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Council Holds Emergency Session to Pass Measures Authorizing Enforcement of Karim Subpoena and Prohibiting Settlement PaymentIn an emergency legislative session today, the Council of the District of Columbia unanimously adopted the "Enforcement of Subpoena of Omar Karim Resolution of 2010" and the “District Settlement Payment Integrity Emergency Act of 2010.” Ward 5 Councilmember Harry “Tommy” Thomas, Jr. introduced both measures as part of the continuing inquiry into the Department of Parks and Recreation (DPR) capital project contracts routed circuitously via memorandums of understanding from the agency through the Office of the Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development to the DC Housing Authority, and then sole-sourced to Mr. Karim’s firm, Banneker Ventures, LLC.

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Thomas Calls for Administration to Request Federal Emergency Assistance for DC Residents Impacted by August 12th FloodingWard 5 Councilmember Harry “Tommy” Thomas, Jr. today called upon the Mayor to seek federal emergency assistance in response to the flooding that occurred on Thursday, August, 12, 2010. The storm that swept through the District that morning caused severe flooding in parts of the District, including in many Ward 5 communities that have a combined rain water and sewer overflow (CSO) system. Consequently, sewage water flooded many basements, resulting in considerable damage. And for some Ward 5 neighborhoods – like Bloomingdale – this is the third time in less than 10 years that serious flooding has occurred.

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Ward 5 Parks and Recreation Facilities Benefit from Thomas’ LeadershipSince he was sworn into office in January 2007 and assumed the chairmanship of the Council’s Committee on Libraries, Parks and Recreation, Councilmember Harry “Tommy” Thomas, Jr. has ensured that Ward 5 recreation facilities and parks receive their fair share of capital improvements.

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Thomas Announces Opening of New Joseph Cole Community Center in Ward 5’s Trinidad NeighborhoodWard 5 Councilmember Harry “Tommy” Thomas, Jr., Chair of the Council’s Committee on Libraries, Parks and Recreation, today announced the completion of renovations at the Joseph Cole Community Center and groundbreaking for the installation of a new community park and turf field at the site. The Joseph Cole Community Center is located at 1200 Morse Street, NE in the heart of Ward 5’s Trinidad community.

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Thomas Calls for Investigation of Ward 5 Power Outages, Arranges Discounted Hotel Accommodations for Impacted Seniors and Individuals With Health IssuesWard 5 Councilmember Harry “Tommy” Thomas, Jr. today called for a full investigation into the large number of power outages occurring in Ward 5 during the current heat wave, and PEPCO’s slow response in addressing the outages. He also called for the District government to open more neighborhood-based cooling stations.

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Thomas Introduces Measure to Tax District Government Workers and Contractors at Revenue SourceAt the Council’s budget deliberations yesterday, Ward 5 Councilmember Harry “Tommy” Thomas, Jr. introduced a measure to impose a tax on District government workers and contractors who are non-residents and whose incomes are derived from locally appropriated dollars. The proposed tax will generate approximately $70 million.

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Thomas Vows to Restore Funding for Construction of New Edgewood Recreation Center in FY2011 – FY2016 Capital Budget—Ward 5 Councilmember Harry “Tommy” Thomas, Jr., Chair of the Council’s Committee on Libraries, Parks and Recreation, stated today that he will work to restore $11 million in the FY2011-FY2016 capital budget to fully fund construction of a new Edgewood Recreation Center. The Mayor’s FY2011-FY2016 capital budget eliminates $11 million of the project’s $14 million budget.

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Thomas Launches “Let DC Speak” Town Hall Meeting in Ward 5: Format Employs Interactive Technology to Obtain Real-Time Responses from Residents—Councilmember Thomas announced today that he is launching “Let DC Speak”— a series of town hall meetings, starting with “Ward 5 Speaks,” that will use interactive Audience Response System (ARS) software to obtain immediate feedback from residents on budget issues, education reform, and neighborhood concerns. He piloted the innovative format at a community meeting held last evening.

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Thomas Praises Court Decision Allowing Union Review of Financial Data Available to Rhee at Time of Layoffs—Ward 5 Councilmember Harry Thomas, Jr. today praised DC Superior Court Judge Judith Bartnoff's April 23rd decision to grant the Washington Teachers' Union limited discovery to determine what financial information was available to Chancellor Rhee at the time of the October 2009 layoffs of 266 DCPS employees.

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Thomas States Postponed Vote on “DCPS Teacher Reinstatement Emergency Act of 2010” Is Causing Unnecessary Delay in Accountability—Ward 5 Councilmember Harry Thomas, Jr. announced today that the Council’s decision to postpone voting on the “District of Columbia Public School Teacher Reinstatement Emergency Act of 2010” until its May 4, 2010 legislative session is causing unnecessary delays in accountability. Thomas also stated that proposed amendments will create unnecessary confusion.

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Thomas Mourns Passing Civil Rights Activist Dr. Dorothy HeightWard 5 Councilmember Harry “Tommy” Thomas, Jr. joins with others across the city and nation in mourning the passing of renowned civil rights activist Dr. Dorothy Height.

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Thomas Calls Firing of 266 Teachers Due to Erroneous Budget Calculations Unconscionable, Promises to Pursue Legislative Remedies to Reinstate Those Dismissed by Chancellor Rhee—Ward 5 Councilmember Harry Thomas, Jr. learned today that erroneous budget calculations led to the firing of 266 DC Public School (DCPS) teachers earlier this year. The teachers were dismissed through a Reduction in Force (RIF) to address a reported $43 million budget pressure.

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Thomas Commends Casey Trees for NOMA BID Tree Planting Initiative: Effort Complements Metropolitan Branch Trail—Ward 5 Councilmember Harry Thomas, Jr. today commended the outstanding work of Casey Trees, which sponsored a tree planting on April 1, 2010 in the North of Massachusetts Avenue Business Improvement District (NOMA BID). The NOMA BID includes Ward 5’s Eckington community. Councilmember Thomas participated in the event, offering words of thanks for the efforts to beautify Ward 5.

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Thomas Announces Financing Closed for Rhode Island Station—Councilmember Thomas announced today that Urban Atlantic and A&R Development Corp. have closed on the financing of Rhode Island Station, enabling construction to begin forthwith.

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Thomas Announces Opening of DC Women’s Business Center in Ward 5—Ward 5 Councilmember Harry “Tommy” Thomas, Jr. announced today that Ward 5 has been selected as the location of the US Small Business Administration’s new DC Women’s Business Center (DC WBC). The Center’s offices are located in the Peoples Building, 64 New York Avenue, NW, in the Eckington community.

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Thomas Announces Council's Selection of Special Counsel to Investigate DPR Contracts—Ward 5 Councilmember Harry "Tommy" Thomas, Jr.—Chair of the Council's Committee on Libraries, Parks and Recreation and Chair of the Council's Joint Public Oversight Roundtable on the Contracting Process Related to Parks and Recreation Roundtable—announced today that the Council has retained Robert P. Trout of the law firm Trout Cacheris to serve as special counsel regarding the inquiry into the Department of Parks and Recreation (DPR) contracts.

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Thomas Thanks President Obama for Paving Way for Federal Aid to Supplement the Recovery Efforts from District SnowstormWard 5 Councilmember Harry “Tommy” Thomas, Jr. today extended his heartfelt thanks to President Obama, who yesterday declared that a major disaster exists in the District of Columbia and ordered Federal aid to supplement the District’s recovery efforts in response to the snowstorm that occurred between December 18 and 20, 2009.

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Work on New Playground Facilities at Arboretum Recreation Center Now Underway: Thomas Credits Role of Civic Leaders and Community Residents at Groundbreaking—Ward 5 Councilmember Harry “Tommy” Thomas, Jr., Chair of the Council’s Committee on Libraries, Parks and Recreation, participated yesterday in the groundbreaking ceremony for new playground equipment at the Arboretum Recreation Center, located at 2412 Rand Place, NE.  

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Council Approves Measure Shifting Parks and Recreation Projects to the Office of Public Education Facilities Modernization—Councilmember Harry “Tommy” Thomas, Jr., Chair of the Council’s Committee on Libraries, Parks and Recreation, thanked his colleagues today for voting unanimously to support legislation he submitted at the Council’s December 15, 2009 legislative session shifting management responsibility of Department of Parks and Recreation (DPR) projects from Banneker Ventures to the District’s Office of Public Education Facilities Modernization (OPEFM).

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Thomas Bill Establishing 51st State Commission Voted Out of Committee—Ward 5 Councilmember Harry “Tommy” Thomas, Jr. announced today that the Committee on Aging and Community Affairs voted unanimously to forward Bill 18-177, the “51st State Commission Establishment Act of 2009,” to the Council for a full vote.

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Thomas Introduces Bill Restricting Issuance of Government Contracts to Firms Failing to Comply With Council Subpoenas and Strengthens “Public Land Surplus Standards Act of 2009” at First ReadingAt the Council’s December 1, 2009 legislative session, Ward 5 Councilmember Thomas introduced legislation to restrict the District government’s ability to contract with firms that fail to comply with Council subpoenas. He also successfully amended Bill 18-76, the “Public Land Surplus Standards Act of 2009,” to require the District Department of Real Estate Services create and make available on its public website a database of all real property owned by the District of Columbia.

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Thomas Introduces Bill Strengthening Penalties for Crimes Committed Within 50 Feet of Public Transit StopsWard 5 Councilmember Harry “Tommy” Thomas, Jr. yesterday introduced legislation to increase the penalties for crimes committed within 50 feet of mass transit stops. The bill has been referred to the Committee on Public Safety and the Judiciary.

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Thomas to Issue Subpoenas to DMPED Staff Members David Janerone and Jackie Glover to Appear Before Council on the Transfer of DPR Funds to DCHA—Ward 5 Councilmember Harry “Tommy” Thomas, Jr., Chair of the Council’s Committee on Libraries, Parks and Recreation, today announced that he will issue subpoenas to Office of the Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development staff members David Jannarone, Director of Development, and Jackie Glover, Program Manager, requiring their appearance before the Committee regarding the transfer of Department of Parks and Recreation (DPR) funds to the District of Columbia Housing Authority (DCHA).

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Thomas Issues Subpoena to DPR Interim Director Hartsock to Appear Before Council on the Transfer of Agency Funds to the DC Housing Authority—Ward 5 Councilmember Harry “Tommy” Thomas, Jr., Chair of the Council’s Committee on Libraries, Parks and Recreation, today issued a subpoena to Dr. Ximena Hartsock requiring her to appear before the Committee at 10 am on November 16, 2009 to testify regarding the transfer of Department of Parks and Recreation (DPR) funds to the District of Columbia Housing Authority (DCHA). DPR representatives failed to appear at the joint hearings held on Friday, October 30, 2009 and Thursday, November 5, 2009 inquiring into the transfers. Dr. Hartsock had received letters preceding each hearing requesting participation.

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Council Passes Thomas Bill to Restrict Payments of DPR Funds to DCHA and Require Council Notification of all DPR Transactions of $75,000 or MoreWard 5 Councilmember Harry “Tommy” Thomas, Jr., Chair of the Council’s Committee on Libraries, Parks and Recreation, today introduced emergency legislation to restrict payments of the Department of Parks and Recreation (DPR) funds to the District of Columbia Housing Authority (DCHA) and require Council notification of all DPR transactions of $75,000 or more. The Council passed the bill by a vote of 10 to 3.

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Thomas Requests the Testimony of CFO Dr. Natwar Gandhi at Council Roundtable on the Transfer of DPR Capital Improvements Funds to DCHA—Ward 5 Councilmember Harry Tommy” Thomas, Jr., Chair of the Council’s Committee on Libraries, Parks and Recreation, announced today that he has requested that Dr. Natwar Gandhi, the District’s Chief Financial Officer, testify at the Council’s October 30, 2009 roundtable regarding the transfer of Department of Parks and Recreation capital improvement funds to the DC Housing Authority.

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Council Disapproves Dr. Ximena Hartsock as Director of the Department of Parks and Recreation: Thomas Pledges to Work with Executive to Rebuild AgencyWard 5 Councilmember Harry Tommy Thomas, Jr., Chair of the Council’s Committee on Libraries, Parks and Recreation, announced today that the Council, following the recommendation of the Committee, voted at its legislative session to disapprove the nomination of Dr. Ximena Hartsock as Director of the Department of Parks and Recreation. The Council’s vote was seven to five in support of the disapproval resolution.

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Thomas Praises MPD and US Attorney’s Office for Todd Place Crew Indictments: Allocating Resources to Grass Roots Initiatives Is How We Can Best Prevent Crime, States ThomasWard 5 Councilmember Harry “Tommy” Thomas, Jr. today praised the diligent work of the DC Metropolitan Police Department and US Attorney’s office in investigating a spate of gang-related shootings that occurred in the Lincoln Road/North Capitol Street area last spring. Law enforcement efforts led to a Superior Court grand jury returning on September 23, 2009 a 92-count indictment charging four alleged members of the “Todd Place Crew” with conspiracy and first degree murder while armed. If convicted, the defendants face a maximum sentence of life imprisonment.

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Thomas Bill Requires Analysis of DPR Day Care Programs Prior to Privatization—Executive’s Request for Offers May Have Bypassed Procedures Outlined in DCWard 5 Councilmember Harry “Tommy” Thomas, Jr., Chair of the Committee on Libraries, Parks and Recreation, introduced emergency legislation at the Council’s May 5, 2009 legislative session requiring the Executive to conduct and submit to the Council a comprehensive analysis of child day care services, particularly services for children with special needs, prior to issuing a request for offers to operate Department of Parks and Recreation (DPR) day care programs. The vote on the bill was unanimous.

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News Room, continued