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Native Intelligence
	Singleton's status up in the air (Published August 23, 2004) By DIANA WINTHROP

Candidates for two of the four nonpartisan, elected seats on the D.C. Board of Education must submit their nominating petitions by the Aug. 25 deadline to qualify for the November ballot.

Julie Mikuta, who represents District I (encompassing Wards 1 and 2), has made it clear in the community that she is running for re-election. She so far faces a field of candidates similar to the last election cycle. Dwight Singleton, who represents District II (encompassing the politically active Wards 3 and 4), has so far seemed to be the reluctant candidate. He has failed to respond to reporters' inquiries and told Board of Education staffers as recently as a week ago that he was undecided about a re-election run. But Singleton finally picked up petitions Aug. 16, a little over a week from the filing deadline.

Described by some of his school board colleagues as the most inactive member, Singleton is considered most vulnerable not because his legendary mangling of the English language puts President Bush to shame, but because his work on behalf of the District's schoolchildren has been as stealthlike as his candidacy.

Ward 4 Councilman Adrian Fenty says he hasn't heard from Singleton in months. Fenty and Ward 3 Councilwoman Kathy Patterson sponsored joint meetings during the last school year on the D.C. Public Schools budget and on the eventually failed effort by Mayor Anthony Williams to take over the school system. Singleton was silent. DCPS staffers grumble that he shows up for board meetings in time for roll call votes but fails to do any of the "heavy lifting."

While the District II race is, as last time, a crowded one, Singleton may be counting on name familiarity to help him win. But this time there is another familiar name in the race. Hugh Allen, legislative chairman of the D.C. Congress of Parents and Teachers (DCPTA), is running again. This time Allen has already garnered support from Ward 3's Patterson and At-Large Councilman Phil Mendelson, who also lives in Ward 3.Whether Singleton will turn in his petitions is yet to be seen.

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In one of the most bizarre episodes of a high-profile D.C. criminal case, the daughter of Washington Teachers Union official Gwendolyn Hemphill sought to have information on her guilty plea sealed from one of her mother's lawyers. According to court documents, Cheryl Hemphill Martin pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to launder teachers' union funds, as did her husband, in April 2003. But court documents in this massive multimillion-dollar embezzlement and money laundering case indicate Martin was under pressure and was allegedly "intimidated" by an unnamed attorney for her mother. The "intimidation" took the form of lengthy conversations with Hemphill's attorney, who accused the government of tricking and misleading her as well as accused Martin's attorney of "ill serving his client."

Four other people – Cheryl's husband, Michael Martin, and his business partner, Errol Alderman; WTU driver Leroy Holmes; and former WTU president Barbara Bullock – have pleaded guilty. Bullock is currently serving a 10-year sentence at a federal prison in West Virginia. Hemphill, who was Bullock's assistant, and former WTU treasurer James Baxter have been indicted, but little action has occurred in their cases to date. According to court officials, no date has been set for their trials. Other sources say it is likely that the Hemphill and Baxter trials won't begin until next January – more than two years after the embezzlement scheme unraveled. Meanwhile, court sources say certain financial accounts of both Hemphill and Baxter have been frozen. And while Judge Richard Leon moved fairly quickly in Bullock's case, sources say the cases against other WTU officials are not on a prosecutorial fast track on a busy court docket.

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The job of presidential elector is largely a ceremonial one, an honor given to residents who have served their city and political party well. In many cases, the position often is awarded to a more "senior" resident – in the 2000 presidential election, Democratic National Committeewoman Barbara Lett Simmons, former Ward 6 city councilwoman Nadine Winter and former Washington Teachers Union president Bill Simons were electors. Readers may recall that Simmons refused to cast her ballot for Democratic candidate Al Gore, after he won the city's electoral votes in the November 2000 election, to protest the District's colonial status.This year Ward 2 Councilman Jack Evans has actually lobbied Democratic State Committee officials for the appointed job. Evans, who is unchallenged in his bid for the Democratic nomination to seek re-election, has had a less than auspicious political year. Along with other council members, he endorsed former Vermont governor Howard Dean early in the Democratic presidential campaign. (Batting one thousand, Evans led the same group of council members to endorse former senator Bill Bradley against Al Gore in 2000.) Poor Jack lost his bid to become a Kerry delegate to this year's convention and was rejected by the Kerry campaign to be an add-on Kerry delegate from D.C.

Evans, behaving like "the little engine that could," wants to do something politically this year. Executive committee members for the local Democratic organization tell me they see nothing wrong in giving Evans something for his troubles. However, council Chairman Linda Cropp is getting a cooler reception. Cropp is not expected to seek re-election in two years, but some party officials are still smarting from her support of a fundraiser two years ago for former GOP Congresswoman Connie Morella and what many complain is her general lack of support for her party. Democratic National Committeeman Arrington Dixon and octogenarian Jerry Cooper are the two others being mentioned for the ceremonial job.

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

Copyright 2004, The Common Denominator