complain about the dysfunctional project residents and activities that occur. It means the party is over for the project residents who have proven to be the most dysfunctional and the most threatening to their neighbors (and it is not all residents, just some specifically who are protected by ARHA and the city)
And if you are asking about how Harris Teeter should handle this?
They should call the police and demand that their store be protected like everyone else. If the City won't apply the same rules unifromly throughout the City, then we have no use in following those rulesor laws. If they wont stop drunk whinos from harassing the neighborhood, then we should head down to South Union Street, drunk, and harass Councilman Macdonald until he gets the point.
Why do some project residents and local drunks and troublemakers get special rules in Alexandria (or why should they)? If they cannot behave like civilized city residents, they need to be ejected from the area.
I know that would conflict with the "containment strategy" used by the police, but why do we have to coddle for a specific set of our residents? They should have to follow the laws and rules of the City like everyone else.
Have you noticed the blue signs by the Queen and Fayette Streets Park? I saw them for the first time today and it angered me that Fayette Street Neighbors have had to involve themselves in keeping the streets clean. What do the neighbors do? I asked. The city gives them neon vests and trash bags and basically they keep street clean of debris like beer bottles, needles and paper trash. Jolly-o to the residents willing to do this job. Citizens has no business handling dirty needles and the trash man does come only weekly. It is appalling that the city permits cleaniness standards to sink so low that neighbots cleam the streets. Jolly-O to the residents willing to do this job. Personally I think there must be a better solution.
Then brace yourself for more trash, because ICCA Vice President Bill Cromley talked at the last ICCA meeting about how citizens could do away with the weekly street cleaning.
The Growler seems to remember the subject of street sweeping came up during the hearings on 1210 Queen Street, when Mr. Cromley's acolyte Jody Orr from the 200 block of N. Alfred went off the rails on the topic.
The strategy appearsto have been to blame the street sweeping restrictions for the tight parking supply in the neighborhood, which would be made even tighter by Mr. Cromley's SUP with its big reduction in required parking.
OF course, Mr. Cromley and Ms. Orr don't live near the trash. Or the condos.
"how citizens could do away with the weekly street cleaning."
You have GOT to be kidding! No way because Queen and Fayette Streets need the city's help. Surely the new business group supports the city's cleaning efforts. Doesn't the owner of Sarge's regularly hire someone to sweep his corner? Residents should not be asked to wear vests and pick up the trash others stupidly leave behind.
Is it significant that several high level public servants (such as Eileen Fogarty, Lt. Crawford, Charles Samarra, Art Dahlberg) are now leaving the employ of the City? Or just coincidence?
Why do you consider Crawford's departure a loss? Could it be he's just milking the pension system? Others count four senior positions now vacant.
I know that would conflict with the "containment strategy" used by the police, but why do we have to coddle for a specific set of our residents? They should have to follow the laws and rules of the City like everyone else.
????????
I'd love to know who really believes this? I would also love for them to explain what they really mean here. For all the bored people that believe this, do yourself a service one week. Sit in General District Criminal Court from 9am until 11 am. Watch a trial or two and then tell me that the police are trying to contain or coddle specific residents! Judges don't live in the areas and have to deal with what we do.
From time to time, I have stopped into the courts to see what going on. About a week ago, I saw a judge with 7 different Arha trespassing cases. About 5 of the 7 plead guilty and received fines. FINES!!!!!
HELLO, YOUR HONOR!!! The defendants don't have a job and they don't belong on the property!!!! Their not ever going to pay those fines, so whats their incentive not to return to the property???
You say containment??? I ask myself why in the heck the cops even bother locking people up for trespassing there. Seems to me their working hard just to be laughed at by the defendants.
I spoke to one cop after her trial was over and asked her if she was satisfied with the $100.00 fine that was imposed. She said that she can only try her best and that if she let the outcome of cases affect her judgment of her actions on the street, we would all be in trouble.
I hope and pray that each of our cops carries her attitude. I believe that if more attention was placed on why the same drunks and dumsh^ts keep getting out after being arrested time and time again, we would all stop blaming ARHA and the police for everything.
I love my house here in parker-gray. I have been victimized with petty crime myself. Yet I realize where I live. It's not perfect, nor will it be that way for some time to come. One can hope the steady improvement will continue. If not, I can still make a money on this place as most of those complaining can, as well. Not to say lets move from our problems, but this is a free country and we do have the right to pursue happiness. I for one, don't find blaming everyone under the sun as happiness.
P.S. - I'm not a lawyer or a judge, therefore, I don't have the unique ability to see what they see or know what they know. What I do know is that the punishment in these listed cases, do not seem to fit the crime from my perspective.
Is the growler on vacation or is there just nothing new to report?
This also came out in the Alexandria Times this week, blasting Jefferson Houston:
Déjà vu: Again & Again
As surely as spring turns to summer in Alexandria there is a new principal at Jefferson Houston Elementary School. For the 6th time in 7 years there is a different face to greet children as they return in September.
They are all nice people. The superintendents give the same speech about their qualifications and their ability to work with the community and the families.
Some are experienced. Some are not.
The result is always the same. Little academic progress is made and the school slips further behind its counterparts in the City.
The elementary redistricting that took place some years ago was largely successful but in the case of Jefferson Houston it was not. The attempt to run an Arts Focus School there has not succeeded either and students from the over-large attendance district and other parts of the city are not being attracted to a school that is not accredited and is failing under No Child Left Behind.
With the appointment of the new principal the School Board also called for the creation of an improvement plan for the school with public input. The new board is obviously unaware that every school creates a plan every year and a fat lot of good that has done Jefferson Houston. If our top administrator has failed to pick a principal who can do the job (the current superintendent is 0 for 3) what is public input going to do?
It is time to face this problem squarely.
The School Board needs to commit itself and the superintendent to a complete review of Jefferson Houston with all options, including closing it, on the table. The city is entering a period of tighter budgets and the School Board can no longer afford the expensive and lengthy failure that has been unfolding there.
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