DC Government

Photo by PoPville flickr user A. Drauglis

From a press release:

“Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development Victor L. Hoskins today announced the appointment of Rosalynn Hughey to serve as interim Director of the D.C. Office of Planning (OP), effective Monday, February 24, 2014. A search is underway to replace Harriet Tregoning, who resigned as Director to join the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. Tregoning’s last day is Friday, February 21, 2014.

“The Mayor and I thank Harriet for her commitment and forward-thinking approach to making the District of Columbia one of the most sustainable cities in the nation. We wish her much success in her new role,” said Deputy Mayor Hoskins. “Rosalynn has proven to be exemplary in serving as Harriet’s deputy director and will carry on the Mayor’s vision while our search for a new director continues.”

Hughey has over 25 years’ experience in urban planning and joined the Office of Planning in 2000 as the Neighborhood Planning Coordinator for Ward 4. In 2004, she was promoted to Associate Director for Neighborhood Planning and in 2007 became Deputy Director for Citywide and Neighborhood Planning. Prior to joining OP, Hughey served in the Office of the County Executive in Prince George’s County, Maryland, coordinating the County’s community revitalization program for “inner-Beltway” neighborhoods; she also worked in the County’s Planning Department. She earned her bachelor’s degree in Urban Studies from the University of Maryland at College Park.”

Photo by PoPville flickr user JoshBassett|PHOTOGRAPHY

From the Mayor’s Office:

“Mayor Vincent C. Gray and the District Department of Transportation (DDOT) announced today that the District has reacted to an exceptionally cold winter by filling more than 5,700 potholes throughout the city in 2014. District residents and commuters are encouraged to continue reporting potholes to guide DDOT crews as they continue filling potholes, weather permitting.

In January, DDOT worked to fill 3,213 potholes, with more than 2,500 potholes addressed in February. DDOT’s response to pothole-related service requests has been swift; the agency boasts a three-day turnaround time for filling potholes after they have been reported, leading the way among transportation departments in the Washington metropolitan region.

This year’s Potholepalooza will start in mid-to-late March, when ground temperatures are consistently above freezing. As part of this campaign, DDOT will add extra crews to fill potholes and aims to repair identified locations within 48 hours (the normal response time is within 72 hours).

How to report a pothole

Residents and commuters can notify DDOT in a variety of ways:

1.     Call the Mayor’s Call Center at 311;

2.     Use the Online Service Request Center at 311.dc.gov;

3.     Use the District’s new DC311 smartphone application.

Those who report potholes should identify the precise location, including the correct quadrant (NW, NE, SW or SE) of the District, and provide as much detail as possible about the hazard (including the approximate size and depth of the pothole).

DDOT crews will also be out and about proactively identifying potholes.”

Photo by PoPville flickr user sarahriceNC

In a series of tweets ‏@OPinDC writes:

“Director Harriet Tregoning to resign effective Feb. 23 to join the Obama Administration & U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.

Director Tregoning: “Thank you @MayorVinceGray for the tremendous honor and privilege of being the Director of the DC Office of Planning.”

Director Tregoning: “I could not be prouder of the progress the city has made.” @HTinWDC

Director Tregoning: “I am so grateful to have had the opportunity to serve the citizens of DC. This has been the best job ever.” @HTinWDC”

DCist recapped her experience before coming to the Office of Planning:

“Tregoning was appointed by then Mayor Adrian Fenty in 2007 and retained by Mayor Vincent Gray, who has defended her in the face of criticism to the Height Act changes her office proposed. She was previously the director of the Governors’ Institute on Community Design and co-founded the Smart Growth Leadership Institute.”

Looking forward to hearing who Mayor Gray nominates for a replacement.

Photo by PoPville flickr user elleno1975

From the Mayor’s Office:

“Mayor Vincent C. Gray today welcomed new figures from the Federal Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) that indicate that the District’s unemployment rate for December dropped to 8.1 percent, a decrease of 0.5 percentage points from the November rate of 8.6 percent. The figure is the lowest unemployment rate the District has seen since December of 2008.

The latest figures also show that the wards of the District that historically have had the highest unemployment rates saw major decreases from the previous month. Rates in Wards 5, 7, and 8 decreased by 0.5, 0.6, and 0.8 percentage points from November 2013, respectively. The figures continue a trend of significant decreases in the unemployment rate in those wards since Mayor Gray took office.

“I am pleased to see that our efforts to get District residents – and particularly those in the hard-hit East End of our city – back to work continue to bear significant fruit,” said Mayor Gray. “Nonetheless, we still have a long way to go to ensure that everyone in the District who wants to work can find a good job with a good wage, and I will continue to work hard at reaching that goal.”

Highlights of the District’s December unemployment figures include (more…)

@ColinHauck tweets us:

“The alley b/w Meridian & Oak. Haven’t had trash pickup in 2 weeks. Is there a strike I’m not aware of?”

I’m guessing it’s weather related, are others having pile ups like this?

From the Mayor’s office:

“Mayor Vincent C. Gray today joined Council Chairman Phil Mendelson in signing the Minimum Wage Amendment Act of 2013 into law. The bill increases the minimum wage for all District workers to $9.50 per hour starting in July of 2014, and includes provisions that will further increase the wage in the future.

“Last year, I vetoed the Large Retailer Accountability Act in part because it would only raise the minimum wage for a small percentage of the District’s workers. I said at the time that I supported an across-the-board wage hike. Today, I’m pleased to sign the Minimum Wage Amendment Act because it does just that,” said Mayor Gray. “A bill that raises the minimum wage for all is a much better vehicle for ensuring that all District residents who work hard earn a decent living.”

Mayor Gray also expressed hope that the law could be refined following the results of an Urban Institute study that he commissioned on how best to raise the District’s minimum wage without precipitating a negative impact on the city’s strong growth in private-sector jobs.”

Photo by PoPville flickr user Mr. T in DC

From a press release:

“Today, the District Department of the Environment (DDOE) released the results of recent surveys measuring opinions about the Anacostia River Cleanup and Protection Act of 2009 (the Bag Law) and its impact on disposable bag use among residents, businesses, and bag distributors in the District.

According to the surveys, which were conducted by an independent research firm and funded with fees collected under the Bag Law, eighty percent of District residents have reduced their disposable bag use. Among these, average District resident household use declined from 10 to 4 disposable bags per week. Reinforcing this finding, seventy-nine percent of businesses report that their customers are using fewer disposable bags, with a fifty percent median reduction in bags used.

The surveys also found that the majority of residents and businesses have accepted the Bag Law, with fifty-three percent of residents and sixty-three percent of businesses having strong support of it. Only sixteen percent of residents and 8% of businesses expressed concerns about the law, and the remaining residents and businesses have no feelings about it either way. Additionally, fifty percent of businesses reported saving money as a result of the Bag Law.

“This survey data confirms the significant progress the District is making toward reducing plastic bag litter and restoring health to the Anacostia and Potomac Rivers and their tributaries,” said Keith A. Anderson, Director of DDOE. “I am pleased that the Bag Law has reduced disposable bag use and garnered public support, while also saving money for many businesses.”

Since January 1, 2010, businesses selling food or alcohol in the District are required to charge customers a five-cent fee for each disposable bag. The fee is intended to be an economic incentive to spur behavioral change. The goal is to reduce a common source of litter (plastic bags) in District waterways by reducing the amount of disposable bags that people use.

Among the other findings, two-thirds of residents and businesses reported that they now see fewer bags as litter around their neighborhoods and properties. The reduction in plastic bag litter is benefitting all parts of the District with significant reductions (greater than sixty percent) across all eight wards.

The surveys were developed and conducted by Opinion Works, in partnership with the Alice Ferguson Foundation and the Anacostia Watershed Society. DDOE provided a grant for the project, funded by fees collected under the Bag Law. For more information on the District’s litter and trash reduction efforts and the District’s Bag Law, visit http://ddoe.dc.gov/bags.”