On July 9, the D.C. Council conducted its last legislative meeting before its summer recess. This additional meeting took place amid a NATO Summit that changed traffic patterns around the John A. Wilson Building.
The council still got to the business at hand as it related to truancy reduction, teachers’ compensation, and board nominations, and in addition, discussed a memorial designation for a local park and financing for the baseball stadium’s maintenance.
This edition of The Collins Council Report recaps some of the major topics and takeaways from the legislative body’s final session before meetings resume this September.
A Mission to Keep the Nationals as a Leaseholder
On its first reading, the council unanimously approved the Ballpark Budget and Maintenance Amendment Act of 2024. D.C. Council Chairman Phil Mendelson (D) introduced this legislation last year in response to the Nationals’ longtime demands for facilities maintenance and repairs at Nationals Park.
Last year, the Nationals, the current leaseholders for the ballpark in Navy Yard, suggested that stadium revenue be diverted to a stabilization and modernization fund. By that time, the District’s sports teams had been vying for use of funds anticipated to be left over in the Ballpark Revenue Fund, which had been long used to pay for development, construction and renovation of Nationals Park.
Mendelson’s legislation reflects the desires of the Nationals in a manner that, as he explained on Monday to reporters, doesn’t incur additional costs on District taxpayers.
Per the legislation, the Ballpark Revenue Fund would be used to directly pay for the maintenance, repairs and improvements to Nationals Park until the revenue bonds are defeased. This can only be done after the Washington Convention and Sports Authority has used its funds and excess reserves to pay those costs.
The newly established Ballpark Maintenance Fund would then continue to finance the maintenance, repair and improvements to Nationals Stadium with money remaining in the Ballpark Revenue Fund after its defeasement, along with ballpark sales tax revenue and rent collected for the ballpark lease.
The Ballpark Budget and Maintenance Amendment Act navigated the legislative process amid Ted Leonsis’ attempt to move Monumental Sports & Entertainment across the Potomac River — for reasons similar to what the council was trying to prevent with Nationals Park. While the council approved the allocation of $20 million toward the installation of new lights and a scoreboard at the baseball stadium earlier this year, maintenance and repairs are estimated to cost up to $380 million over the next 14 years.
In speaking about the Ballpark Budget and Maintenance Amendment Act on Monday, Mendelson emphasized that it would lay to rest concerns about how the District would finance maintenance of Nationals Park.
“The rule of thumb with a stadium is that it’s good for 15 to 20 years then they need substantial upgrades,” Mendelson said. “The District isn’t responsible for some of the add-ons, but basically ensuring the stadium is state of the art. The legislation makes clear the funding availability to make that happen through the lease.”
A Crucial Correction to a Retroactive WTU Contract
The D.C. Council unanimously approved a small — but important — correction to the retroactive contract that the Washington Teachers’ Union (WTU) negotiated with D.C. Public Schools (DCPS) and D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser (D) in 2022.
This correction affects elementary school grade-level chairs, each of whom will receive an additional stipend of $1,000 per year through the Workforce Investment Fund, as agreed upon during contract negotiations.
In total, the District will spend $449 million between Fiscal Year 2023 and Fiscal Year 2026.
As Mendelson noted on the dais on Tuesday, this development comes a couple of years after the WTU and DCPS told the council that the contract had been ratified in its final form, without error. It also comes in the midst of ongoing contract negotiations that, as of recently, show some signs of movement, according to a union member who requested anonymity.
Since last spring, negotiations for the new teachers’ contract have stagnated because of disagreements about salary and student safety. In May, DCPS filed a Public Employee Relations Board (PERB) complaint against WTU alleging that the union violated confidentiality.
On June 26, PERB dismissed the complaint in its entirety at the request of WTU.
D.C. Councilmember Anita Bonds (D-At large), who, along with Mendelson, has kept abreast of developments in current contract negotiations, encouraged her colleagues on Tuesday to approve the contractual adjustment in the interest of public school teachers.
“It’s important for our government to keep our promises and fulfill our end of the deal when it comes to this agreement,” said Bonds, chair of the council’s Committee on Executive Administration & Labor as she pivoted her focus to the future contract. “All the teachers in this category received their stipend and there remains approximately $643,000 for this coming year. As we remember the teacher’s union contract is enforced, we do hope to get a new one.”
Exploring a Truancy Reduction Pilot
The council unanimously approved an emergency resolution that launches a pilot of the truancy referral pilot program outlined in Bowser’s UPLIFT Amendment Act. That program, to be facilitated by D.C. Department of Human Services, aims to increase student attendance and academic achievement by tackling issues that may be preventing them from attending school consistently.
Per the emergency resolution, the pilot program would involve students at five District high schools that ended the 2023-2024 school year with truancy rates at above 50%. Next year, DHS would submit two reports that analyze how students referred to the truancy reduction program fared in the areas of attendance, academics, and juvenile justice system involvement.
One of those reports, to be submitted during the budget season, could inform Bowser’s Fiscal Year 2026 budget proposal.
During Tuesday’s hearing, D.C. Councilmember Matt Frumin (D-Ward 3) implored Mendelson to work with the Bowser administration in between readings to come to some agreement about the metrics of analysis. To that point, Mendelson acknowledged having met with the the Office of the Deputy Mayor for Education and tweaking the metrics
D.C. Councilmember Robert White (D-At large, a proponent for sustainable government spending, would later remind his council colleagues about the significance of data collection.
“This will give us the metrics to understand how well this program is or isn’t working,” White said on Tuesday. “We have to understand that we have programs working across the government, but we don’t have clear data about whether those programs are working. We have to make sure we’re not throwing taxpayer money at things that are not solving problems.”
As recently as late June, when the Committee of the Whole conducted a public hearing about the UPLIFT Amendment Act, at least two council members, Mendelson and At large Councilmember White, expressed concern about whether DHS, an agency with a high workload, could focus its attention on an issue that’s usually under the purview of D.C. Child and Family Services Agency.
On Tuesday, D.C. Councilmember Trayon White (D-Ward 8) echoed those sentiments.
“We’ve historically had issues with DHS in relation to technology, follow-up and incapacity,” he said. “It’s my concern that we do all that we can to empower youth and young adults to get into school and be active. [We need] to have those systems in place on the executive side and agencies to reflect that and engage our parents to see the barriers that’s keeping [students] from arriving [at] school on time and completing their day in seat.”
Examining a Controversial Clemency Board Nomination
On Tuesday, the council approved three of Bowser’s D.C. Clemency Board nominations — but not without some discussion about a moment that’s still fresh in the nation’s collective conscience.
Because of D.C.’s lack of statehood, the D.C. Clemency Board, brought into existence through 2018 council legislation, cannot grant clemency. It can only make recommendations to the president and Department of Justice pardon attorney about recipients of pardons and sentence commutations.
The nominees — Dr. Amber Thornton, Attorney Mark Rollins, and Dominic “Chip” Henry — each have professional backgrounds and experiences that D.C. Councilmember Brooke Pinto (D-Ward 2), chair of the Committee on the Judiciary and Public Safety, said would “add valuable expertise and perspective to the board.”
Thornton, a clinical psychologist at Children’s National Medical Center, specializes in motherhood, parenting, relationships, career, mental health and personal evolution. Meanwhile, Henry, a returning citizen and reentry consultant, has experience connecting hundreds of D.C. residents to jobs before their release from prison.
Rollins, a defense attorney of nearly 30 years, proved to be more controversial of the nominations. So much so that, during the council’s Committee of the Whole hearing, D.C. Councilmember Zachary Parker (D-Ward 5), requested that his nomination be moved to the non-consent agenda, a space reserved for subject-matter that doesn’t compel unanimous support.
Parker would later deviate from his colleagues in the legislative meeting, voting “present” on Rollins’ nomination to the D.C. Clemency Board while they voted in support.
Earlier this year, Rollins negotiated a plea deal for Fabod Azari, one of several people who stormed the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. Azari’s actions, and that of several others, delayed a joint session of Congress where electoral votes for the 2020 presidential election were being counted, and also resulted in the deaths of nine people, assaults of 174 police officers, and more than $30 million in property damage.
In an email to The Informer, Pinto cited Rollins’ “strong advocacy skills, extensive courtroom experience, local mentorships, and deep understanding of criminal law” as assets to the D.C. Clemency Board. Rollins, who also spoke to The Informer, addressed his decision to represent Azari, stressing that everyone has a “fundamental right to a fair defense, regardless of the nature of the allegations.”
“By providing a robust defense, I sought to ensure that justice was served in a manner that upheld the values of our democracy and allowed for the potential for healing and reconciliation,” Rollins said. “My actions, while perhaps controversial to some, will be understood as a reflection of my unwavering commitment to the principles that underpin our legal system and my belief in the importance of due process for all.”
For Rollins, this outlook translates into his work on the D.C. Clemency Board, where he would be responsible for reviewing clemency applications, weighing evidence, and taking each applicant’s rehabilitation efforts and potential for success into consideration.
“Clemency not only recognizes the progress made by those who have taken responsibility for their actions but also allows them to fully reintegrate into society as productive and valued members,” Rollins said. “I am eager to contribute to a more equitable and compassionate justice system that prioritizes both accountability and the possibility of redemption.
The Council Inches Closer to Memorializing Ron Austin
On its first reading, the council unanimously approved the Ronald “Ron” Austin Memorial Park Designation Act.
This legislation, introduced by D.C. Councilmember Janeese Lewis George (D-Ward 4), officially names a park in the Manor Park community of Northwest in honor of Ronald “Ron” Austin, a lifelong D.C. resident and Coolidge High School alumnus who died in 2018 after decades of service to his community.
During the council’s Committee of the Whole meeting, Lewis George reflected on what community members had to say about Austin.
“At the public hearing, we heard Ron’s friends and colleagues testify to his service to the District and dedication to the community,” Lewis George told her colleagues. “When families go to the park, they will know that it’s named after a man who loved the District and its people.”
Austin’s record of service includes stints as a constituent services representative under then-At large D.C. Councilmember John L. Ray and then-Ward 4 D.C. Councilmembers Adrian Fenty and Muriel Bowser. He also worked in D.C. Department of Parks and Recreation (DPR), and as director of the Mayor’s Office of the Clean City and chair of the Citizens Advisory Council for Metropolitan Police Department’s Fourth District.
Other roles include that of an advisory neighborhood commissioner (ANC) in ANC 4B, of which he served as a chair. As a youngster, Austin was a member of the Neighborhood Planning Council, a precursor to the ANC.
In 2020, then-Ward 4 D.C. Councilmember Brandon Todd (D) introduced legislation to rename the park in honor of Austin. The park is located across the street from Austin’s home, between North Dakota Avenue, 2nd Street and Quackenbos Street in Northwest.
After Todd left office, Lewis George took on the mantle with the support of ANC 4B. In 2021, ANC 4B filed a resolution in support of the park renaming, with Commissioners Tiffani Nichole Johnson and Alison Brooks serving as resolution representatives. Even though redistricting moved the park out of her single-member district, Johnson said she continued to follow the renaming process with Commissioner Michael Cohen.
Johnson, speaking about the recent milestone, expressed joy about the Ronald “Ron” Austin Memorial Park eventually coming to fruition. Her only concern, she said, centered on how DPR and D.C. Department of General Services would hash out the responsibility of maintaining the park.
For Johnson, the agencies’ ability to do so could mean all the difference for the late Austin’s old stomping grounds.
“It’s a lasting legacy for our senior citizens and a testament to the person Ron Austin was,” Johnson said. “He was a tremendous advocate and steward of the community. I hope our younger generation can see that and enjoy the park as a safe space.”