Smoking Ban Satire Burns Him Up

Nonsense, Schwartz said. She had always planned on yanking the joke bill.

Ka-ching, Ka-ching!

D.C. Mayor Anthony A. Williams sent a supplemental budget to the council last week proposing to spend $54.7 million in excess cash.

Using surplus funds accumulated in a number of reserve accounts, the mayor offered an extra $4.2 million for mental health, $3.8 million for economic development, $8.3 million for technology, $3.6 million for Metro, $7 million for the Anacostia Waterfront Corp., $7.3 million for senior wellness centers, $2.2 million for housing vouchers, $2.8 million to establish storefront libraries and $2 million for the Fort Lincoln Ice Rink.

But some of the smaller appropriations offered more interesting reading.

For example, the mayor offered to dedicate $200,000 to the D.C. Office of Campaign Finance for costs associated with keeping track of political exploratory committees, which were completely unregulated until this spring.

The council last month adopted reforms that would require "exploring" candidates to file twice-yearly reports. But the new law does not require those reports to be posted electronically or even reviewed by campaign finance officials, who complained that the job would be too taxing without additional funds.

With the latest appropriation, the author of the exploratory measure, Council member Vincent B. Orange Sr. (D-Ward 5), said the council "can possibly take another shot at" a more comprehensive bill.

Then there's $100,000 "for the relocation of the office of the D.C. shadow Senators."

Shadow Sen. Paul Strauss (D) said the 10th floor of the city office building at Judiciary Square, where he and shadow Rep. Ray Browne (D) are now ensconced, is scheduled to be renovated. It's unclear where the city will move them in the meantime.

"But if there's all this money going around and available, then they could spare a few dollars to house us in decent quarters," Strauss said.

Moving and Shaking

· The city delivered its glossy 20-page Summer Fun Guide to D.C. households last week, long after many parents had made their summer camping arrangements. Mayoral spokeswoman Sharon Gang said the brochure took a while to put together because it incorporates information from a variety of nonprofit organizations, in addition to city agencies. "The fact that it came out with very few mistakes is a triumph," she said.

· The Office of Cable Television and Telecommunications is now broadcasting the mayor's weekly press conference live on the Web and Cable Channel 16. Said Gang: "We get great attendance from local media, but this is potentially a national market, so now reporters who cover national news will be able to watch it."