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Native Intelligence
	D.C. youths deserve real summer jobs (Published May 30, 2005) By DIANA WINTHROP

During the past few weeks, neighborhood newsletters and online community discussion groups have been full of notices from people seeking jobs for their children or their nieces and nephews. Some have even placed notices for neighbors whose children, who are home from college, desperately need to earn money to help pay for their skyrocketing college costs.

In contrast to previous years, when the District's summer employment program was short of money and jobs, government employment rightly was limited to those students with the most financial need. This year, the city is flush with money for the summer program but – yet again – not with jobs. A nonplused Diana Johnson, associate director of public affairs for the D.C. Department of Employment Services, conceded that as of the end of May, there are not enough jobs, just yet, to meet the demand. Johnson said the District will begin its public campaign for more jobs in the next few weeks, hoping the private sector will provide enough work for the D.C. youths ranging in age from 14 to 21 who have signed up to participate in the program. The program begins July 5 and runs through Aug. 12, and Johnson does not seem worried that the private-sector jobs might not materialize.

I don't mean to be constantly hammering Mayor Anthony Williams, but I don't understand why the mayor, who routinely touts the District's success in forging public-private partnerships, can't or won't develop a meaningful summer employment program with reasonably decent wages.

Johnson says her department works year-round with the business community, but apparently waits until the last minute to nail down summer jobs. Verizon is the lone company that Johnson identified as creating a good summer training and employment program. The business community deserves some of the blame regarding the quality of summer work experience for young people. It costs time and money to invest in a young person's training, but the real sin is the business community's penchant to "create work" for them to do.

In previous years, I was a television producer. I managed a number of young people during their summer employment at some broadcast facilities. In all instances, the kids were dumped on me at the last minute and I was told to "find something for them to do." It was the extent of the television station's commitment to D.C. youth.

I did find more than "just something" for the summer job trainees to do, but not without taking the time to teach some important skills. I was lucky to work with them those summers. I discovered I made a difference in their lives – not every one of them, but enough of them to know it was worth every penny of the employer's time I devoted to teaching those young people.

Williams also definitely needs "to be hit upside the head," as one disgruntled resident termed it, for allowing his summer jobs program to pay the federal minimum wage of $5.15 per hour instead of the District's minimum wage of $6.60 an hour. The summer jobs participants are already limited to 30 hours a week for six weeks, and many need the money to pay for school expenses. In some cases, summer wages help augment family income.

Is it unreasonable to demand that Mayor Williams focus on improving this year's summer jobs program after he returns from those out-of-town Nationals' games? Doesn't he owe D.C.'s young people more than just some "busy work" jobs for $5.15 an hour?

D.C.'S NEW LOYALTY OATH: In the merry month of June, neighborhood Democratic Party activists are scheduled to elect new officers for the ward organizations. The annual ritual has generated a little more activity than usual this year, because three of the ward councilmen are in various stages of deciding whether to run for mayor in 2006.

Ward 2 Councilman Jack Evans already has said he is taking a second shot at running for mayor. Evans, who is now the darling of suburban baseball fanatics, expects to out-finance his challengers in the Democratic mayoral primary with all of the money from his suburban admirers. Ward 4 Councilman Adrian Fenty is expected to announce June 1 that he's running, and Ward 5 Councilman Vincent Orange has indicated he will decide later this year.

Ward 2's party election on June 14 has generated a little moral controversy, as well. Some of the ward's Democratic activists are angry at Evans and his hand-picked candidate for president, Ward Dickson, because they say Dickson is promoting loyalty to Evans and a commitment to work for his election as mayor. Dickson could not be reached for comment before press time. Evans and I played phone tag before the Memorial Day holiday.

Most of the Ward 2 party activists I contacted indicated they like Evans. (They said Evans is smart and a good council member.) But many were less enthusiastic regarding a mayoral run. They cited his quick temper and impatience as two qualities that make him unattractive as a mayoral candidate.

For those of us who thought so-called "loyalty oaths" went out with Sen. Joe McCarthy in the 1950s, it's disheartening that some of Jack Evans' supporters seem to have brought them back to D.C. politics.

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Diana Winthrop is a native Washingtonian. Contact her at diana@thecommondenominator.com.

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