By Colbert I. King
Saturday, May 17, 2008; A17

Jolly old St. Nicholas came to town early, landing at the John Wilson Building on Tuesday to give presents to a select group of D.C.-based organizations. Santa bestowed his largess in one night, thanks to his elves -- the mayor and D.C. Council -- who packaged the gifts from the city's unwitting taxpayers.

Overnight, a colossal snow job was done on residents of the nation's capital: $56 million of taxpayer funds was placed in the pockets of local groups -- some deserving, some not -- with a minimum of public debate or scrutiny.

Taxpayers wishing to know how their hard-earned money was bestowed should look no further than the "earmarks" -- line items -- embedded in the mayor's fiscal 2009 budget; many of the items were initiated and approved by the council without extensive executive branch review.

Privileged groups did well for themselves. There's also something in it for city hall's elves.

Earmarks help them stay in office.

They allow elves to tangibly show how they can help favored groups without worrying about merit or the competitive process. These acts of generosity often get repaid through votes and campaign contributions.

It can't be said that earmarks were only for struggling nonprofits in need of a helping hand.

The city, led by mayoral elf Adrian Fenty, gave the largest gift to the congressionally chartered, Exxon Mobil-sponsored, Washington A-list-led Ford's Theatre.

The theater boasts support from foundations, corporations and generous individual donors. Yet Ford's Theatre walked away with $10 million in taxpayer funding to be used in its Center for Education and Leadership. It hopes to raise an additional $20 million from other sources.

The city is likely to get even more for putting up one-third of the loot.

When Ford's Theatre reopens next year, be sure to observe the bowing and scraping that will greet Santa's elected elves as they arrive to be escorted to choice seats -- all for having been so generous with your money.

I can hear you grinches: How could lawmakers approve this kind of spending when, in the same budget, they cut police funding by $2.5 million and whittled down the fire and emergency services' budget by nearly $3 million?

Where's your Christmas spirit?

Ford's Theatre wasn't the only one in on the action. Christmas in May came to other grantees.

Here's what Santa's elves doled out in an amount approaching the police department's $2.5 million cut:

· $1 million to the Lincoln Theatre on U Street.

· $100,000 to the Avalon Theatre in Chevy Chase.

· $332,000 to Horning Brothers to restore Tivoli Theater murals.

· $118,000 to the GALA Hispanic Theater.

· $100,000 to the Takoma Theater.

· $200,000 to the U Street Theater Foundation.

· $200,000 to the Source Theater.

The elves' generosity with other people's money left a lump in my throat -- and coal in taxpayer stockings.

The Washington National Opera -- so rich after selling its building in 1999 for $28.2 million that it was able to endow its Eugene B. Casey Fund -- was awarded $500,000.

The National Building Museum, a congressionally chartered private nonprofit educational institution and home to presidential inaugural balls since 1885, pocketed $300,000 from the D.C. treasury.

The generosity extended to more than the arts and historic artifacts.

Several recipients, and I stress this, provide needed services. I don't have space to list them all. But earmark recipients cover the gamut: neighborhood business associations, churches, crime-fighting groups, community festivals galore and every ethnic group imaginable (except maybe Aleuts).

So I asked Doxie A. McCoy, communications director for D.C. Council Chairman Vincent C. Gray, whether the grantees' requests had been subjected to public hearings and comment.

She said in an e-mail that Gray's Committee of the Whole held a hearing April 25 "that ran from 10 a.m. to about 11:40 p.m." and that had 46 listed witnesses, including some of the groups seeking funds. That was their public vetting.

To cover their fannies, the elves now require the giftees to show that they are incorporated. They have to turn in their "most recently completed" financial audits. And they are required to provide proof that all taxes are paid, along with a scope of work, a budget, and agreements to serve city residents and allow the city to look at their books.

Please note: Council member Carol Schwartz's respect for taxpayers and government accountability prevented her from playing the earmark game.

Oh, yes. Remember the elected school board that lost its power when the mayor and council took over the school system?

It's now called the "State Board of Education." The board was budgeted to receive $575,000 for the coming year but asked for an additional $232,000 for more staff. It got it.

Ho! Ho! Ho!

kingc@washpost.com