Three Eliminated In Fight for Poplar Point Bid

"Council member Cheh is reminding me that if she was here, she would be in an orange jumpsuit, thus making her recognizable," Graham said, drawing laughter from the gallery.

New General Counsel for Schools

James J. Sandman, a former D.C. Bar Association president, has been named general counsel for the D.C. public schools, according to D.C. Attorney General Linda Singer.

Sandman is a senior partner at Arnold & Porter. In an interview, Sandman said he met Chancellor Michelle A. Rhee in the fall at a breakfast meeting sponsored by the Washington Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights. There, Rhee mentioned she was looking for a general counsel.

Sandman said he followed up with the chancellor. "This is an opportunity to be part of the most important thing going on in the District," he said.

Sandman starts on the job, which pays $155,000, plus a $15,000 signing bonus, on Dec. 10. He replaces George Valentine, a deputy attorney general for civil litigation, who has been serving in the position on an interim basis.

Staff writer Theola Labb¿ contributed to this report.