Sunday, August 13, 2006

Next month, the District's residents will pick a new mayor, D.C. Council members in Wards 1, 3, 5 and 6 (plus an at-large seat), and a council chair. This election will represent the largest turnover in the D.C. government since its inception in 1975.

The government that will take over on Jan. 2 will face a host of projects already on the drawing board. I have said many times that the new mayor and council do not need a new agenda; they need to complete the one already laid out. Let's look at what's happening.

· Schools : The new mayor and council must support the school system in modernizing school facilities. I put together a $3 billion school modernization fund. Money for the schools is no longer the issue; it's performance.

· Public safety : With a "crime emergency" in effect, the public is demanding more police officers on the streets. The D.C. Council has already committed to 450 extra officers, and D.C. residents want 500 more. That works out to an additional $70 million in spending. The Department of Fire and Emergency Medical Services is still in turmoil, as is the 911 system.

· Affordable housing : I led the effort to fund the Housing Production Trust Fund with $100 million and put an additional $76 million into affordable housing programs. Now we must build affordable houses.

· Health care and human services : There will be no new D.C. General Hospital but, rather, general health-care centers, a much better idea. The new administration must get them built. And let's not forget the Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities Administration (MRDDA) and our human services delivery. The issues facing MRDDA must be addressed by the new administration immediately.

· Economic development : The new administration must complete a number of development projects. For starters, work on the old convention center site and the new convention center hotel must get started soon. Also, the Southeast/Southwest Waterfront revitalization, the baseball stadium and surrounding development must continue to move forward. There are at least 10 projects ready to go in D.C. neighborhoods. In all of these, the D.C. government's role is critical. Completion of these projects means millions of dollars of additional tax revenue. Failure to do so will set the city back.

· Finances : The new mayor must submit to the D.C. Council the fiscal 2008 budget by March 15. I predict that there will be a slowdown in the collection of commercial property taxes, the single largest source of revenue for our government. If so, the mayor and council will be faced with making cuts to the budget or raising taxes.

There is so much to be done. Forget all the campaign rhetoric and the empty promises. The question is: Who are the best people to implement the existing agenda?

-- Jack Evans

Washington

The writer represents Ward 2 on the D.C. Council.

jackevans@dccouncil.us