All eyes may be focused on how Mayor-elect Vincent C. Gray builds his Cabinet to advance reforms and improvements begun by outgoing Mayor Adrian M. Fenty. But, the legislature has an equally critical role; how Chairman-elect Kwame Brown restructures council committees could be the first signal of the kind of check he intends to place on the executive.
Sources told me Gray has lobbied Brown to appoint Ward 3’s Mary Cheh chairwoman pro tempore and head of the education committee. Further, the chairman-elect may remove the budget from his Committee of the Whole.
Reassessing committee configurations is a good thing. Their structure often seemed illogical: Why, for example, was government operations paired with the environment? How did the committee overseeing the Office of Aging get stitched to community affairs; shouldn’t it have been under the committee dealing with parks and libraries — areas that truly involve the community?
As Brown begins his work, I’d like to offer a few suggestions:
*Create an appropriations committee, charged with all things fiscal, including revenue collections, tax incentives and credits, and the city’s operating budget. Naturally, all of that committee’s proposals would need the approval of the Committee of the Whole and the full council. Councilman Jack Evans, with the requisite institutional knowledge, expertise and fiscal courage, is the only man for that job.
*Consider removing education from the Committee of the Whole and add work force development to its focus. Despite the stellar work of former Schools Chancellor Michelle Rhee, reforming D.C. Public Schools isn’t complete. There has been indisputable academic progress, but general administration and financial management need attention. Additionally, education remains the prime factor for ensuring a larger percentage of District residents share in the city’s wealth; that’s good reason to link it and work force development. Brown may want to tap David Catania for this assignment; his oversight of the Health Department provides tangible evidence of his ability to use the process to transform an agency while aggressively driving service delivery improvements.
*Split environmental affairs from the Committee on Government Operations. Overseeing procurement reform, elections and campaign finance operations, along with the Office of the Mayor, are meaty tasks; they deserve more detailed and consistent oversight.
*Place economic development under the Committee of the Whole. Some people will grouse that such a move guarantees the chairman-elect stays connected to the money. That may be true. Not unlike education reform, jobs and economic development are top issues for District residents. The effects of the “Great Recession” demand the legislature focus more intensely on them. As the former chairman of the economic development committee, Brown acquired expertise that makes him the logical choice.
*Create a true ethics committee, sending the message that in addition to improved oversight, legislators, during the next council period, will be held to higher standards and, unlike in the past, missteps will be addressed immediately and forcefully. If that happens, it surely would be a good thing.
Jonetta Rose Barras’ column appears on Monday and Wednesday. She can be reached at [email protected].
