How can we make the District of Columbia truly “One City?”
Making genuine progress toward creating “One City” is the Mayor’s highest priority. Mayor Gray has said that One City “is the recognition that all District residents, no matter their differences, are bound together by a common destiny and a shared desire to make the city even better for the people who live here. Regardless of race, religion, ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender identity, ward or neighborhood, we all want a vibrant, sustainable city, where all residents have an opportunity to provide for themselves and their families, where every neighborhood is safe, where every student goes to a good school, where every tax dollar is spent wisely on a government that works, and where citizens’ voices really count.” Yet the District government cannot achieve this goal alone.
We’d like your thinking on some of the specific questions that we’ll be wresting with at the summit:
- How do we grow and diversify the economy?
- What do DC government, businesses, and non-profits need to do to help people who aren’t currently job-ready get the skills they need to find work, especially in growing sectors of the economy?
- In order to have healthy, thriving infants and toddlers, what District government services and resources will be most important for our families and communities?
198 results found
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Real Estate Utilization
The city could have a formalized process for underutilized or abandoned real estate (particularly in urban areas) that can allow for temporary use. If a list of properties were available, there could be a process for taking proposals for the use of the property. The key ingredient is expediency. If proposals for creative, temporary use of property could be rapidly processed, entrepreneurs and developers of the economy could quickly bring money into new areas.
2 votes -
20 votes
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Incorporate cognitive development in the workforce/job-readiness/ training programs.
I believe that soft skills training will help people become job-ready and get the hard skills needed to find and retain work. Creativity, problem solving, and critical thinking all rely on basic cognitive skills. These skills can be developed with the appropriate training, rehearsal and mediation. Soft skills also called people skills and are typically hard to observe, quantify and measure. Hard skills are typically easy to observe, quantify and measure. They are also easy to train, because most of the time the skill sets are brand new to the learner and no unlearning is involved. People skills/interpersonal skills are…
12 votes -
City Officials should not Accept Lobbyist Overtures
There is NOT place in the government for lobbyist activities. Lobbyist courting DC officials, especially in areas that are underrepresented, should not be the norm. There is no real need for affordable housing lobbyist to court DC officials when the landlord/tenant arena is being eroded by the industry. Already there is a separate court for housing providers. This is sick and disgusting. If you are hiring the best of the best, there would be no need to have discussions with lobbyist. DC cannot justify the salaries its paying to city employees because the employees for the most part are NOT…
1 vote -
NO STATEHOOD FOR DC
The District of Columbia should not be afforded statehood until something is done to rid the city of all these unethical occurrences in the government. The Council should not get a pass by passing legislation it NEVER read. You can't blame Gandhi for passing the 2009 legislation legalizing online gambling. The City Council SHOULD HAVE READ THE BILL IN 2009. If there were anything in the bill that was NOT clear, the staffers should have made the proper inquiries. The City Council should institute government clearances for all positions that remotely is responsible for City funds. The thefts could be…
1 vote -
Whistleblower Statute is ALL WRONG
The current whistleblower statute places the whistleblower in a precarious position. Rarely would District employees seek to blow to the whistle to save the City money because the statute places the burden on the potential whistleblower. How can the City stop the endless instances of embezzlement when the City's sole statute has the effect of destroying the messenger. Whistleblower reports should be change to include an internal review by an ethics officer. I am NOT referring to Willoughby, because his office is truly ineffective. The recent story concerning DHCD blamed the lowly employee and not the supervisors responsive for giving…
1 vote -
Cut out the parking zone permit program as it exist. I live in Ward 6, if I want to visit Ward 4 I should not be treated like some tourist.
Ward parking is ridiculous. If I live in Ward 6, I should not be treated like a tourist if I want to park in Ward 4. District residents should be permitted to park in any Ward they desire irrespective of their home Ward. Seems quite ridiculous that tourists from other states are treated the same as residents who visit Wards other than their home Ward.
25 votes -
7 votes
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STOP OUTSOURCING PROJECTS (JOBS) TO CONTRACTORS
STOP OUTSOURCING PROJECTS (JOBS) TO CONTRACTORS
District of Columbia Government must stop outsourcing projects (Jobs) to contractors when DC Government already have full time employees (FTE) on board to carry out the very projects which are awarded to contractors and the FTEs has to provide guidance and/or directions to contractors on any awarded contract.
1 vote -
3 votes
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Establish an independent DC Ombudsman's Office
The District Government often doesn't know when or how its clients, patients, and citizens are ill-treated, so the problem doesn't get fixed. As a result, a lot of unnecessary suffering occurs. DC Government needs an independent office that provides quality control on a timely basis, and a formal mechanism that offers solutions.
4 votes -
Create legislation that makes government look to the private sector first to provide services for citizens
Too often the DC government does not rely on the services that are provided by DC's rich and diverse non profit community but rather will create a larger more bureaucratic, layered system that delays and often prevents services to those who need them. The city must look to the very rich and diverse and highly qualified professional private non profit community to streamline service delivery to citizens and cease creating more and more mini bureacrcies that do not serve the people for whom they were purportedly created. Look first to the private non-profit community who can reliable do the same…
9 votes -
Set up a citywide advisory board of former ANC Commissioners
Make use of this ever-increasing group of people; their experience and wisdom can be valuable to the wellbeing of the city. Require that issues they address be citywide in nature to avoid interference with the duties and perks of sitting commissioners. Advice on broad issues as seen by people from all parts of the city working together could be quite useful - I know because I served 12 years as an ANC Commissioner.
2 votes -
Please make free parking space available for DC residents that are tired of spending their money in MD and Va.
Please make free parking space available for DC residents that are tired of spending their money in MD and Va.
2 votes -
Don't hide or ignore differences, celebrate them.
Have a massive getting-to-know-you campaign where each identity group had the undivided attention of the entire City and they got to put their best foot forward. Food, clothing, dance, music, art, ideas, issues, . . . And each festival would include discussion sessions, kind of mini OneCity events about that identity group, how and why their image is propagated the way it is, what contributions they make to the community, and like that.
2 votes -
Create an accessible and navigable database for youth programs
Create an accessible and navigable database for youth serving programs in the city that allows youth, parents, direct service providers, and organizations to access to existing age appropriate programs, asses resource distribution and better understand where youth are interacting with the city in out of school spaces. Use this as a platform to connect providers and build toward a more collaborative approach to service provision that shares information, reinforces common positive youth development themes, and supports youth and families through all of their daily, weekly, and yearly transitions. Eventually develop several user interfaces that interact with each stakeholder group, encouraging…
4 votes -
DC Govt - Program Mgrs will not promote or hire DC residents even if qualified
The Mayor and Council of the District work hard to promote opportunities for the people of the District of Columbia, but their are people in postions of power and authority that will not hire or promote DC residents, even though, they have the skill set to be an actual contributor of their government. But, when DC Program Managers hire people outside of DC, because they want their friends in the position, then resident don't stand a chance.
All of us know that 70% is outside of the District and 30% is made up of the residents of the District.
How…7 votes -
Hold followup listening and problem solving sessions to identify the barriers from the viewpoint of people who could help grow the economy..
Hold listening and problem-solving sessions to identify barriers to achieving economic and educational objectives. There are things government can do to allow and encourage more capital investment to be made available for startup and online businesses to create more economic training opportunities and growth. Startups, small and disadvantaged businesses are held back and discouraged by things which can be changed or removed.
11 votes -
Re-establish trade schools and open new facilities for training adults who are not college bound.
I believe we should re-open many of the trade schools that used to exist in the District. All high school aged children are not college material. By doing this, it can encourage more enterpreneuership. We also need to consider providng more free training facilities to teach adults a manual labor skill, such as brick masonry, carpentry, roofing, etc. These individuals could be trained and put to use in turning some of the abandoned properties in this city into usable, viable living space for themselves as well as low-middle income individuals and families. This way you are instilling a new work…
29 votes -
Open a psychiatric facility for those who are mentally ill and homeless
Since the closure of St. Elizabeths Hospital in Greater S.E., the mentally ill and unstable have been tossed to the streets. This is becoming an increasing larger problem in that they are mingled with those who are not mentally ill, they have no central location to obtain medications and/or live. A new facility needs to be created for those who fall under this category.
4 votes