Initially, I planned to slam the move to decriminalize marijuana in the District. There isn't a drug in existence that doesn't have some kind of harmful side effect -- ask the pharmaceutical industry.

Then, I thought I might salute Mayor Vincent C. Gray for his decision to lease some empty D.C. Public Schools buildings to charters. But the idea of waiting for nonprofit groups to express interest isn't good enough. The mayor has to be more proactive. He may want to invite specific groups to blighted neighborhoods as part of an economic development strategy.

Halfway through that column, I got news that D.C. Superior Court Associate Judge Laura Cordero had dismissed the defamation lawsuit brought by former District employee Eric Payne against Natwar Gandhi. The basis for the decision is just wrong-headed. But more important, it could deny workers in the future protection against vicious, retaliatory actions of their employers. Upon reflection, I realized the topic required more space than could be provided by the column.

So, I switched direction, believing it might be better to explore District officials' knee-jerk reaction to abortion riders to its budgets. Folks like the mayor and D.C. Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton become nearly hysterical when congressional representatives interfere with local affairs. I get the whole independent governance thing. But why is the notion of prohibiting abortions after 20 weeks -- except when the health of the mother is at risk -- such a bad idea? Should there be a discussion in the city before District elected officials pooh pooh Congress' effort?

Visions of pitchforks started dancing in my head. Better leave that one in the incomplete file.

So many things to discuss, so little time. Sadly, this is my last column for The Washington Examiner. The paper's owner announced weeks ago the end of the local edition effective June 14. I am stepping away a tad earlier.

For nearly seven years, I have written for The Examiner. Whatever measure of success I have had has been because of you, dear readers. You suggested topics; offered tips about internal government activities; sent emails encouraging my investigations; and provided general support. You reminded me regularly of the column's importance in helping to keep elected officials focused on what should matter most: serving the residents of this great city.

Producing those seven years of columns wasn't always easy -- just ask my editors, who received their share of complaints about me from whiny elected officials, who naturally didn't share my opinions. Still, the work offered deep satisfaction and big fun.

While I may be closing this door, I am fortunate that another has opened. My columns will appear online in another local venue beginning June 16.

Many of you have known me since I first began writing opinion columns in 1994; you have followed me from one publication to the next. Others of you are new friends and readers. As you faithfully clicked on The Examiner website or picked up the paper at one of those red boxes, I hope you will continue your support.

Our work together continues.

Jonetta Rose Barras can be reached at jonetta@jonettarosebarras.com.

Jonetta Rose Barras' column appears on Tuesday and Friday. She can be reached at jonetta@jonettarosebarras.com.

Jonetta Rose Barras: Another lottery scandal — really

Jonetta Rose Barras

May 27, 12:00 AM May 27, 05:20 PM

D.C. Chief Financial Officer Natwar Gandhi imagines himself invincible. Why else would he court another multimillion-dollar lottery scandal — even as U.S. Attorney Ronald Machen investigates the 2008 and 2009 contracting processes?

The latest mess, which has been percolating for months, could explode this week: D.C. Council Chairman Phil Mendelson told me he only learned about the problem on Friday. He intends to meet with Gandhi "early next week. I am concerned the procurement is handled correctly."

Forget about that.

District law mandates that contracts of more than $250,000 provide subcontracting of 35 percent to certified local small businesses enterprises (CBE). During the 2009 lottery contracting process, Gandhi violated the CBE law, according to the city's inspector general, possibly costing taxpayers a bunch of money.

"He's reckless," said one businessman, who, like others, requested anonymity. "He's acting like he can't be touched."

When it was time to implement the final option year for the current lottery contract with Scientific Games International, it appeared Gandhi intended to do the right thing. After concerns were raised that SGI had not been in compliance with the CBE law since 2005, he sought a waiver from the Department of Small and Local Business Development, according to AP's Ben Nuckols, who first reported the story.

In March 2013, DSLBD Director Harold Pettigrew denied Gandhi's request, identifying a half-dozen companies who could be subcontractors. Soon after, Pettigrew lost his job.

Was he fired like Eric Payne, the CFO's contracting director, who in 2008 and 2009 refused to go along with apparent contract manipulation and steering?

Then, the imperial CFO abetted by his General Counsel David Tseng and lottery Director Buddy Roogow, brazenly violated the spirit of a local law. Without forcing CBE compliance, Gandhi issued a letter contract to SGI worth $950,000. That transaction seemed designed to bypass the requirement that contracts of $1 million or more receive prior council approval.

Gandhi didn't respond to my request for comment.

An aside: Once I was against the council's involvement with contracts. I have become increasingly concerned about how Mayor Vincent C. Gray's administration and Gandhi have circumvented procurement laws, however. Were it not for the council, the public wouldn't know the extent of waste, fraud and abuse in their government.

Gandhi has been undeterred. He seems intent on giving SGI business: When a new contract bid was issued for the Scratch Three game, only two companies responded: Scientific Games and a joint venture formed by Veteran Services Corp. and Pollard Banknote Holdings.

In 2009, Gandhi encouraged lottery contractor Intralot to engage VSC, headed by Emmanuel Bailey, as its CBE partner. Now, in the no-permanent-friends category, Gandhi and his rule-bending crew determined that Bailey's joint venture wasn't a certified business, disqualifying its bid, according to government documents.

SGI was left standing — although its bid didn't include the requisite CBE subcontractors.

Legally, Gandhi should have rebid the contract. He hasn't. Instead, he has tried to qualify SGI, seeking yet another waiver.

There is a new interim DSLBD director. Will this one give Gandhi what he wants?

Let's hope not.

Jonetta Rose Barras' column appears on Tuesday and Friday. She can be reached at jonetta@jonettarosebarras.com.

Jonetta Rose Barras: CFO surprise? Not really

Jonetta Rose Barras

May 23, 12:00 AM May 24, 08:10 AM

Anyone who has followed the declining career of D.C. Chief Financial Officer Natwar Gandhi isn't surprised by the inspector general's recent report indicating his office failed to collect nearly $7 million in tax penalties from businesses who failed to file electronically. There is a trail of similar failures.

Gandhi reportedly failed to collect as much as $100 million in recordation taxes from certain refinanced commercial properties; he claimed there was some misinterpretation of the law. The council ultimately made clear in the fiscal year 2013 budget it expects the CFO to levy and collect that tax.

Then, the CFO's operation reduced the assessed values of as many as 500 commercial properties. That meant the District missed out on $48 million in tax revenues. Historic sums of money also were stolen -- not once but multiple times -- under his inattentive eyes.

Once upon a time, Gandhi's financial management may have been stellar. But it has become sloppy, as evident by the report from independent auditors who cited 34 internal control weaknesses and deficiencies.

Ward 2 Councilman Jack Evans, chairman of the Committee on Finance and Revenue, told me earlier this week he is concerned about the uncollected penalties. But he is equally worried that businesses are being penalized simply because they aren't filing electronically.

"How much of the penalty is because they didn't pay their taxes on time, and how much of it is because they mailed in their returns instead of filing electronically?" said Evans, adding that he's trying to get an answer to that question.

That's a nice homework assignment. But the law is the law. Until the council changes it, the CFO should be expected to follow it.

Taxpayers may find comfort in the fact that Gandhi is on his way out. He has resigned effective June 1 -- although he has agreed to remain until the city finds a replacement. The search committee should act with urgency.

Who knows how many other undisclosed cases there are of money being stolen or uncollected. Truth be told, neither the mayor nor the council knows the mess Gandhi has buried in his office behind closed doors.

Within that context, at-large Councilman Vincent B. Orange's OCFO Audit and Revenue Projections Amendment Act of 2013 takes on greater importance. The legislation would mandate the creation of a mayorally appointed task force to conduct a forensic audit, including evaluating internal controls; assessing how Gandhi spent his appropriated budget; determining whether there are protections against loss, waste, fraud and abuse; assessing compliance with District laws, rules, polices and procedures; and identifying how much revenue may have been lost each year since the creation of the OCFO because of weak internal controls.

Introduced earlier this year, the bill has languished in Evans' committee. That's one way to protect the CFO.

With the fiscal year 2014 budget now approved by the council, Evans said he would get back to other business. "I will hold a hearing on [Orange's] legislation, probably before the end of the summer."

Better late than never, right?

Jonetta Rose Barras' column appears on Tuesday and Friday. She can be reached at jonetta@jonettarosebarras.com.

Jonetta Rose Barras: White-black political prison

Jonetta Rose Barras

May 20, 12:00 AM May 21, 06:28 AM

Oh, let's nip it right now.

Tommy Wells isn't running to be the city's first white mayor. If Jack Evans or David Catania jumps in the race, as has been predicted, they won't be vying to be the District's chief executive based on the color of their skin either.

When a candidate plays the race card, the media go berserk. Yet, some in the media already have begun injecting skin color into the mayoral race, misdirecting a serious conversation about a candidate's qualifications, vision for the District and ability to lead.

Skin talk is old. Remember when Toni Morrison, speaking metaphorically, identified William Jefferson Clinton as the country's first black president? Some people called Anthony A. Williams the District's first white mayor.

Williams' style, sensibility and governing approach did not hew to the historical black political model. Still, he did more for poor and working-class African-Americans than Marion Barry or Sharon Pratt (Kelly). Williams built thousands of affordable housing units; elevated the conversation about education reform and school choice; launched the first round of recreation center renovations and school modernizations; and placed the city on solid financial footing.

Arguably, Williams was the city's best mayor. His achievements were not the product of skin color but vision and competence.

Race may not be irrelevant, but as we move deeper into the 21st century, and in the wake of a twice-elected African-American president, it's becoming less relevant -- neither albatross nor vehicle for unearned aggrandizement.

The D.C. mayor's office isn't some kind of entitlement program, set aside only for African-Americans. Whites have the right to compete and be judged by the content of their character. Over the years, several have run citywide and won, including David Clarke, Catania and moderate Republican Carol Schwartz. Phil Mendelson, current council chairman, has been re-elected multiple times.

Clearly, black folks aren't opposed to electing white politicians. And whites in the District never have been averse to electing black candidates -- ask Barry, Williams or Adrian M. Fenty.

Wells previously was elected school board member, representing both Ward 6 and predominantly African-American Ward 5. Black, white and Hispanic residents recently returned Muriel Bowser to her Ward 4 seat on the council.

Not unlike the story of America, the District's racial, cultural and political narrative always has been complex. It has been filled with whites and blacks -- and later Latinos -- working together, striving to advance a nondiscriminatory society for all citizens. Rather than acknowledge such complexity, some would rather cast the 2014 mayoral campaign as one of white versus black.

The District's future contains significant challenges. Among other things, they include creation of an ethical and transparent government, development of a diverse and vibrant private-sector economy, accommodation of a growing population and the successful reform of its public education system, ensuring more citizens can participate during the next 10 and 20 years in the riches of the city's indisputable renaissance.

Fixation on skin color won't help reveal a candidate's vision for responding to those and other challenges. That's for sure.

Jonetta Rose Barras' column appears on Tuesday and Friday. She can be reached at jonetta@jonettarosebarras.com.

Jonetta Rose Barras: Circulating the Circulator

Jonetta Rose Barras

May 16, 12:00 AM May 16, 06:35 PM

Call it the little red and gray bus that could. Launched in 2005, the Circulator had been designed mostly to get riders from one tourist attraction, entertainment center or retail hot spot to another. Inexpensive, reliable and clean, the Circulator has become so popular it seems every D.C. Council member, particularly those representing a ward, wants one.

A few years ago, while chairman of the transportation committee, Ward 1's Jim Graham pushed for a new line. It now runs from Woodley Park to McPherson Square, through Columbia Heights and parts of Adams Morgan -- mostly his ward.

Now, Ward 3's Mary Cheh, current chairwoman of the Committee on Transportation and the Environment, has proposed creating new lines while expanding existing ones. For example, the Union Station to Georgetown line would extend to National Cathedral in Ward 3. The changes could cost as much as $3 million, according to draft council documents.

Money may not be an issue. But the process deserves attention.

"The Circulator was not set up to be a citywide bus system," Ward 2's Jack Evans said earlier this week during discussions about the proposed 2014 budget and possible public policy changes.

"If this is the direction we want to go, we need to go in with our eyes open," continued Evans.

"I hate the word 'study.' But I think we need to do an analysis."

I love riding the bus. The subway is way too fast and underground, hindering my appreciation of the District's neighborhoods, the variety of which suggests multiple cities within a city.

Several years ago I urged the city to create its own bus system. Montgomery County has its Ride On system; why shouldn't the District get in on the fun?

District taxpayers will provide Metro with a $200 million subsidy in 2014. For what?

The rail system misses large sections of the city -- my neighborhood included. Bus fares have increased without significant improvements in service. Let's not mention the plethora of surly drivers.

The District government has never owned or fully operated a transit system. Before WMATA's arrival, D.C. bus service was provided by DC Transit, owned by O. Roy Chalk, who helped put Marion Barry on the map.

In 1966, Chalk proposed a rate increase. Barry was an organizer for the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, a key civil rights group. He had come to the District to open a chapter. He staged a one-day protest against a fare hike on the Benning Road line. A few days later, the transit commission denied Chalk's requested increase. In 1973, Metro bought Chalk's company -- reportedly for $38 million.

District officials have come a long way since then. If the past seven years are any indication, the Department of Transportation has done a fairly good job managing the Circulator.

Is it ready for additional responsibilities?

"I think what makes a lot of sense is integrating all these systems [streetcar, bus, subway] and having a transportation authority," said Cheh.

But not before a financial and capacity analysis has been conducted.

Jonetta Rose Barras' column appears on Tuesday and Friday. She can be reached at jonetta@jonettarosebarras.com.

"Opaque." That word was used consistently by many D.C. Council committees to describe Mayor Vincent C. Gray's 2014 budget. Legislators may have made their way through the voluminous document, but they screamed for more transparency.

An obscure plan makes it difficult for the council to effectively challenge budget assumptions used by the mayor and Chief Financial Officer Natwar Gandhi. It also prevents District taxpayers from fully understanding how their $7 billion is being used to finance the local budget.

Council Chairman Phil Mendelson, who also oversees the Committee of the Whole, found that sometimes "performance objectives and measures from year to year are inconsistent, minimizing their utility as an accountability tool." Four of the five fiscal year 2013 measures for the Office of Contracting and Procurement are different from the previous year and the 2014 proposal.

"If the council and the public cannot see whether agencies are meeting their stated goals ... no one can be sure whether the dollars we are budgeting are being spent in an efficient and effective manner in which results are being achieved," Mendelson argued in his draft committee report.

The Committee on Education and Libraries, headed by at-large Councilman David Catania, found that DCPS presented multiple budget formats allegedly based on the agency's organizational chart. In the one to the legislature, there were nine areas of focus. But DCPS' internal budget format is based on six categories, including executive offices, chief of staff, office of the superintendent, chief academic officer, chief operating officer and schools.

"The existence of these two parallel budget formats severely limits transparency with respect to the agency's budget," Catania said in the report. Key communities are unable to clearly assess how the agency is spending its money by "looking simply at the budget as presented by the mayor." The result often is "confusion and misperception."

Obscuring agencies' organizational structures, performance goals and spending may be deliberate.

DCPS' budget certainly camouflages central office excesses and redundancies. Consider that there is an Office of Chief of Schools, Office of Academic Programming and Support, and Office of Teaching and Learning, according to council documents.

Wondering how those are different from the Office of the Chief Academic Officer? Chancellor Kaya Henderson did not respond to my request to provide the distinction.

DCPS' website states the Office of Teaching and Learning "establishes what rigorous content students learn and improves how they learn it." Academic Programming and Support helps "schools so that all students can access content and high-quality programs."

That kind of personnel and financial attention on academics should at least translate into the majority of DCPS students scoring proficient on standardized tests, right?

Education reformers have been quick to demand teacher evaluations. I support ensuring qualified instructors are in the classroom, but what about administrators? Shouldn't their value and effectiveness be scrutinized?

Oh, I forgot to mention there's an Office of School Turnaround. It supposedly is focused on helping "struggling schools that are failing students."

Don't get me started.

Jonetta Rose Barras can be reached at jonetta@jonettarosebarras.com.

Jonetta Rose Barras' column appears on Tuesday and Friday. She can be reached at jonetta@jonettarosebarras.com.

Jonetta Rose Barras: At last, D.C. Council finds its voice for education reform

Jonetta Rose Barras

May 09, 12:00 AM May 10, 06:45 AM

The D.C.Council, through David Catania's leadership, began this week to find its education reform voice. It sent an unequivocal message to Mayor Vincent Gray, DC Public Schools Chancellor Kaya Henderson and others about the standard it expects. Further, it redirected taxpayers' money to programs residents have said matter to them and that will improve outcomes for the city's children.

Hallelujah!

In the past, council members' fear of being labeled micromanagers morphed them into timid bystanders. On Tuesday, they forcefully jumped into the game, passing a nonbinding resolution that expressed their dissatisfaction with the Gray administration's summer school policy and funding decisions.

While the administration identified 10,000 DCPS students as "struggling," Henderson created an "invitation only" system that would have denied the majority of those children the chance to participate in the five-week program. That enraged Catania and his colleagues. It also raised questions about Gray's commitment to the system's lowest performers.

The resolution lacked the force of law. Still, it was an effective mechanism for asserting the council's position. The legislation urged Gray to open summer school to all children who want to attend. Underscoring their intent, lawmakers provided, through the fiscal 2013 supplemental budget, an additional $4 million for the remedial program.

Then, on Thursday, the Committee on Education and Libraries, headed by Catania, unanimously recommended changes to sections of Gray's 2014 budget that would have harmed children and eroded progress at several schools.

"I think this is an innovative and incredibly thoughtful response," at-large Councilman David Grosso said about Catania's recommendations. Peter MacPherson, a Ward 6 advocate and DCPS parent who has engaged in an intense battle to bring full-time librarians to all traditional schools, said the changes would go a "long way to stabilizing the situation."

Without substantially growing the overall education budget, Catania's committee recommended allocating $4.5 million to hold spending reductions to 5 percent at the school level. It also restored full-time librarians to schools slated to lose them because Henderson had, without notice, changed the definition of small schools from those with fewer than 300 students to those with fewer than 400 students.

The committee also recommended funds to implement the STEM science and technology program at Ward 7's H.D. Woodson High School. The city spent tens of millions of dollars renovating the facility but never invested in the vital academic program at the school.

Equally important, money was added to the DC State Board of Education's budget to fund an office of ombudsman. If effectively structured and competently staffed, that office could help parents and advocates navigate the system, give them a mechanism for venting frustrations and concerns, and encourage their active participation in education reform.

Despite those recommendations, the city is a long way from producing a high-quality public education system. Still, Catania and his committee members deserve accolades. After five years, it appears the council is now focused on a major public policy it implemented through an amendment to the District's Home Rule Charter.

Whew! Let's not complain that it took so long.

Jonetta Rose Barras' column appears on Tuesday and Friday. She can be reached at jonetta@jonettarosebarras.com.

Jonetta Rose Barras: Curing the disease, not the symptoms

Jonetta Rose Barras

May 06, 12:00 AM May 06, 07:50 PM

That rumbling sound coming from the John A. Wilson Building is D.C. Council members tussling over recommended changes to Mayor Vincent Gray's $12 billion 2014 budget. Committees have begun reducing expenditures or searching for additional funds to address select programs or satisfy demands of special-interest groups that could make their lives miserable during the upcoming election season.

In other words, the process doesn't simply involve assessing the cost-effectiveness of policies and programs. Politics plays a role.

Gray's budget was presented under the theme "Investing in tomorrow." But his plan lacked sufficient support for the one area that truly affects the city's future: public education.

"I came in thinking we had plenty of money," At-large Councilman David Grosso, a member of the Committee on Education and Libraries, told me last week during a wide-ranging interview. Now, after public hearings, he has decided more investment is needed. Further, echoing the sentiments of committee Chairman David Catania and many residents, Grosso said the mayor also should provide "more personal attention on this issue."

Some legislators have argued for more money to end poverty, address high unemployment, crime, drug addiction, homelessness and the ever-disintegrating family structure. Those issues are symptoms.

The District's disease is an unstable, failing public education system.

The city's myriad social and economic issues are the result of whole communities being poorly educated, left without critical skills to compete. Even now, many District children, including those attending charter schools, are receiving a mediocre education. Without radical change, they will enter that class of citizens unable to seize available opportunities during the city's continuing renaissance.

It will take Catania more time to improve the overall financial management of the city's public education system. Still, elected officials should declare an emergency, marshalling resources -- human and fiscal -- to dramatically improve schools.

Sure, sparkling facilities have been constructed. But the academic needs of the District's children, particularly those from low-income communities and low-performing schools, are far greater than chrome and glass.

Gray snatched critical revenues from DC Public Schools. The council should restore those funds. Among other things, that action would result in more than what DCPS Chancellor Kaya Henderson described as "exposure" to foreign languages and library "coverage."

A public education system, struggling with an average citywide reading proficiency rate below 50 percent, needs more than baby sitters for its libraries. Professionally trained, creative and engaged full-time librarians are required to help children develop an intimate relationship with books and a love of reading that could empower and propel their futures.

The Stabilization Fund advocated by Catania would minimize the negative effects of Gray's actions. Equally important, the legislature should support an "achievement gap" fund that could be tapped by charter or traditional schools to reduce the academic performance gulf between low-income students and others.

There are dozens of valuable government programs. But few have the long-term curative effect of public education. Legislators should double-down on their commitment, making reform of city schools their No. 1 public policy and financial priority.

Jonetta Rose Barras' column appears on Tuesday and Friday. She can be reached at jonetta@jonettarosebarras.com.

Jonetta Rose Barras: Building a permanent underclass, Part 2

Jonetta Rose Barras

May 02, 12:00 AM May 02, 06:40 PM

When this whole education reform thing started in D.C., there was talk about putting children first. District officials, including then-Mayor Adrian Fenty and DC Public Schools Chancellor Michelle Rhee, advocated for extended instructional days and year-round schooling. Those changes would enhance academic achievement, particularly in low-performing schools.

Forget all of that. We're not in Kansas anymore. Don't bother clicking those ruby slippers.

Mayor Vincent Gray's proposed 2014 budget for DCPS, if allowed to stand, could harm children and erode the meager progress that has been made. It would, among other things, eliminate full-time librarians and reduce some foreign-language programs. Further, the $819 million proposal, developed with Chancellor Kaya Henderson, creates new troubles for the nearly 47,000-student system.

"You were left to defend a budget that is indefensible," D.C. Councilman David Catania, chairman of the education committee, told Henderson on Thursday during a public hearing. He called for "greater leadership" from the mayor.

"I am very concerned you will not be able to convince parents to stay in DCPS with this budget," said Councilman Tommy Wells. "I think this budget sets us back."

"I am confident and proud of the budget we put together," Henderson said. She acknowledged last-minute reductions had been made by the mayor's office to her total budget. "We are doing the best we can with the hand we were dealt."

Catania said, working with his colleagues, he will develop a Stabilization Fund that would hold school-based reductions to no more than 5 percent.

Insufficient money is one thing. Lousy policy decisions are another.

Consider Henderson's summer school plan, which would serve only 2,700 children in kindergarten through eighth grade. There are more than 10,000 students that DCPS considers "struggling" in reading, however.

According to its website, letters of invitation to attend the five-week remedial session went out to 7,700 students. But there is space for only 2,700.

Are the mayor and chancellor engaging in a hoax? Who is the wizard?

"We need a more robust, targeted use of summer school, so that every child not on grade level can attend," said Catania. He pledged to introduce this month emergency legislation that would provide more money for this year's summer school.

There has been, under Gray and Henderson, a steady decline in summer school. In 2010, 9,800 young people participated. That number dropped in 2011 to 6,538. Last year, it was down to 6,436.

Henderson defended her "targeted" summer school plan. She also said an additional 1,500 high school students will be served through two separate programs. And 1,000 special education students also are expected to attend. Even considering her new totals, summer school placements would drop to 6,200 — the third straight reduction.

While Gray may deserve praise for the city's impressive prekindergarten program, the havoc being wreaked on traditional schools and the growing inequities are disturbing.

" 'One city' is a laugh line," said Catania, referring to Gray's oft-spoken pledge to serve all citizens equally. "It is a cynical joke. He is essentially assigning those children to a reduced future."

Jonetta Rose Barras' column appears on Tuesday and Friday. She can be reached at jonetta@jonettarosebarras.com.

The request to Attorney General Irvin Nathan from Peter MacPherson, a Ward 6 resident, parent and public education advocate, seemed simple: Could the AG provide an opinion about whether DC Public Schools Chancellor Kaya Henderson's redefining of a small school was legal?

"This fall 61.4 percent of schools in DCPS would be classified as small under [the] new definition," wrote MacPherson, adding that would mean large numbers of students "would be denied parity of academic opportunity." He said he thought unequal allocation of resources would violate Title V of the DC Code of Municipal Regulation. "I think the practice may be illegal under federal law as well."

"Our office does not render legal opinions to private citizens," Nathan responded, suggesting his office was prohibited from providing such a service.

Despite multiple requests from me, Nathan never cited any specific District law, rule or regulation that imposed such a prohibition. "There are, as you know, tens of thousands of private lawyers in the District who can and do provide legal opinions to private citizens," he wrote, attaching a summary description of OAG services from the 2014 budget book.

Interestingly, that book noted the AG's Public Interest Division is responsible, among other things, for providing "enforcement, protection, representation and advisory services to the District government and residents so that they can enjoy reduced risk of harm [and] protection of rights."

So why didn't Nathan offer even a cursory review of the law for MacPherson?

The AG has the resources: More than 600 lawyers and other professionals work in Nathan's shop, according to published documents. The office's proposed 2014 budget is $102 million. District taxpayers, like MacPherson, provide $80 million of the AG's budget, which might entitle them to more than a brushoff.

In 2010, District voters overwhelmingly approved an amendment to the city's Home Rule Charter, changing the AG's post from appointed to elected, effective in 2015. Over the past several weeks, the D.C. Council and Mayor Vincent C. Gray have debated the powers and authority of an elected AG. Unsurprisingly, Nathan has advocated the mayor retain prime control, denying the elected representative supremacy and resources.

During Mayor Adrian M. Fenty's administration, some legislators accused then-AG of acting as if he were the executive's general counsel -- not the attorney for the entire city, including its citizens. Nathan apparently suffers a similar affliction.

Residents certainly don't get much respect.

Consider his response to the lawsuit filed by several residents attempting to prevent the closure of 15 schools: "The plaintiffs," Nathan wrote, "have no injury with respect to schools they do not attend, therefore no standing."

That may be a typical legal argument. But should the city's AG make it against District residents?

Public education should be the interest of every citizen. Elected and appointed officials should encourage -- not discourage -- their involvement. Further, the proposed budget for public schools -- charters and traditional -- for fiscal 2014 is $1.5 billion. Local taxpayers would provide almost all of that amount -- $1.3 billion.

What's the price of "standing"?

Jonetta Rose Barras' column appears on Tuesday and Friday. She can be reached at jonetta@jonettarosebarras.com.