ABCDE METRO thursday, september 9, 2010
POSTLOCAL.com 66, 9 a.m. 74, noon 77, 5 p.m. 69, 9 p.m.
Obituaries Edward M. Swartz, 76, a lawyer and consumer-safety activist who took on the toy industry with his annual list of the top 10 most dangerous playthings, was known as the “Nader of the Nursery.” B7
Ready for the weekend Going Out Guide staff will be online at 1 p.m. Thursday to help you plan.
JOHN KELLY’S WASHINGTON
A winning card September is Library Card Sign-up Month. A visit to Alexandria’s stacks found that many still prize their borrowing privileges. B2
In Md., civil debate gives way to civil war State senators face
attempted upheaval from within delegation
by John Wagner
In her bid to win a second term, Maryland Sen. Nancy J. King has traded views with her primary challenger on gay mar- riage, corporate taxes and other
JOHN W. KLUGE, 95
Philanthropist created
Metromedia conglomerate
by Terence McArdle
John W. Kluge, 95, a self-made billionaire who became one of the leading entrepreneurs of his gen- eration and a major benefactor of the Library of Congress and Co- lumbia University, died Tuesday at his home near Charlottesville. His death was confirmed by
the University of Virginia, which was also a major recipient of his largess. No cause of death was re- ported. Mr. Kluge said he accumulated more than 200 companies in his lifetime, including seven televi- sion stations he sold to Rupert Murdoch in the mid-1980s, form- ing the foundation of the Austral- ian-born media owner’s Fox net- work. The stations were part of Mr.
Kluge’s Metromedia telecommu- nications conglomerate, which at various times counted
Mr. Kluge took Metromedia private in 1984.
among its holdings the Ice Capades, the Harlem Globetrotters, Playbill maga- zine and a billboard ad- vertising com- pany. Publicity
shy for much
of his career, Mr. Kluge quietly began accumulating radio sta- tions with his Army discharge money after World War II while making a small fortune as a Balti- more-based food broker. In 1959, he bought the rem- nants of the old DuMont televi- sion and radio network. That be- came Metromedia, which he grew into the nation’s largest in- dependent television business. Metromedia stations relied on a mix of local programs, old mov- ies and syndicated reruns that of- ten ran counter to what the big three network affiliates had in the same time slot. Mr. Kluge be- lieved that if the networks had an 80 percent share in a major mar- ket, 20 percent of the market wanted to watch something else. Mr. Kluge’s most daring
achievement was taking Metro- media private in 1984 because he was dissatisfied with its stock price. At the time, he owned 25 percent of the company and borrowed more than $1.3 billion to buy out the other public share- holders. Under the deal, he was required to break up the con- glomerate to pay off the loans. According to U.S. News &
World Report magazine, Mr. Kluge was among the first chief executives to finance his deal us- ing the leveraged-buyout tech- nique — in essence, buying the controlling shares on credit. He worked closely with Drexel Burnham Lambert’s Michael Mil- ken, a specialist in the high-risk, high-yield securities known as junk bonds. If interest rates had risen substantially, Mr. Kluge might have been unable to make the payments.
kluge continued on B7
“The public deserves to have this property in a productive capacity.” — Adrian Gardner, Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission general counsel
issues one would expect to get a full airing in a county that prides itself on high-minded discourse. But the dominant image on
King’s recent campaign mailers is more telling: It’s a photo of her opponent, Del. Saqib Ali, sacked out on a couch in the State House. King (D-Montgomery) has also launched a Web site to try to further embarrass Ali, with whom she shares a legislative district. It features a few dozen of his more colorful Facebook post-
ings, including one in which Ali shares a “man crush” on actor Ja- son Bateman. The contest may be among the more spirited this year in Mary- land. But it’s hardly the only one in which civil debate has been re- placed by civil war. In eight pri- maries that will be settled Tues- day — including four in Mont- gomery — incumbent state senators are being challenged by current or former delegates from their district. And most of these
VIRGINIA
Still on display Loudoun County board upholds policy allowing unattended displays on public grounds. B6
Local Living: Your voting guide to Tuesday’s elections.
INSIDE TODAY’S PAPER
races haven’t been pretty. In another Montgomery con- test, the incumbent Democrat is highlighting gifts that her oppo- nent received years ago from an Annapolis lobbyist she dated. A 2007 family vacation to China that caused a challenger to miss some tough votes has become central to a third race. And in a fourth, the incum- bent, Michael G. Lenett, has cre- ated a Web site that alleges his challenger, Del. Roger Manno,
The Montgomery County feud drawing the most attention is in District 39 between Sen. Nancy J. King and Del. Saqib Ali.
has “covered up” parts of his past, including his and his wife’s ties to Wall Street and a name
primary continued on B6
Critics say proposed fees may be hard sell in Va.
by Anita Kumar and Rosalind S. Helderman
richmond — As Virginia Gov. Robert F. McDonnell unveiled his signature proposal to privatize the state’s 76-year monopoly on the sale of distilled spirits Wednesday, he presented the plan as a fulfillment of a cam- paign promise to find money for transportation without raising taxes.
PHOTOS BY NIKKI KAHN/THE WASHINGTON POST Glenn Dale Hospital, a former tuberculosis sanatorium and facility for the chronically ill once owned by the District, opened in 1934. For sale: Glenn Dale — ‘as is’ Prince George’s hospital closed in 1980s has generated little interest from buyers
by Ovetta Wiggins Glenn Dale Hospital, a once-
stately facility of Georgian and Colonial Revival-style brick buildings that served as a tuber- culosis sanatorium and later a hospital for the District’s chron- ically ill, is up for sale. The Maryland-National Cap-
ital Park and Planning Commis- sion, which owns the 210-acre site about 15 miles from the Dis- trict line in rural Prince George’s County, wants to sell to the highest bidder the 60 acres that make up the 76-year-old hospital campus.
Final bids must be received
by Tuesday, and bidders must meet requirements for the com- plex’s reuse. Chuck Montrie, the park planning supervisor for the county Department of Parks and Recreation, which oversees the property, said the commis- sion made a national appeal for bids in June.
But there has been little in- terest in the crumbling, vacant property, which consists of about 22 buildings, including a five-story
adult hospital, a
three-story children’s hospital and a number of smaller build- ings, he said. “I have not gotten one call, and given the recession, I’m not sure if I will get too many, if any, serious bids,” Montrie said. “My fear is that it won’t get any bids.”
Residents of the Glenn Dale neighborhood are asking why the commission placed the hos- pital on the market, given the economic downturn that has stalled developments and hin- dered sales of residential and commercial properties. “It seems a strange time to be seeking a bid,” said Mary Von- drak, a Glenn Dale resident. Some residents said the
Broken windows, overgrown vegetation and peeling paint await the buyer of this fixer-upper, which by law must be used as a continuing care retirement community if sold.
Sept. 14 deadline — primary Election Day — gave them pause. They said they worry that the property is being sold in the waning days of an admin- istration that has been criti- cized over deals involving coun- ty-owned land. According to a Washington Post investigation in 2008, millions of dollars in development deals went to friends, business partners and campaign contributors of Coun- ty Executive Jack B. Johnson (D), many of whom had little development experience and got land at cut-rate prices. Adrian Gardner, general counsel for the commission, said the timing “was unrelated to any political issue,” but rath- er the June 8 issuing of the so- licitation came after legal talks with the District, the former owner of the property, regard- ing covenants in the deed. If the commission receives more than it cost to buy and maintain the hospital, the District would share in the proceeds of the sale. “The public deserves to have this property in a productive ca- pacity of some sort, and right now all this property is doing is consuming taxpayer resources to maintain it,” Gardner said. If the grounds are sold, the hospital campus is supposed to be used as a continuing care re- tirement community, according to a 1994 state law. The rest of the land is meant to be open space dedicated to parks and recreation. “We’re concerned that the spirit of the law and the desires of the community will not be enforced,” said Lillian Becker, a Glenn Dale resident, who said she did not know until recently about the recent push to sell the property. Becker and other neighbors said a continuing
hospital continued on B6
But if he wants to win approval for his plan, McDonnell (R) will have do more to convince legisla- tors, including some skeptical members of his own party, that the package of new fees — includ- ing a 2.5 percent tax on restau- rants and bars that choose to buy liquor directly from wholesalers instead of retailers — does not represent tax increases. McDonnell said his plan, which will provide a one-time windfall of $458 million for transportation and then recur- ring revenue of $229 million a year, will not result in more an- nual money for the state than the current government monopoly. “It’s not a tax increase, and peo- ple who say that are simply mis- representing the facts,” McDon- nell told reporters at a news con- ference at the state Capitol. “It’s obviously a new point of collec-
liquor continued on B5
McDonnell unveils plan to privatize liquor sales
‘IT’S NOT A TAX INCREASE’
B DC MD VA S
ROBERT McCARTNEY
Gray has made the most of the right moves
o succeed in politics (or most anything else), you’ve got to be lucky or smart. In positioning himself as the front- runner to become the District’s next mayor, Vince Gray has been both. Gray has been fortunate be- cause the incumbent, Adrian Fen- ty, has suffered a self-inflicted po- litical meltdown — mainly by ne- glecting to preserve good relations with the District’s Afri- can American majority. But it wasn’t all happenstance. Although his political skills are often overlooked, Gray has adept- ly navigated some treacherous reefs. He has minimized potential problems over some of the big- gest personalities in D.C. politics, notably former mayor Marion Barry and Schools Chancellor Mi- chelle Rhee, and over controver- sial issues such as same-sex mar- riage. He also used a string of quick endorsements and surprise victo- ries in early straw polls to build momentum despite an enormous disadvantage in funding. Gray, chairman of the D.C. Council, hasn’t won yet, but re- cent polls show him with a large lead over Fenty heading in to Tuesday’s Democratic primary. Victory there generally ensures
T mccartney continued on B4
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92 |
Page 93 |
Page 94 |
Page 95 |
Page 96 |
Page 97 |
Page 98