SUNDAY, AUGUST 22, 2010
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CLOSE TO HOME THE REGION Cooperating on growth
The greatest challenge to sustainable growth and economic prosperity for the residents of the Washington region was precisely identified in Roger Lewis’s Aug. 14 Shaping the City column, “Overcoming the obstacles to regional cooperation.” The Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments and the Greater Washington 2050 Coalition have presented an admirable approach for regional planning, but absent the authority to implement solutions, the 20-plus jurisdictions that comprise our region will continue to make decisions for the singular benefit of their own communities without consideration for the greater regional impact. Research my organization has presented on the
region’s growth trajectory reveals startling numbers: In the next 20 years, our local economy is expected to grow by 94 percent, generate 1.6 million net new jobs and increase in population by 1.67 million people, creating 694,000 new households. The challenges presented by such massive growth can only be addressed successfully with a regional approach. The region’s jurisdictions need to end the “silo” approach and work together on a strategic process for growing smartly and sustainably for generations to come. Bob Buchanan, Gaithersburg
The writer is president of the 2030 Group, an association of development and business leaders and others that advocates for regional planning.
VIRGINIA Caution: Drive . . . distractedly?
An electronic sign on the outer loop of the Beltway approaching a construction zone in Tysons Corner: “I-495 Advisory. Dial 511 for Info.” What? So we should be pulling out cellphones while driving into a construction zone to listen to a traffic advisory message? Whose brilliant idea is this? Meda Ling, Reston
Local Blog Network
6voices.washingtonpost.com/local-opinions/
Some of the region’s best bloggers share work on the All Opinions Are Local blog. Below is one of last week’s posts.
Lay off workers, pay more taxes . . .
Lay off workers, pay more taxes. Pay more taxes, lay off more workers. Repeat. An irony has been cycling through Virginia’s economy
lately. The number of Virginia businesses filing for bankruptcy doubled between 2007 and 2009. When these companies close their doors, they leave behind laid-off workers — and their compensation needs. That prompts higher taxes on remaining companies to beef up Virginia’s unemployment trust fund. Additionally, the more workers a company lays off, the more it has to pay into the fund. The problem is, these triggers are not enough to keep the fund stocked in hard times. When Virginia’s unemployment fund ran dry a year ago, the state borrowed $347 million from the federal unemployment fund to restock it. Legislators say we’ll have to borrow more next year. The state has to pay back not only that money but also $20 million in interest it has racked up. And more taxes are the last thing businesses need when they’re trying to weather a recession. In 2008, Virginia employers paid into the fund an average of $99 for each employee. That’s risen to about $170 this year and is projected to reach $222 next year. The cycle goes like this: The more people are laid off, the more file for unemployment. As the unemployment fund is drained, it triggers higher unemployment taxes on businesses. As businesses pay higher taxes, it’s harder for them to avoid more layoffs.
So on one hand, we have a dwindling unemployment fund. On the other, its suppliers are also struggling to get by.
Of course, this is just one of the troubles the big, bad recession wolf has laid on our doorstep. And considering that 31 other states have also borrowed federal dollars to write unemployment checks, we can make ourselves feel better by peering over the fence. Paige Winfield Cunningham, Old Dominion Watchdog
Local Opinions, a place for commentary about where we live, is looking for submissions of 300 to 500 words on timely local topics. Submissions must include name, e-mail address, street address and phone number, and they will be edited for brevity and clarity. To submit your article, please go to
washingtonpost.com/localopinions.
NEXT WEEK’S TOPIC The D.C. mayor’s race: Who are you for and why? See “Your endorsement” below.
THE D.C. MAYOR’S RACE Leadership for a changing city
The Post asked the front-runners: “How will the challenges facing the city for the next four years be different from the last four? What will you do to address them?”
by Adrian M. Fenty Four years ago, when I ran for
mayor of the District, residents every- where told me that the single most important challenge we faced as a city was fixing our broken public schools, which had failed our young people for more than a generation. Today, I could not be more proud,
as mayor and as a father of three young children, of the progress we have made in transforming our schools from a symbol of dysfunction into a national model for education reform. Our students, teachers and administrators, under the leadership of Chancellor Michelle Rhee, have made unprecedented gains, and they deserve an enormous amount of credit for their hard work. But there is so much work left to be done. Gone are the days when broken windows, boilers and air condition- ers caused children and teachers to suffer in their classrooms. Textbooks and computers are no longer moth- balled in warehouses. We are spend- ing more than $250 million a year to modernize our facilities. Our pools, fields and libraries are the envy of school districts across the country. From H.D. Woodson to Walker Jones to Sousa Middle School to the School Without Walls, our kids finally have the first-class facilities they deserve. Great teachers are the key. We put in place, for the first time, a system to measure teacher performance. And we reached a landmark agreement with our teachers union under which we will pay high-performing teachers some of the highest salaries in the country. In the classroom, our students’ test scores are improving faster than those of students in almost every oth- er city in the nation. Our graduation rates are climbing. Enrollment is up. Last year the District’s population in- creased by more than 10,000, and parents are starting to say what had been unthinkable a few years earlier: They are keeping their families in the city because of our schools. These changes have not come easi-
ly. We shook up the central office bu- reaucracy, closed more than two doz- en schools and fired poor-performing teachers. In 2007, when I came into office, 95 percent of teachers received “excellent” performance evaluations while just a fraction of our students were reading at grade level — it was a system that put the interests of adults ahead of children, and our children deserve better. Chancellor Rhee has made one tough decision after an- other, and it is my job as mayor to support her efforts 100 percent. Across this city, we’ve taken this same approach to tackling our most complex problems — the tough issues politicians refused to address year af- ter year. And while we have ruffled some feathers along the way, we have achieved some incredible results. Our streets are safer. Under the leadership of Police Chief Cathy La- nier, crime is down across the board. The homicide rate is the lowest it has been since 1966, and we’re on track to bring it down even further this year. Despite the worst economy since the Great Depression, we’ve created thousands of jobs, financed more than 11,000 units of affordable hous-
ing and delivered more than a dozen new parks and recreation centers in neighborhoods that had not seen real investment in decades. We brought grocery stores, restaurants and retail east of the Anacostia River and to Georgia Avenue. The Target-an- chored DC USA is the capstone to more than a $1 billion in new in- vestment in Columbia Heights. We are taking care of our most vul-
nerable citizens. We provided more than 1,000 permanent homes for our homeless families and veterans. We’ve expanded children’s health in- surance so that every child in the city has access to high-quality health care,
By Vincent C. Gray District residents are desperate for
a change in leadership. They want a mayor with the integrity to put an end to cronyism and create a competitive government that is not plagued by mismanagement and closed-door deals. They want a leader to push ag- gressive school reform that is sustain- able and embraced by communities, parents and teachers across the city. They want a leader who understands that public safety is not just a num- bers game. They want a leader who will get our residents back to work.
Adrian M. Fenty, left, and Vincent C. Gray. The D.C. primary is Sept. 14. JASON REED/REUTERS
and we provided summer job oppor- tunities for more than 18,000 youth. We are continuing to improve the
delivery of basic government services — rebuilding and professionalizing the departments of Motor Vehicles and Consumer and Regulatory Af- fairs, and the Office of Contracting and Procurement — without spend- ing more. We produced four bal- anced budgets and reduced spending in a tough economy without raising taxes or skimping on services. We laid a great foundation during
my first term, but there is so much left to do. In many ways the challeng- es that lie before us in the next term are the same ones we faced in the first. Like any leader, I have made my share of mistakes, and I’ve learned some valuable lessons. You have my promise that I will continue these ag- gressive reforms with a more in- clusive approach and an even greater urgency to deliver for our residents. What I will never do is go back to the ways of the past. The great pace of improvement that we have begun must continue.
The writer is mayor of the District. NIKKI KAHN/THE WASHINGTON POST
And they want a leader who will en- gage the community in a collaborative way, helping to unite us as “one city.” Our residents deserve better and
will have better leadership under a Gray administration. I led the fight on the D.C. Council to bring school reform to the District. I recognized then, just as I do now, that sustainable, aggressive reform is abso- lutely necessary to prepare our chil- dren for success. In a Gray administra- tion, aggressive reform will continue, and I will support a strong chancellor to guide that effort. But reform cannot be tied to one person. And we need more than just mayoral control. We need mayoral leadership. Further, reform cannot begin and end with kindergarten through 12th grade in our public school system. Un- der a Gray administration, there will be a more holistic approach to educa- tion from birth through college. This includes not only continued and sus- tainable school reform for our K-12 system, but an increased focus on ear- ly-childhood education and support for the University of the District of Co- lumbia and the new Community Col- lege of the District of Columbia.
We’ll also make sure to provide for the educational needs of all of our children. That means creating parity for charter school students, stopping the neglect of special-education stu- dents, and investing in vocational and career education in public schools. When I am mayor, residents can ex- pect a collaborative approach to re- form, so all stakeholders have a seat at the table. That way, reform can be in- stitutionalized and embraced. Over the next four years, we also need to focus on economic devel- opment in a whole new way. Un- employment in the District is at an all- time high, rising to 30 percent in some communities. We don’t need just a se- ries of unrelated development proj- ects — we need a comprehensive eco- nomic development plan. In my plan, we will not only focus on vocational and higher education to help prepare our workforce but also on job training and readiness in emerging fields such as green technology, transportation and construction. We’ll give small businesses the support they deserve and create a more business-friendly environment. We’ll refocus our efforts on key areas such as the District’s cre- ative, tourism and hospitality indus- tries. We’ll work to connect transpor- tation and infrastructure with com- munities that need them. And we’ll enforce the law that says companies that are awarded District contracts are required to hire District residents. In my administration we will get Dis- trict residents back to work. We also need to help families feel safer in their communities. While some crime statistics nationally are trending down, robberies, sexual as- saults and auto thefts are up in some parts of the city. Under a Gray admin- istration, public safety officials will be given the support to better protect our neighborhoods and communities. As mayor, I will give our officers the tools they need to improve community po- licing and create incentives for our first responders to live in the District so they are truly invested in the securi- ty of our neighborhoods. We’ll reform our emergency medical services to help them respond better to citizens’ needs. And we’ll focus on rehabilita- tive services to better prepare ex- offenders to re-enter society. Finally, we need to change the way
Your endorsement
The Post’s editorial board has had its say in the Democratic primary for D.C. mayor. Now it’s your turn. Make the case for your candidate in 200 words or fewer, and e-mail it to
letters@washpost.com with “My Endorsement” in the subject line.
Please include a day and eve-
ning phone number (not for publication) and a note describ- ing any connection you have to any of the candidates, their campaigns or D.C. politics in general. We’ll publish a collection of the submissions on the Sept. 5 Local Opinions page, as well as on the All Opinions Are Local blog, at voices.washingtonpost. com/local-opinions/.
the mayor’s office operates. There have been too many instances of mis- management and cronyism over the past four years. Every day seems to bring another story about overspend- ing in city programs, depletion of the District’s rainy-day fund, hundreds of cases of lost DNA evidence, or secrecy and lack of transparency, such as $82 million in contracts being steered to the mayor’s fraternity brothers with- out council approval. My administra- tion will make the fiscally responsible decisions necessary to keep the city on budget, restore transparency to the mayor’s office and put an end to the pay-to-play politics that are rampant in the Fenty administration. By working together, bringing a ho- listic and collaborative approach to our challenges, and restoring the pub- lic’s trust in the mayor’s office, we truly can help create “one city” in the Dis- trict of Columbia.
The writer is chairman of the D.C. Council.
R
C5
PETER STROUD An ill-fitting new home for the National Zoo’s elephants I visited the National Zoo for the
first time on a cold and rainy after- noon last fall. For more than 15 years, I have been deeply engaged with questions about captive ele- phant welfare, so I was particularly interested to see how the Smithso- nian Institution had spent a colos- sal $50 million on Elephant Trails, the new home for its elephants set to open in early September. Since that visit, I have continued to follow the work on Elephant Trails. As a former zoo curator and director, I know that zoo devel- opment projects are complex and time-consuming, with many com- peting issues to balance. There are engineering and design challenges, visitor needs to be accounted for, restrictions imposed by the land- scape and climate, and, of course,
the welfare of the animals to con- sider. The needs of wild animals in zoos can be hard to define, but there are a few basic rules. Top of the list is checking carefully the key aspects of a creature’s life in the wild. What does it do with its days and nights? How far does it move and why? How does it interact with others of its kind? Generally speaking, this sort of accounting works well, and many zoo programs create conditions and routines for animals that are broadly analogous to life in the wild. But the bigger the animal, the more difficult this becomes, espe- cially where space is limited, the terrain difficult and the way of life of the species so complex that it is almost impossible to simulate.
Take, for instance, elephants at the National Zoo.
Elephants need space. Zoo peo- ple will often say it’s the quality of the space that matters, and indeed it is — to a point. Why, then, is the Elephant Trails landscape so un- imaginative? There are sweeping green lawns and a shallow-looking pool, but little shade or shelter. The exhibit looks more like a golf course than an elephant habitat. There is nothing to engage or chal- lenge an elephant. Elephants need exercise. There
is what the zoo calls an Exercise Trek — a there-and-back route up a hill — but it seems to be designed for elephants to be walked, circus- style, up and down, under the con- trol of a handler. Elephants have soft feet and should never be made
to walk any distance on concrete or asphalt, but the route is paved. Elephants like to dust-bathe and wallow in mud. They like to dig and clamber about, and they like to rest against mounds of soft earth. Where are the piles of loose earth and sand? Where are the scratch- ing posts? Where is the varied ter- rain, the boulders and logs and mud wallows? Why all this close- cropped green grass that will be worn away in mere days by pachy- derm feet? There are some good aspects to
the exhibit. It provides more room for the elephants than they had previously, always a good thing. The surroundings will be lush and green in spring and summer. But the things that are wrong are glaring if you consider how wild el-
ephants live and how elephants could live in captivity. Fortunately, some of what I have listed above is fixable. Harder to address are the prob- lems for zoo visitors. It’s generally accepted by zoo designers that it’s a bad idea to place the viewer high above the animals. Visitors feel dis- connected; the animals look small and remote. Better to put the view- er close up, at or below animal eye level, to create a sense of immediate engagement. This works better for the animals, too. Few species feel comfortable with activity going on above their heads. Why, then, is one of the principal
viewing points for the new exhibit a bridge soaring high above the ele- phant paddocks? It’s hard to think of a better way to make an elephant
look insignificant, an odd approach to showcasing one of nature’s most spectacular creatures. The Smithsonian Institution de- clares that it exists for the “increase and diffusion of knowledge.” It seems strange, then, that an ele- phant exhibit has been created that fails to account for what sound sci- ence tells us about elephants and their needs. It’s as if a lot of pub- lished knowledge has been ignored. Unless improvements are made, El- ephant Trails will fail to convey any real sense of what an elephant is.
The writer, a zoological consultant based in Melbourne, Australia, is a member of the Asian Elephant Specialist Group of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources.
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