By Rosalind S. Helderman and Nelson Hernandez
Washington Post Staff Writers
Thursday, September 4, 2008
Forget Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama.
Two Prince Georgians had their own moment of unity during last week's Democratic National Convention.
Take a look at this picture of County Executive Jack B. Johnson and former state delegate Rushern L. Baker III, snapped and submitted by Del. Justin D. Ross.
In Maryland, few politicians have held such enmity for each other as Johnson and Baker.
Baker spent months beating up on Johnson when they ran for executive in 2006. Johnson was then seen as a key behind-the-scenes player in ensuring the Democratic Central Committee did not choose Baker to fill a state Senate vacancy created by the January death of Gwendolyn T. Britt.
After Baker failed to get the nod, Johnson exulted, "I don't want to call him a loser, but that's basically what he is."
Could the two men have buried the hatchet? Maybe the thin Denver air just went to their heads.
School Board Notes Historic NominationPrince George's County Board of Education members did not attend the Democratic convention, but their hearts were in Denver nonetheless, to judge from a tearful address by board member Pat Fletcher at last week's meeting.
Toward the end of the meeting, Fletcher (District 3) took a moment to praise Obama, the first African American to become a major party nominee for president.
"Win, lose or draw, today is a special day for all people of color," Fletcher said, her voice cracking. "And I just want to say that I am glad that I am experiencing it, that my grandbabies will be able to tell their grandchildren."
As she spoke, District 1 board member Rosalind Johnson called out, "Yes! Yes!"
Although the school board is a nonpartisan body, most of its members, as well as Schools Superintendent John E. Deasy, have openly supported Obama, good politics in an overwhelmingly Democratic county.
Bids Should Address Abortion, Groups SayA coalition of groups led by the ACLU wants the Prince George's Hospital Authority to declare in writing that health-care management companies interested in taking over the county's hospital system will offer abortion and other reproductive health services.
Last week, representatives for the groups addressed the seven-member authority, which has been charged by a state law with finding new owners for the system, which is anchored by Prince George's Hospital Center in Cheverly.
The ACLU request seems to have been prompted by negotiations conducted in the spring between Johnson and leaders of Ascension Health, a St. Louis-based Catholic hospital chain. It was never clear what reproductive services Ascension would offer if it won the right to buy the system from the county and take over day-to-day management from the nonprofit group Dimensions Health.
The issue became moot when state leaders opposed the Ascension deal and instead backed the creation of an authority to conduct an open-bidding process with potential owners. An Ascension executive said months ago that the company would consider making an offer.
The authority plans to release a formal request for proposals with details on what it is seeking from interested companies Sept. 22. Officials with the ACLU, Planned Parenthood and NARAL want the reproductive services issue addressed.
"Any organization that seeks to own and operate the Prince George's health system must be prepared to meet the basic health needs of county residents," wrote Johnny Barnes, executive director of the ACLU of the National Capital Area in a letter to the authority. "The request for proposals must therefore require all bidders to meet those needs."
In an interview, Barnes said services the groups want the proposals to address include condom distribution, HIV/AIDs counseling, elective sterilization and access to emergency contraception and abortion. A Dimensions spokeswoman said 458 abortions were performed at Dimensions facilities last year.
In an interview, Barnes said the groups would not rule out legal action if their request is not met. He noted that the hospital system will receive hundreds of millions in public funds.
"We are not looking to involve this matter in the courts," Barnes said. "That's not on the table, but it's not off the table."
Authority Chairman Kenneth Glover said panel members are discussing the issue. But he suggested members are unlikely to insert language into the request for proposals that would dissuade interested bidders from making an offer. Instead, he said, the group might be unlikely to choose a new owner that offers fewer services than Dimensions.
"You have to look at all the bids and see what they offer," he said.
After 6-Week Recess, School Critics AboundA small but critical crew of parents and community activists awaited Prince George's County Board of Education members as they emerged from a six-week recess last week, leading to a meeting that was at times testy.
Hope Porter, a parent of two Bowie High School students, led off the critique by observing that the school was crowded, with 35 students in an Advanced Placement government class and 33 students in another class.
June White Dillard, president of the county branch of the NAACP, hammered the school board for voting 6 to 4 to spend $36 million on a new school system headquarters, calling it "an action which is fiscally irresponsible" in tight economic times.
One speaker gave the board a break from the criticism, and then David L. Cahn, a leader of Citizens for an Elected Board and never one to mince words, blasted the board for not fighting the superintendent's initiative to move successful schools into an "autonomy zone," where principals would be given more freedom. Cahn said the zone would reduce the level of parental participation in school governance.
"We elected you to set policy and make decisions," Cahn told the board. "The superintendent works for you."
Finally, Carol Chin, a parent from Charles H. Flowers High School, pointed out problems with the new class scheduling computer system. She noted that more than 300 students were packed in the cafeteria on the first day of school, waiting for class assignments.
Deasy, who usually keeps his peace during public testimony, reacted sharply to Cahn's remarks: They were "factually false," he said, and parents would have an intermediate level at which to appeal questions of school governance.
Regarding Porter's note about crowding, Deasy said that "in many places in the county, staffing isn't just right for enrollment" and that at schools such as Bowie, staffing adjustments will bring classes down to a normal size.
Deasy also made a note of the district's new "student information system" software, saying that it had improved payroll and transportation, but that some kinks with the enrollment system were being worked out. "It's a darn sight better than what we had," he said.
After the meeting, Dillard chatted with District 1 board member Rosalind Johnson. She promised to justify the purchase of the headquarters by giving Dillard a not-so-grand tour of the school system's funky digs in Upper Marlboro -- mice, mildew and all.
Perhaps she'd better save that for Halloween.
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