Washingtonpost.com: Live Online

Potomac Confidential fills the midday lull with discussion of the latest news and a rigorous slicing and dicing of the issues that define who we are and where we live.

In his weekly show, Washington Post Metro columnist Marc Fisher veers wildly from serious probing to silly prattle, and is open to topics local, national, personal and more.

The transcript follows.

Editor's Note: Washingtonpost.com moderators retain editorial control over Live Online discussions and choose the most relevant questions for guests and hosts; guests and hosts can decline to answer questions.

Marc Fisher: Welcome aboard, folks, as Potomac Confidential offers up a cooling breeze of chatter on a sticky summer's day. Blowdarts are flying through the Washington air, race cars are about to zoom around our new taxpayer-funded Grand Prix track, and our Wisconsin Avenue bombing looks like it may have been a family affair. The column has focused on politics since we last met--the Shriver-Van Hollen congressional race in Montgomery County on Tuesday, and today's piece on the campaign woes of Mayor Williams.
Your thoughts and questions start RIGHT NOW...

Capitol Hill, Washington, D.C.: I've not been a big Tony Williams supporter in the past, but this broohaha over the phony petition signatures has me fighting for the mayor. Come on! I bet if you looked at all the other petitions that get circulated for candidates, you'll find the exact same thing. This is a red herring issue meant to embarrass the mayor. It's a stupid system anyway. The mayor is doing a terrific job, considering what he inherited from Marion Barry. If this is all the press and the whiners can find on him, it's a great day to be a Washingtonian.

Marc Fisher: The mayor realizes that despite all these political embarrassments, he has a lock on reelection and a deep reservoir of support from large portions of the city.
But he also knows that the drip-drip-drip of small scandals and management foul-ups are eroding the good feelings that have surrounded his administration from the start. The petition flap may seem minor, but in fact, if you buy the notion that how someone runs his campaign is a good indicator of how he will govern, this is not a good signal. Williams has had persistent problems with hiring quality department heads, and that applies to his campaign executives too.

Vienna, Va.: Why so much bashing of poor Mayor Williams in the press lately? Hey, I'm a conservative Republican, not a Democrat like him, and I'm not going to go out of my way to agree with or support everything he says (especially for DC statehood), but the fact is that he has tried to run an honest administration and start to rebuild a city that was almost ruined by that crack-smoking moron he replaced. Does anybody in their right minds (outside of maybe a few people in Wards 7 and 8) truly want to go back to Marion Barry and the D.C. of 15 years ago? I hope not.
Yes, anyone can make mistakes. Hiring Chief Few was one of them...he has acknowledged that, and it is obvious he is going to fire Chief Few if he does not leave voluntarity. Yes, his campaign may have stretched the signature-signing laws a little, but that was not necessarily the Mayor's fault...there is no evidence he knew about this or condoned it, and those responsible are out of a job.....Williams does not put up with corruption, even in his own campaign. C'mon, people...let's give the guy a break. If you don't want him back in office for whatever reason, OK, vote your conscience, but he DID try to be an honest Mayor.

Marc Fisher: You're absolutely right that Williams is a straight guy, and the public perception of him as a real Boy Scout is a large part of the explanation for his popularity. The He's Not Marion Factor remains one of his greatest assets. But this latest problem goes well beyond "stretching the signature signing laws a little." This appears to have been wholesale fraud, and it was totally unnecessary. Williams could easily have gotten the signatures he needed if only he'd had it done by legitimate volunteers or by honest hires.

Rockville, Md.: Marc: Are you surprised at the turn of events in the Williams campaign? It seems that the reins of power were too much for his staff and the mayor to handle. Now, not only will he have to run as an independent, but there is the real possibility that he will not win. In addition to falsifying names on the petitions, he seems to be focused on making Washington a sports town beyond its means. Come on. Grand Prix?

Marc Fisher: No, there's no possibility that he won't win. He'll either win the challenge and be the Democratic candidate, or he'll run as an independent in the fall and win handily.
I can't say I was terribly surprised given the long roster of previous problems involving mayoral hires who had faked resumes or who turned out to be ethically challenged. There is clearly a problems with lack of supervision and with hiring people for reasons other than competence. This is a mayor whose lack of political experience hits him in exactly the area where he is supposed to have the most strength--management.

Frustrated in D.C. Metro Area: Marc,

My husband and I each work two professional jobs. We make a pretty good middle class living, albeit on the lower end of the middle class scale.

We are having major difficulty finding any sort of good, affordable housing in the area. We certainly have our preferences on where we'd like to live, but understand that certain neighborhoods are completely out of the realm of what we want. But a simple small house, with a little yard and close-in is appearing to be out of our reach. This leaves us to look out to the far-reaching suburbs, but due to stress/time constraints and health of the environment/traffic, we don't want to have a 30+ mile commute each day.

I just don't understand where people end up living. There doesn't seem to be anything affordable around.

Thanks for the vent.

Marc Fisher: You're right, of course. There is precious little affordable housing in this region. And that's what drives the inexorable sprawl. There are only two places where people of modest means can move--to the outer edge of development, where land is cheaper, or to inner-city and inside the Beltway neighborhoods that are on the edge of economic change. You can be an agent of sprawl or an agent of gentrification. As much as some folks like to paint gentrifyers as evildoers, it makes much more sense to choose close-in communities than to commit yourself to hours-long commutes. But to expect land values to reverse themselves in this area's affluent areas is simply unrealistic.

Washington, D.C.: Hi Marc, I was wondering if you saw the story about the D.C. Council at the last minute giving themselves the same parking privileges as Congress. I'm not really against them having some privilages, I just find it really dismaying that they would do this at the last minute and attach it as an ammendment to an unrelated bill. It seems they've had to learn just how good the parking cops are at their jobs and they don't like it.

Marc Fisher: That was indeed an outrage. Just because congressmen act like imperious goons doesn't mean that local officials should mimic them. The council is a part time job. Sure, they have meetings around town. Let them take Metro or a taxi. Or if they must drive, let them fend for themselves along with the rest of us. But never underestimate the grandiose thinking of elected officials.

Georgetown, Washington, D.C.: Why has there been so little reaction to the City Council exempting themselves from parking tickets? I, for one, am outraged -- most of all at the quotes from some Council members that the importance of their work justified the exemption. What about the time and money extracted from hard-working citizens who are forced to deal with the pink-ticket platoons, the DMV or K Street adjudication? I suspect the Council wants to be exempt because members of Congress are. What they don't realize is that wrong-headed actions like this are the reason lots of us are glad they'll never get to Congress themselves.

Marc Fisher: Alas, there's been little outpouring of outrage because many people expect nothing but this sort of self-serving behavior from politicians. It would at least be nice if a couple of council members made a public show of refusing this privilege by declining to mark their vehicles as Council Member cars.

Washington, D.C.: Marc,

Thanks for taking on the system last week in your column about the all-star game.

I think you are right that this is more than just baseball, and that the few, super-rich, powerful folks who generally run things had better wake up soon to the growing disatisfaction the majority of us feel when dealing with their companies, products, services, teams, and pricing.

The sad thing is, I can almost hear these arrogant tycoons telling the laid off workers or lowly customers to "let them eat cake."

How's this for a solution? When big companies lay off thousands (or a ball game is rigged) the CEO's (owner's) mansion address is given out to everyone with pink slips (ticket refunds), inviting them to come stay for a while.

Could we sit down and talk some common sense into them?

Marc Fisher: It's a lovely idea, except that Americans very rarely rise up in that sort of indignant response to their superiors, whether they be corporate or political overlords. This has become an even less class conscious society than it's been throughout our history, and much of that stems from the deep belief that any of us could rise to become one of those arrogant tycoons someday. That may not be the case for many Americans, but it's believed by enough people to keep the social peace.

Downtown D.C.: So what the hell is up with all these darts?

By the way, I loved the serious radio story that first introduced me to the dart business. It was some brief thing ripped off of AP that included the sentence, "The darts were tested for chemicals and none were found." In other words, you don't have to worry about quirari or the Bushmen of Rock Creek.

Marc Fisher: Yes, there was in the initial reporting just a hint of the terrorism fear that pops up so quickly nowadays. But I've not heard any good theories on this--no reporting as yet on the nature of the victims. Is this dartblower targeting any particular kind of people--by age, sex, race? Why darts?

Princeton, N.J.: Hey Marc, Sue here. What's up with these blow-dart attacks? Are people making these kinds of weapons? Are they purchased somewhere? Is this some new hobby? And, when I come to D.C. next week, should I bring a shield?

Marc Fisher: No shield necessary. This appears to be a lone actor, after all, hardly an epidemic. But it is odd. Blowdarts turn out to be legal and widely available in stores. They've been around for many years, and like any other activity you could imagine, they have an avid following of hobbyists.

Glover Park, Washington, D.C.: So let me get this straight: The District's libraries are short almost $1 million and are going to have to cut hours, but the District can afford $5 million for an auto race that nobody seems to want?

Why can't somebody run against Williams?

Marc Fisher: That exact question was posed to the mayor at his briefing this week: How can he justify closing all libraries on evenings and weekends when the city is dumping wheelbarrows towering with cash onto the promoters of this car race? Williams' response was to say that cities always give upfront money to events that they believe will bring a good return for the city, and that one can always say that you should have spent X money on Y instead.
I think the mayor is right to push the city as a sports venue; the MCI Center has, just as predicted, turned out to be a terrific spur to the development of retail, nightlife and office and other businesses in the 7th Street corridor, and the extension of downtown has been good for the entire city. Baseball in downtown DC would be an even bigger and better boost. But there is no such history of economic boon from anything out at RFK; it's an isolated site that has no capacity to provide the economic extension that sports crowds can bring.
And the decision to shutter libraries at exactly the times when kids and families need them the most is simply outrageous and unacceptable, and Williams has to know that.

Farther Out Than The Beltway: I'm not expecting land values to change, although I do think the rapid rise is bound to slow eventually.

I'm just incredibly surprised by the costs of houses around here. Even tiny little places fetch a couple of hundred thousand dollars.

I simply don't understand how people who move to Frederick, Md. or Prince William, Va. can be deemed bad, car-loving people if that's their only option. I would love to be able to live in Arlington or Silver Spring -- but I can't afford it.

Marc Fisher: Quite true, although the Post's real estate section a couple of Saturdays ago had an interesting piece about close-in neighborhoods that are still relatively affordable. The question for many people is what they are willing to accept in a place to live. Those who insist on the big yard and all the trimmings will indeed end up on the edge of sprawl. Those who see benefit in smaller houses in communities with traditions of neighborhood activities may choose to look closer in.

For frustrated in D.C: You didn't say if work is Metro accessible, but even if it isn't, I recommend Cheverly.

It is a great little neighborhood in Maryland just outside the city, and you could walk or take the bus to the Metrorail station. And, so far, Cheverly is still affordable.

Marc Fisher: There's one--and there are others too.

Re: The Revolution: I, too, thought you were on to something with the baseball piece. I think there are many ordinary folk that would take to the streets, if they were given permission by someone the trusted. Your article made the point that this is epidemic, across the boards, infecting all aspects of life. Too often, I feel, people are waiting to be told what to do. A you point out, one day we might decide that we want to do something else.

Just name the time and place, and I'll be there with a bunch of friends, Marc. The great thing about Democracy is that it is up to us to keep fighting for what is right.

Marc Fisher: Thanks. I don't know that any revolution will come out of our current predicament, but our country has a firm history of cycling through periods of excess followed by periods of reform, and it sure looks like we're finishing up one such binge and heading into the reform side.

Beltsville, Md.: Re: Darts

I don't know if the criminal is doing it intentionally or not, but all of the victims, except one, have been male.

Marc Fisher: Interesting. Perhaps meaningless, but who knows.

La Plata, Md.: Marc, I haven't heard much about them, but the pictures of these darts look imposing. Some of the tips are over 4 inches long. I'm guessing whoever is shooting them is not very good at it. Everyone has been OK thus far, but having something driven 4 inches into you could really do some damage if it hit the right part.

Marc Fisher: Keep in mind that the shooter is likely in motion while launching his darts. They are very scary looking weapons.

D.C.: Mr. Fisher,

I am so furious about the closing of D.C. libraries at night and on Saturdays. It's an absolute outrage! When is anyone who works supposed to be able to use the system?? It makes me ashamed of my city that we are killing our libraries like this. Honestly, what could one concerned citizen do to protest this?

Thanks for your time.

Marc Fisher: Unfortunately, the Friends of the Library groups around town range from dormant to parochial. This is a library system that has been so bad for so long that its natural constituency has to too great an extent long since given up on it. Library board member Phil Pannell, who has a great flair for the dramatic, proposed that instead of closing the branches nights and weekends, they should just shut down the upper Northwest libraries entirely--on the theory that only that move would generate enough outrage to force the city to reopen all the libraries. He certainly had a point there. I'd love to see the library board take a stand on something like that, but instead they meekly agreed to take their system deeper into irrelevance.

Beltsville, Md.: I saw a lot of coverage in some local newspapers about a poll that came out a week or two ago on the Maryland Gov. race. Townsend's "Favorable" rating had gone down and her "Unfavorabe" was up. Her lead over Ehrlich went from 15 points to 7.

I didn't see much of anything about this in the Post. I found it to be very interesting, and surprising in such a Democrat-focused state.

Thoughts?

Marc Fisher: I've seen those numbers and I don't have a sense of how dependable that poll is, but in any event, it deserves a couple of caveats: At this very early stage in the campaign, most voters simply haven't tuned in, so your results may not mean much. And it makes sense to me that someone like Townsend would see her numbers drop now that the public is starting to see her as an independent agent, apart from the governor she's served for eight years.
Maryland is a very Democratic state in some ways--both Senators, the state legislature--but remember that the governor's races have been extremely close in recent years, and that Glendening won by winning only the Washington suburbs and Baltimore city. The GOP took every other bit of the state.

Takoma Park, Md.: For Frustrated: I bought my tiny 2-bedroom, bath and a half 900 square feet bungalow with quaint front porch in 1998 for a fluke bargain at $89,000 -- it did not show well. It is now worth over $200,000 (I did put a lot of work into it -- but it's still small). The point is, there are still small houses on nice lots available in Takoma Park, some under $200,000 and my friend just bought a house in College Park for $140,000!

Marc Fisher: Another close-in place for you to consider. You'll notice that almost all of the locations readers are offering are on the eastern side of the region--that's generally where the bargains are to be found. Here's more...

For frustrated: I'm wondering if these complainers are actually reading the real estate pages, or just going by what they hear. There are still enclaves in the city ... NEAR METRO ... with houses selling in the $200K area. Check out Brookland, Petworth, Ledroit Park, North Capitol Hill and see for yourself! some of these homes even have yards!

Marc Fisher: The real estate agents in town who watch these things say that the boom that Shaw has seen in the past few years is moving powerfully into LeDroit Park.

Loser City, Md.: Here's a tip for the people in the D.C. area who can't afford decent housing, even on good salaries: Baltimore. I know you bash us, but it's a great place to live.

About Major League Baseball: I hope the players set a strike date of Sept. 11. That way, they'll either realize how greedy their actions seem in light of that date, or else the public will be so disgusted that nobody will ever want them to come back from their strike. Thoughts?

Marc Fisher: I have a standing rule about places to live: If they have to advertise about what a wonderful place they are, stay away. Baltimore's pathetic attempts to get Washingtonians to move to their city certainly knocks Loser City down a few more notches.
But on baseball, you are a wise reader. If baseball has to have a dramatic showdown before it can fix its problems, they might as well go ahead and do it. But they'd better really get it done this time, because another compromise won't satisfy anyone. There are deep, core problems in baseball's structure, and even the players should be able to see that.

Washington, D.C.: Marc --

I was kind of disappointed by your answer on the housing questions. You usually can be counted on to cut to the heart of an issue. Housing issues are an area where people seem to suspend their reasoning capabilities, and so much of what is said makes no sense. Everyone is in favor of affordable housing -- in someone else's house. Have you ever heard a homeowner say, "Gee, I wish my house was less valuable, so it would be more affordable for the next buyer?" A neighborhood gentrifying may be seen as evil, to people who don't live in the neighborhood. I live in a neighborhood, Shaw, that is experiencing quickly rising housing prices, and it is impossible to find a single homeowner who is against it. Judging by the number of new cars and remodeling projects on my block, people seem to get over any concerns they have when it comes time to refinance.

Marc Fisher: I don't know why my answer disappointed you--I agree with every word of your post.

Rockville, MD: My wife and I made a concious decision to buy a small house near a suburban Metro station and to look for work in D.C. (better pay than suburbs generally) rather than continue the insanity of driving to work around here.

It seems like a lot of people only see the tip of the iceberg (lower home costs) when they make the huge decision on where to live, not seeing the costs that lurk below the surface, i.e. long commutes, cars that wear out very fast from all that driving, the angst from the unpredictable traffic tie-ups, etc.,etc.

We don't live in an upscale neighborhood or in a Kentlands-style planned community with a lot of amenities, but we enjoy having a lot less stress in our lives as a result.

Life is too short to spend it stewing in gridlock.

We all make our choices -- it's living with them that can be difficult.

Marc Fisher: Well said. I cannot tell you how many readers I hear from who moved into the city or some close-in neighborhood even though it meant a smaller house, and who now say they are happier than they'd been in many years. The gift of time is precious, and the ability to live without hearing or telling tales of horrific commutes seems to put a permanent smile on people's faces.

Silver Spring: Quite a summer here in DC, isn't it, Marc? Frankenfish -- dart attacks -- what's next?

Marc Fisher: Classic summer stories, and I'll take these terrors over the darker alternative any year.

Blowdarting is a hobby?: What is next as a "hobby" -- tripping the elderly or putting a stick in little kids' bicycle spokes as they ride by?
What kind of a hobby is it to assault people?
Good Grief!

Marc Fisher: The hobbyists don't target innocent people. They shoot at objects, safely away from any pedestrians. But it's certainly legit to ask whether these weapons should be legal and so easy to obtain.

Darts: I had some friend who were into blowdarts many, many years ago, and I'm surprised that there haven't been more serious injuries. Of course, the blower may not have much experience, and as you said, they apparently are in a moving car, but I know from experience that those things can strike with a great amount of force if used properly -- they ARE a hunting weapon, after all. During target practice, my friends could drive them pretty deep into the trunk of a tree. It's all technique.

Marc Fisher: Scary stuff. Silent and deadly.

A Tenleytown basement dweller: Re: the article on "affordable" neighborhoods

If I recall, that article considered "affordable" homes to be under $300k. If I lived in a lot of places I could buy a 4 bedroom, 3 bath house on a full 1/4 acre for about $150k. Instead, at that price I am looking at a small condo. All I dream of is a small town/rowhouse with enough space for me, my cat, and a small patio for a gas grill. THAT dream isn't even available on one income. And the scary part is, according to a Post article this morning (on the stock market and people pulling out), I am in the "rich" group or at least upper middle class. And I can't even buy a patio!

Marc Fisher: It is scary. And it's massively frustrating to travel around the country and see how out of whack this region is. Anyone who owns a house in this area can go elsewhere and take several giant steps up in location, size or any other amenity. That's the price we pay for living in a vibrant place surrounded by people who put a premium on achievement, culture, and all the other pros of a major metropolis.

Washington, D.C.: None of those "affordable" areas you mention have good public schools. Not one. Plus they have higher crime rates.

Marc Fisher: Excellent point, though not quite true. Some of the places people have mentioned have good schools. But many do not, and that is the single most limiting factor in the attempt to revive the inner city and many inside the Beltway suburbs as well. Will the pressure from new residents of those communities result in better schools? There aren't many examples in history of school systems that have gone from abysmal to excellent, but there are individual schools that have turned around, and in the District, the charter schools may yet turn into a vehicle for serving newcomers who have higher expectations of schools. Or will the new urban residents inexorably move to the burbs like those who came before them? That's the big question for this and other cities.

University Park, Md.: University Park, Md., is an excellent community to live in with amazing house prices. The Metro is less than 1 mile away and can have you downtown within 20 minutes. Please give it a look you won't be sorry. Houses are in the 150,000 to 250,000 range.

Marc Fisher: A lovely place. And I hear good things about some of the schools there too.

Washington, D.C.: My wife and I (we're in our mid-20s) pay handsomely for a nice apartment in Clarendon. On a bad day my commute downtown is 25 minutes; hers is 20. No wear and tear on the car, no driving stress, no paying for parking ... we figure we're ahead of the game and shake our heads at co-workers who drive in from the hinterlands.

Marc Fisher: True, but as you say, no bargain. And what happens if and when you have kids? Do you stay or move farther out? That's the $64,000 question. No, probably much more expensive than that.

Vienna, Va.: So now we have darts, eh?... well, THIS is what happens when you have a city with gun control ... criminals either get illegal guns of other dangerous weapons. So now what do we do? Outlaw darts? Fine ... next week they'll just find something else.

Marc Fisher: I knew that was coming.

Silver Spring, Md.: As for Townshend's dropping poll ratings, could it be, just possibly, be, that the public is finally starting to see her as just one more member of the Kennedy clan trying to climb up the political ladder on the strength of the family name rather than any REAL talent for the job? Her incompetence level has gotten to the point where it is starting to approach even Glendening's.

Marc Fisher: Possible, but that's more likely to happen a couple of months from now. Before then, you're likely to see numbers all over the board.

Petworth: So, the Tenley person just won't live east of the park? Or, am I missing something?

300K in my neighborhood will buy you a hell of a lot of house. Indeed, most of our houses go for well under 200K still. And mine, and many others in the neighborhood, are 3 bedroom homes (OK, only 1 bath), with full porches, close to Metro, yard (small small yard, but ...)

In so many of these questions, I see either bigotry or ignorance. I'd like to think it's ignorance, but I'm really afraid that a lot of it is "Don't want to live THERE with THOSE PEOPLE.' What do you think?

Marc Fisher: That may be true of some people, but others have different concerns, schools chief among them. Petworth has some fabulous housing stock and seems ripe for the kind of change that Shaw has seen, especially with the Metro station now open there.

Gaithersburg, Md.: Hi Marc,
I'm reading with great interest the rants about the lack of affordable housing in the area. My advice to these people is to "lower your expectations" and make some sacrifices to become a homeowner. There are houses out there, it is just a matter of setting your priorities. I have lived in my house in G'burg for ten years, after seven years owning a townhouse. We are a middle class, two-incoming family making about $100,000 a year and we paid about $180,000 for our house in 1992. We don't have cable TV, we drive two old cars, we rarely eat out, and we take one modest vacation each year. It is a matter of priorities. We are only 10 minutes from the subway, mall, library. However, we live in a very modest single family home with a small yard, but it is ours! I find that some people complaining about the cost of housing, simply have set the wrong priorities on what's really important. Sure I would like a bigger house and yard, but we bought what we could afford and sacrificed other luxuries to get it. And lastly, we set a goal and saved money to buy the house. Thanks for letting me rant.

Marc Fisher: Bankers would say that you could afford to spend much more on housing, but of course, bankers don't live your life.

Housing: Oh, lighten up, everyone. Sure, I could find a four-bedroom for $150K too, but I don't WANT to move back to Indiana. And the idea that this single girl will have to drop $200K for a one-BR apartment sucks. But such is life. And that's what happens when you live in A C-I-T-Y!

Marc Fisher: Exactly right. You pay for amenities, wherever you live. In the far burbs, it's the land and open space. In the city, it's the busy sidewalks and rainbow of restaurants.

Clifton, Va.: My next door neighbor just sold his townhouse for $309k paid $213k three years ago. DOD transferred him so all closing costs were paid by the gov't. Bought a 5 bedroom colonial on 1/2 acre in Colorado Springs for $250k.

Marc Fisher: But now he has to live in Colorado Springs.
We're over the time limit, folks, so thanks for tuning in. Back next week for more Potomac Confidential. Apologies to those I couldn't fit in. Stay cool.

washingtonpost.com:

That wraps up today's show. Thanks to everyone who joined the discussion.

Stay tuned to Live Online:

Entertainment Guide: Got Plans? at 1 p.m. EDT
Careers in Healthcare at 1 p.m. EDT
Preparedness: D.C. Emergency Management at 2 p.m. EDT
Preparedness: Sen. Bill Frist (R-Tenn.) at 2 p.m. EDT
Preparedness: Public Health at 3 p.m. EDT
Preparedness: Hospital Readiness at 4:30 p.m. EDT

Did you know that you can follow more than one Live Online discussion at the same time? Just open another browser window and toggle back and forth between discussions! And, if you miss one, catch up with the Live Online transcripts.

Keep up with the latest in news, sports, politics and entertainment with washingtonpost.com e-mail newsletters.

NEW! Personalize your Post with mywashingtonpost.com. Get customized news, traffic, weather and more.

| |



	<img SRC="washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/liveonline/redesign/adv_discusssion.htm" width=125 height=110 border=0>