Sierra Club Is Latest to Snub Patterson

First, the Washington Teachers Union Committee on Political Education gave its nod to council member Vincent C. Gray (D-Ward 7) to be the next council chairman -- a tremendous blow to the council's education committee head, Kathy Patterson (D-Ward 3).

Patterson fought for teachers' raises and recently helped find the $1 billion in the city's budget to improve school buildings over the next 10 years.

Now, the D.C. chapter of the Sierra Club has also endorsed Gray, despite Patterson's longtime activism as an environmentalist.

During the past year, Patterson has worked extensively with local and federal lawmakers to try to ban hazardous materials carried by rail.

Patterson said she lost the Sierra Club endorsement because she said she would not push the D.C. Council to reconsider its decision to rebuild and reopen the controversial Klingle Road to traffic. The Sierra Club believes the road, nestled in Rock Creek Park, should remain closed.

"I am sorry that the Sierra Club is focused on a single roadway in upper Northwest instead of environmental issues that could have a positive impact on every D.C. resident," Patterson said in a statement.

There were other issues, including Patterson's refusal to support the club's efforts to close Beach Drive in Rock Creek Park, said James Dougherty, national secretary of the Sierra Club and an activist with the local chapter.

Dougherty recently quit as a volunteer with Patterson's campaign. "I was volunteering, but I'm a loyal Sierra Club activist," he said. "My environmental colors come first."

If the color's green, it applies to Gray in more than one way, said Laurie Collins, who has been pushing the council to reopen Klingle Road.

She said Gray, a freshman council member, lacks the experience possessed by Patterson, a 12-year veteran.

Collins also chided the Sierra Club for using Klingle Road as a campaign issue. "I'm a Sierra Club member. I'm an environmentalist. I was recycling before anyone. [Klingle Road] is not an issue anymore. Why are you beating a dead horse?" she said.

Jason Broehm, chairman of the D.C. chapter, said the group's leadership saw Gray as the best candidate. "We didn't get any promises from Vincent Gray on Klingle Road. We got a very positive sense that he is someone we can really work with," Broehm said.