WP article below about city-wide warrants executed for illegal activity (drug/gun related) which included the area around Rosedale Street NE...
Authorities seize $200,000 in narcotics in District
By Stephanie Lee
Washington Post Staff Writer
Friday, July 16, 2010
Armed with 46 arrest warrants, more than 200 police and drug enforcement officers rounded up hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of narcotics in a citywide drug bust Thursday.
Law enforcement officers also issued 21 search warrants, seized seven guns and confiscated more than $200,000 worth of narcotics, which included cocaine, PCP, marijuana and Oxycotin, said officials from the D.C. police and the federal Drug Enforcement Administration at a news conference at the Kennedy Recreation Center in Northwest Washington.
The operation targeted Trinidad and the area around Rosedale Street in Northeast and Seventh and O streets in Northwest, said D.C. Police Chief Cathy L. Lanier.
At least two of the arrests made Thursday are connected to recent shootings, Lanier said, adding that "significant progress" has been made in many of the investigations related to the bust.
"The arrests and the people we targeted are involved in drug distribution and much of the violence that surrounds that drug distribution," she said.
The bust, which involved about 240 officers, began about 5 a.m. Thursday and was expected to continue throughout the day.
Disclosure: the above article was extracted in it entirety from the Washington Post
Showing posts with label WaPo. Show all posts
Showing posts with label WaPo. Show all posts
10.27.2009
New Rosedale Community Center & Library Caught in Political Crossfire?
Second Washington Post article about the legality of 12 DPR awarded contracts, the largest of which is the new Rosedale Community Center and Library.
D.C. parks contracts are legal, official says
Nickles had said housing group broke law in approval process
By Nikita Stewart
Washington Post Staff Writer
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
D.C. Attorney General Peter Nickles said Monday that any past and current contracts awarded without the approval of the D.C. Council are "legal and binding," three days after he had said the D.C. Housing Authority broke city law by awarding $82 million worth of such contracts, most of them to firms with personal and political ties to Mayor Adrian M. Fenty (D).
The apparent reversal enraged council members already angered by what they see as the Fenty administration's continued disregard for the council's role in legislating and overseeing city agencies. Council members also criticized Nickles's judgment as the city's top legal official.
"That's classic Peter Nickles. This is just bad government 101," said council member Kwame R. Brown (D-At Large), who said the council could be forced to sue the Fenty administration to block the contracts.
Nickles's latest opinion came in a letter to the interim executive director of the D.C. Housing Authority, the agency that recently awarded a dozen contracts for the construction of parks, recreation centers and ballfields. The Fenty administration used the housing agency as a development vehicle for the projects.
City law requires that any contract in excess of $1 million be approved by the council. Officials with the housing authority, which is independent of the city government, did not think that law applied to its procurement process. The attorney general told housing authority officials Friday that the law did apply and that they should submit the contracts to the council.
But in an interview Monday, Nickles said his opinion should apply to "future contracts." He cited legal problems with nullifying past and current agreements and said the authority had a long-standing practice of awarding contracts without council approval. "They did not understand until the law was made clear to them," he said Monday.
Council member Harry Thomas Jr. (D-Ward 5), chairman of the Committee on Libraries, Parks and Recreation, dismissed Nickles's explanation.
"What he's doing is backpedaling on his opinion Friday. They're trying to protect the people who have already received the contracts," Thomas said. "I guess we're just going to have to go to court."
Council Chairman Vincent C. Gray (D), who consulted the council's general counsel, said he was "perplexed" and "puzzled" by Nickles's opinion. "For the attorney general to give a carte blanche green light to these questionable contracts, even before council hearings or any legislative action, is inappropriate and not in compliance with my reading of the law. If they are required to be submitted, we make no distinction between the past and the future. We expect to receive these contracts," he said.
Nickles said his opinion Monday "clarified" his opinion Friday. "They're perfectly consistent," he said. "The mayor's not happy. The council's not happy, but I'm following the law. This is not an easy job. I call them how I see them."
Four council members, including Brown and Thomas, are holding a public meeting Friday and have requested that City Administrator Neil O. Albert, Chief Financial Officer Natwar M. Gandhi and other members of the administration appear to explain how the contracts were awarded.
Banneker Ventures, owned by Omar Karim, Fenty's fraternity brother, was named construction manager on all 12 projects. His firm partnered with Regan Associates, a major contributor to the mayor's reelection campaign.
Nickles and officials at the Housing Authority said the contracts were competitively bid.
Privately, Fenty supporters questioned whether Nickles hastily issued his opinion Friday and erred in his statements about the contracts.
The city could have a major legal problem on its hands, said experts in procurement law. They said the contracts can be considered "void ab initio," meaning they are voided because they violated city law.
The city has faced the issue previously, said Keith D. Coleman, a former legal adviser in the city's Office of Contracting and Procurement. He said the city could void the contracts and pay vendors for services rendered. The vendors "didn't know the District government didn't follow procedure," Coleman said. "They're innocent bystanders, so to speak."
Coleman, a lawyer at Reed Smith, said he recommends ratification, a process in which the contracts get approval after they were already awarded.
Gray said he was aware of the practice, which he said quashes Nickles's opinion that the Housing Authority contracts do not have to go before the council.
The controversy over the contracts comes as Fenty has clashed with local lawmakers by reappointing acting parks director Ximena Hartsock, whom the council rejected in a 7 to 5 vote Oct. 6. Fenty signed an executive order Friday that will keep Hartsock in place for 180 days while he looks for a replacement. Nickles upheld the mayor's order, although some council members said it was illegal.
The council is asking Gandhi to withhold Hartsock's salary. Thomas said he will probably ask Gandhi to also withhold money from the Housing Authority to pay the awarded contracts.
In his first public appearance with Hartsock since he signed the executive order, Fenty took questions from reporters Monday after an announcement about a city program to open recreation centers to public school students who will be out of school Thursday and Friday.
"It's going to be tough to find someone who has her energy, her skill set and her ability to get things done," Fenty said in an interview, hours before Nickles issued his second opinion on the contracts.
The mayor declined to discuss the "ins and outs" of the contracts. When asked about the tension with his colleagues in the legislative branch, Fenty, a former Ward 4 council member said, "This is the best council we've ever had."
Disclosure: the above article was extracted in its entirety fro the Washington Post website.
D.C. parks contracts are legal, official says
Nickles had said housing group broke law in approval process
By Nikita Stewart
Washington Post Staff Writer
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
D.C. Attorney General Peter Nickles said Monday that any past and current contracts awarded without the approval of the D.C. Council are "legal and binding," three days after he had said the D.C. Housing Authority broke city law by awarding $82 million worth of such contracts, most of them to firms with personal and political ties to Mayor Adrian M. Fenty (D).
The apparent reversal enraged council members already angered by what they see as the Fenty administration's continued disregard for the council's role in legislating and overseeing city agencies. Council members also criticized Nickles's judgment as the city's top legal official.
"That's classic Peter Nickles. This is just bad government 101," said council member Kwame R. Brown (D-At Large), who said the council could be forced to sue the Fenty administration to block the contracts.
Nickles's latest opinion came in a letter to the interim executive director of the D.C. Housing Authority, the agency that recently awarded a dozen contracts for the construction of parks, recreation centers and ballfields. The Fenty administration used the housing agency as a development vehicle for the projects.
City law requires that any contract in excess of $1 million be approved by the council. Officials with the housing authority, which is independent of the city government, did not think that law applied to its procurement process. The attorney general told housing authority officials Friday that the law did apply and that they should submit the contracts to the council.
But in an interview Monday, Nickles said his opinion should apply to "future contracts." He cited legal problems with nullifying past and current agreements and said the authority had a long-standing practice of awarding contracts without council approval. "They did not understand until the law was made clear to them," he said Monday.
Council member Harry Thomas Jr. (D-Ward 5), chairman of the Committee on Libraries, Parks and Recreation, dismissed Nickles's explanation.
"What he's doing is backpedaling on his opinion Friday. They're trying to protect the people who have already received the contracts," Thomas said. "I guess we're just going to have to go to court."
Council Chairman Vincent C. Gray (D), who consulted the council's general counsel, said he was "perplexed" and "puzzled" by Nickles's opinion. "For the attorney general to give a carte blanche green light to these questionable contracts, even before council hearings or any legislative action, is inappropriate and not in compliance with my reading of the law. If they are required to be submitted, we make no distinction between the past and the future. We expect to receive these contracts," he said.
Nickles said his opinion Monday "clarified" his opinion Friday. "They're perfectly consistent," he said. "The mayor's not happy. The council's not happy, but I'm following the law. This is not an easy job. I call them how I see them."
Four council members, including Brown and Thomas, are holding a public meeting Friday and have requested that City Administrator Neil O. Albert, Chief Financial Officer Natwar M. Gandhi and other members of the administration appear to explain how the contracts were awarded.
Banneker Ventures, owned by Omar Karim, Fenty's fraternity brother, was named construction manager on all 12 projects. His firm partnered with Regan Associates, a major contributor to the mayor's reelection campaign.
Nickles and officials at the Housing Authority said the contracts were competitively bid.
Privately, Fenty supporters questioned whether Nickles hastily issued his opinion Friday and erred in his statements about the contracts.
The city could have a major legal problem on its hands, said experts in procurement law. They said the contracts can be considered "void ab initio," meaning they are voided because they violated city law.
The city has faced the issue previously, said Keith D. Coleman, a former legal adviser in the city's Office of Contracting and Procurement. He said the city could void the contracts and pay vendors for services rendered. The vendors "didn't know the District government didn't follow procedure," Coleman said. "They're innocent bystanders, so to speak."
Coleman, a lawyer at Reed Smith, said he recommends ratification, a process in which the contracts get approval after they were already awarded.
Gray said he was aware of the practice, which he said quashes Nickles's opinion that the Housing Authority contracts do not have to go before the council.
The controversy over the contracts comes as Fenty has clashed with local lawmakers by reappointing acting parks director Ximena Hartsock, whom the council rejected in a 7 to 5 vote Oct. 6. Fenty signed an executive order Friday that will keep Hartsock in place for 180 days while he looks for a replacement. Nickles upheld the mayor's order, although some council members said it was illegal.
The council is asking Gandhi to withhold Hartsock's salary. Thomas said he will probably ask Gandhi to also withhold money from the Housing Authority to pay the awarded contracts.
In his first public appearance with Hartsock since he signed the executive order, Fenty took questions from reporters Monday after an announcement about a city program to open recreation centers to public school students who will be out of school Thursday and Friday.
"It's going to be tough to find someone who has her energy, her skill set and her ability to get things done," Fenty said in an interview, hours before Nickles issued his second opinion on the contracts.
The mayor declined to discuss the "ins and outs" of the contracts. When asked about the tension with his colleagues in the legislative branch, Fenty, a former Ward 4 council member said, "This is the best council we've ever had."
Disclosure: the above article was extracted in its entirety fro the Washington Post website.
Rosedale Community Center & Library Project in Jeopardy?
Below is a Washington Post article about possible illegally awarded DPR contracts which include the Rosedale Community Center & Library. Note, to the best of RCA's knowledge, the center and library project budget is $15 million ($12 million for the center and $3 million of the library building shell) not $16 million as stated in the article.
Housing Authority contracts 'illegal'
PROJECTS MUST BE RESUBMITTED 'This was not something that agencies can just do'
By Nikita Stewart
Washington Post Staff Writer
Saturday, October 24, 2009
The D.C. Housing Authority broke the law when it failed to seek the approval of the D.C. Council before awarding $82 million in contracts for parks and recreation projects, Attorney General Peter Nickles said Friday. The housing agency must submit the contracts to the council, amid complaints that most of the work went to firms with ties to Mayor Adrian M. Fenty.
By law, contracts exceeding $1 million must be approved by the council. But Fenty (D) and his aides skipped that procedure when they used the Housing Authority as a development vehicle to renovate or build a dozen parks, recreation centers and ball fields. Several of the contracts, which were awarded in September, were well into eight figures, the highest at $16 million for the renovation of Rosedale Recreation Center in Northeast.
"I have made my position clear," Nickles said in an interview Friday. "The mayor agrees with me."
Nickles's opinion came late Friday in a letter to the interim executive director and the general counsel of the Housing Authority, after hours of political fallout for Fenty. Facing reelection next year, the mayor has been frequently criticized for doling out jobs and contracts to friends, fraternity brothers and other associates.
Several projects are underway, and one -- the $1.3 million Emery Ball Field in Northwest -- has been completed. Submitting the contracts to the council could prove problematic if the council rejects them.
"This was illegal. . . . This was not something that agencies can just do," said council member Harry Thomas Jr. (D-Ward 5), chairman of the Committee on Libraries, Parks and Recreation.
Thomas said questions remain about possible favoritism and how and why the administration funneled millions of dollars through the Housing Authority.
Thomas and three other council members are holding a public roundtable on the matter Oct. 30. They have requested that members of the Fenty administration and Chief Financial Officer Natwar M. Gandhi appear.
According to a list compiled by the council, Banneker Ventures, a firm owned by Omar Karim, Fenty's fraternity brother and a campaign contributor, was named project manager on all 12 projects. Banneker is partnered with Herndon-based Regan Associates, which has campaigned heavily for the mayor's reelection bid. Two of the projects name the general contractor as RBK Landscaping and Construction, run by longtime friend Keith Lomax, who drew attention earlier this year by driving the mayor's city-issued SUV, in violation of city code.
Nickles dismissed some council members' concerns that the contracts went to Fenty's friends. "I have no reason to believe there was a problem with them. They were all competitively bid," he said. "The fact that the mayor has friends, has fraternity brothers and goes to a ball game [with them], that doesn't exclude someone from competing for a contract."
But Nickles's opinion on the legality of the process differed greatly from that of Fenty in an interview earlier Friday.
Fenty, a triathlete who has made improving parks and recreation a priority, shrugged off criticism, saying he was not involved in the selection of the contractors and that the contract process of going through the Housing Authority was not new. "The practice predates my administration," he said.
Fenty and Adrianne Todman, interim executive director of the Housing Authority, both appeared Friday at a ribbon-cutting for the renovated Fairlawn Marshall apartments in Southeast. They took questions from the media after the event.
Todman said the Housing Authority is governed by separate procurement rules.
Nickles said that is not the case. He pointed to a 1996 opinion on a similar issue that concluded that even a quasi-government agency, such as the Housing Authority, must get council approval for contracts above $1 million.
Todman said the authority's Board of Commissioners approves contracts exceeding $250,000. She said she thought Banneker Ventures was selected through a competitively bid "singular contract" to become the construction manager on all of the projects.
Dena Michaelson, the authority's spokeswoman, later said that Banneker competed against 12 companies in March. Several other firms, including RBK, were selected as general contractors and to do other jobs in the 12 projects. Michaelson said she did not know whether the commissioners voted or whether there was an internal selection for the smaller jobs.
Disclosure: the above article was extracted in its entirety fro the Washington Post website. Bold text was added to identify the Rosedale Community Center & Library within the article.
Housing Authority contracts 'illegal'
PROJECTS MUST BE RESUBMITTED 'This was not something that agencies can just do'
By Nikita Stewart
Washington Post Staff Writer
Saturday, October 24, 2009
The D.C. Housing Authority broke the law when it failed to seek the approval of the D.C. Council before awarding $82 million in contracts for parks and recreation projects, Attorney General Peter Nickles said Friday. The housing agency must submit the contracts to the council, amid complaints that most of the work went to firms with ties to Mayor Adrian M. Fenty.
By law, contracts exceeding $1 million must be approved by the council. But Fenty (D) and his aides skipped that procedure when they used the Housing Authority as a development vehicle to renovate or build a dozen parks, recreation centers and ball fields. Several of the contracts, which were awarded in September, were well into eight figures, the highest at $16 million for the renovation of Rosedale Recreation Center in Northeast.
"I have made my position clear," Nickles said in an interview Friday. "The mayor agrees with me."
Nickles's opinion came late Friday in a letter to the interim executive director and the general counsel of the Housing Authority, after hours of political fallout for Fenty. Facing reelection next year, the mayor has been frequently criticized for doling out jobs and contracts to friends, fraternity brothers and other associates.
Several projects are underway, and one -- the $1.3 million Emery Ball Field in Northwest -- has been completed. Submitting the contracts to the council could prove problematic if the council rejects them.
"This was illegal. . . . This was not something that agencies can just do," said council member Harry Thomas Jr. (D-Ward 5), chairman of the Committee on Libraries, Parks and Recreation.
Thomas said questions remain about possible favoritism and how and why the administration funneled millions of dollars through the Housing Authority.
Thomas and three other council members are holding a public roundtable on the matter Oct. 30. They have requested that members of the Fenty administration and Chief Financial Officer Natwar M. Gandhi appear.
According to a list compiled by the council, Banneker Ventures, a firm owned by Omar Karim, Fenty's fraternity brother and a campaign contributor, was named project manager on all 12 projects. Banneker is partnered with Herndon-based Regan Associates, which has campaigned heavily for the mayor's reelection bid. Two of the projects name the general contractor as RBK Landscaping and Construction, run by longtime friend Keith Lomax, who drew attention earlier this year by driving the mayor's city-issued SUV, in violation of city code.
Nickles dismissed some council members' concerns that the contracts went to Fenty's friends. "I have no reason to believe there was a problem with them. They were all competitively bid," he said. "The fact that the mayor has friends, has fraternity brothers and goes to a ball game [with them], that doesn't exclude someone from competing for a contract."
But Nickles's opinion on the legality of the process differed greatly from that of Fenty in an interview earlier Friday.
Fenty, a triathlete who has made improving parks and recreation a priority, shrugged off criticism, saying he was not involved in the selection of the contractors and that the contract process of going through the Housing Authority was not new. "The practice predates my administration," he said.
Fenty and Adrianne Todman, interim executive director of the Housing Authority, both appeared Friday at a ribbon-cutting for the renovated Fairlawn Marshall apartments in Southeast. They took questions from the media after the event.
Todman said the Housing Authority is governed by separate procurement rules.
Nickles said that is not the case. He pointed to a 1996 opinion on a similar issue that concluded that even a quasi-government agency, such as the Housing Authority, must get council approval for contracts above $1 million.
Todman said the authority's Board of Commissioners approves contracts exceeding $250,000. She said she thought Banneker Ventures was selected through a competitively bid "singular contract" to become the construction manager on all of the projects.
Dena Michaelson, the authority's spokeswoman, later said that Banneker competed against 12 companies in March. Several other firms, including RBK, were selected as general contractors and to do other jobs in the 12 projects. Michaelson said she did not know whether the commissioners voted or whether there was an internal selection for the smaller jobs.
Disclosure: the above article was extracted in its entirety fro the Washington Post website. Bold text was added to identify the Rosedale Community Center & Library within the article.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)