A meeting at New Mount Olive Baptist Church that some expected to be confrontational, even racially charged, evolved into a passionate work session, as city officials handed out hotline phone numbers and scribbled down dozens of addresses where problems were reported.

"We want to hear what’s bugging you and we want to fix it," Barnett said. "You shouldn’t have to come to a special meeting to get these things done."

She acknowledged that services are broken across the city, but conditions are worse east of the Anacostia River.

"It’s not a question of patching the potholes anymore," Barnett said. "We have to rebuild the entire street."

Out in the pews, heads nodded in agreement.

Others, while grateful for a chance to air their grievances, remained skeptical of real change.

"I can’t tell you how many of these meetings I have been to," said Lorraine Whitlock, a 48-year resident of the District. "I hear the same complaints and the same answers over and over and over."

One after another, residents, mostly middle-aged and older, stepped forward to the microphone to report vacant houses used by drug dealers, potholes big enough to burst tires and burned out shells of buildings that have stood empty and crumbling for 20 years. Residents said they have been reporting the same problems at the same locations for years, and still nothing gets done.

"Everybody is sick and tired of it," Whitlock said. "We’ve been the nicest little people in the world because we should have been marching and protesting and stomping and yelling."

Part of the problem, Barnett said, is communication. Forty percent of the District government’s phones are rotary, she said.

Another problem has been lack of funds, said James Aldridge, a housing supervisor with the Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs.

His department has been unable to board up or demolish hundreds of abandoned properties across the city because of budget restrictions, he said. "Our budget (for that) was $74,000. It takes $3,000 to barricade a house."

But city officials came under repeated fire from frustrated residents.

"We have been waiting for 10 years!" shouted one man in the audience.

"You try to be a decent citizen, but we can’t do all this ourselves," another resident said. "It hurts. Don’t they see the same things we see when they drive around, these people who are paid this money to fix things?"

As residents argued, cajoled and pleaded for help, strains of gospel music filtered into the sanctuary as the men’s choir downstairs sang, "Lord, Help Me To Hold Out."

Making sure each complaint was written down, Barnett promised problems would be fixed as soon as possible.

Barnett was hired six months ago to oversee citywide management reform. Fixing streets one pothole at a time wasn’t necessarily in her job description. And while residents were grateful for her help, some realized it is the whole system of service delivery that needs fixing.

"We are grateful for your help, but we need a more holistic approach," said William Martin. "This should not have to be done on an ad hoc basis."

Barnett agreed that management reform is a major goal but would take time. In the meantime, she said, she wanted to deliver some immediate, tangible results to the most pressing resident concerns.

"We want to have the kind of government that feels to you like we’re on your side," she said in a mild Texas accent. "Customer service is more than just smiling at people, although in some cases that would be an improvement."

East of the river, Barnett is better known to some as "that white lady from Texas," but neither her race nor her background seemed to matter to residents who met her face-to-face.

"I don’t care if she is white, black or purple," Whitlock said. "I don’t care where she comes from or how she got here. I just hope she can help."

Residents talked of frustration and despair as they watched their beloved neighborhoods crumble and their friends move to Maryland.

"Dr. Barnett, we are tired of promises," said ANC Commissioner Shelia Carson Carr. "We need these services out here now. I just hope I am not standing here next year telling you the same thing."

Copyright 1998, The Common Denominator