Activists Give Their 2 Cents at Fundraiser

By Eric M. Weiss and Del Quentin Wilber
Washington Post Staff Writers
Thursday, January 26, 2006

That was quite a turnout Monday morning at the mayor's fundraiser for council member Kathy Patterson (D-Ward 3). But instead of checkbooks, some of the attendees brought protest signs.

Several baseball stadium opponents stood outside the downtown office building where Mayor Anthony A. Williams (D) and John Ray , the former council member and slots promoter and current lobbyist for Major League Baseball, were hosting the check-fest. With the rabble-rousers loudly occupying the sidewalk outside One Metro Center, Williams decided to sneak into the building through a loading dock, witnesses said.

Protest organizers said they showed up to express their displeasure with Patterson's decision to vote for a lease agreement with Major League Baseball after voting to reject the stadium financing deal a year ago. They questioned whether Patterson's political ambitions -- she is running for council chairman -- are clouding her ethical compass. One wore a mask in the shape of a baseball and held a sign reading, "FOR SALE: Council member Patterson's vote?"

"How do you avoid the appearance of impropriety when you go around holding fundraisers just weeks after the mayor said he would reward anyone who voted for the stadium?" asked Mary Williams , a Ward 6 activist who lives near the proposed stadium site on the Anacostia River. "No one is saying you're actually doing it, but there is the appearance of selling out and vote buying."

Patterson has said repeatedly that her vote is not for sale, invoking her reputation as a watchdog for good government. In an interview, she said the demonstration was more anti-baseball than anti-Patterson.

"I appreciate the zeal of the stadium opponents, and this was just one more opportunity to make their case,'' Patterson said, noting that she pointed out to protest leaders that it was her bill that legalized spontaneous demonstrations of 50 people or fewer.

Mary Williams questioned whether Patterson's past should inoculate her against current charges.

"Is she so comfortable in her reputation that she would ignore the obvious?" Mary Williams said.

Police Get a New Voice in Labor

Top D.C. police officials had better watch out: There's a new labor leader in town.

D.C. police Officer Kristopher Baumann won a surprise victory Jan. 18 in the election to become chairman of the D.C. police labor committee for the Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 1, the District's largest and most influential police bargaining group.

Baumann crushed incumbent Sgt. Gregory I. Greene in a vote of 1,056 to 489. Union insiders said the vote reflects a move by younger officers to assert more power within the organization. Baumann, 38, is a vocal union leader who has represented officers in the 7th police district since joining the force in 2002. Greene has been with the D.C. police for 30 years.

The bargaining committee represents about 3,400 police officers, detectives and sergeants in contract negotiations and other administrative matters.

A former police officer in Oregon who returned to law enforcement after a brief stint as a tax lawyer, Baumann said he quickly became disillusioned with life on the force because "officers are treated horribly and unfairly." When he assumes his union post in April, Baumann promises to push aggressively to address problems with deployment and to fix "the miserable morale problem" among the rank and file.

"There are not enough police resources, not enough officers," he said.

Orange Scolds Front-Runners

Council member Vincent B. Orange Sr. is sharpening his attack. With polls showing support for Orange in the single digits in the race for mayor, the Ward 5 council member blasted the perceived front-runners -- council member Adrian M. Fenty (D-Ward 4) and chairman Linda W. Cropp (D) -- at a mayoral forum in Ward 8 last weekend, accusing them of voting to deny Ward 8 representative Marion Barry (D) a "seat at the table" in the Wilson Building.

Orange was referring to a council decision to let at-large council members Carol Schwartz , a Republican, and David A. Catania , an independent, continue to chair council committees, while three Democrats, including Barry, have no chairmanships.

"Why should David Catania decide whether or not you get a hospital?" Orange demanded of the Ward 8 crowd. "These are the kinds of decisions you need to look at. And I would never, ever vote for a mayor that makes those kinds of decisions."

Activist to Shadow Senator?

Longtime Ward 8 activist Philip Pannell has decided to challenge Florence H. Pendleton for the nonvoting (but still coveted) post of shadow senator.

"The issue of disenfranchisement and the issue of statehood really does not get the attention it deserves, particularly from the Democratic Party," Pannell said. "We need to engage our residents more in this struggle so we can have more of a national conversation about this."

Pannell, who can be blunt and outspoken in the service of a cause, was last seen battling Rev. Willie F. Wilson and Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan for inclusion of a gay speaker at last fall's Millions More Movement. Pannell said he would bring the same passion to the statehood issue.

The District's current senators -- Pendleton and Paul Strauss -- "are definitely in the shadows," he said. "If I win, I don't think I'm going to be in the shadows. As a person who's not comfortable with closets, I'm equally uncomfortable with shadows."

Staff writer Lori Montgomery contributed to this report.