Testimony by David Schwartzman
Thursday, September 25, 2008, 1:00 PM, John A. Wilson Building - ROOM 412 JOINT PUBLIC HEARING, COMMITTEE ON HOUSING AND URBAN AFFAIRS, Marion Barry, Chairperson and COMMITTEE ON PUBLIC SERVICES AND CONSUMER AFFAIRS, Mary M. Cheh, Chairperson
Agenda item: "The Department of Housing and Community Development: the Housing Regulation Administration and the Circumstances Surrounding the Removal of the Rent Administrator"
I join TENAC and tenants from around DC in vigorously protesting the unwarranted firing of Grayce Wiggins, Rent Administrator. From all available evidence the reason is that she showed real integrity and fairness in her refusal to make back room deals with landlords or their agents. I won’t repeat the same points made by others, much more knowledgeable than I, in this hearing. We expect that our District Government serve our residents, especially our working and middle class majority. Our District government must intervene on behalf of our people to protect them predatory regional real estate developers, just as our Federal Government should now act on behalf of our U.S. population in the huge crisis generated by the corporate financial sector. The public deserves a thorough investigation and this hearing is a welcome step to bring sunshine on the abuses committed by our Executive branch of District Government. More vigorous Council action to hold the Mayor fully accountable for his anti-working class policies is long overdue. We applaud Chairpersons Barry and Cheh in holding this hearing and issuing subpoenas to shed light on the reasons for Grayce Wiggins’ firing and hopefully a reversal of this unjust act.
One further point concerns the likely reason for Wiggins’ firing, her principled ruling against the use of so-called voluntary agreements in the Kennedy-Warren apartments case. The landlord’s use of this ploy is reminiscent of the Fenty/Rhee approach to teachers, promising them a pay hike if they relinquish seniority rights, a transparent attack on the collective bargaining rights of our teachers.
To put this issue in a broader context, we continue to witness an implementation of urban structural adjustment, putting more burdens on the low income and working class majority of the District, especially onerous in this time of economic downturn and fiscal crisis. The Control Board regime is now being continued under the façade of elected government. The income gap between rich and poor has grown to record levels. DC taxes have become ever more regressive. DC millionaires are now paying a lower tax rate than most of the rest of us while 30% of our children are below the poverty line. Our elected government must be held accountable. Our democratic rights are being eroded. Even our Home Rule Charter was amended without a referendum last year when our Mayor asked Congress to do it for us. Public property is being given away to private developers. Our neighborhood schools are being closed with brazen contempt shown to parents, students and teachers. Metro fares have been increased, including even student fare cards, instead of regional corporations and wealthy residents paying their fair share to support mass transit. Fenty was elected with broad expectations that the old regime was going to end. But now we see an even more sophisticated offensive on behalf of corporate interests and our wealthiest residents.
But the sleeping giant, our working/middle class majority and its allies are now waking up. Grassroots organizations of tenants, homeless, parents, workers, and small business people such as vendors are now fighting back. We will not be silent. Another DC is Possible, A DC that truly serves the majority instead of only the most privileged residents and regional corporate interests.
