‘Catedral de Petrópolis’
courtesy of ‘Rodrigo_Soldon’
Some call it patronage, others call it working with people you know, either way, the practice is alive and well in DC. Once, patronage was so alive and well in the federal city, it dominated the political debate the way Healthcare, er sorry, just got the memo, Health Insurance Reform does right now. The corruption endemic to a system in which every player was installed by an elected official is a difficult thing to combat. Despite the reforms of the Williams administration, and early attempts by the Fenty administration, we’re still left with situations like that of Councilman Barry and his girlfriend Donna Watts-Brighthaupt.
So, is Patronage the right of the Politician? The reward for election? Or is it the Scourge of a healthy bureaucracy?
I live and work in the District of Columbia. I write at We Love DC, a blog I helped start, I work at Technolutionary, a company I helped start, and I’m happy doing both. I enjoy watching baseball, cooking, and gardening. I grow a mean pepper, keep a clean scorebook, and wash the dishes when I’m done. Read Why I Love DC.
