EDITORIAL & OPINION

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While the Ward 2 election ballot may be thin, The Georgetowner shall weigh in on the June 21 Democratic primary, with early voting and mail-in ballots already happening. Let’s deal with the cards we are dealt — therefore:

In a prosperous city, hit by the pandemic and White House machinations, Bowser stepped up and got the job done. She is still looking for ways to ensure all Washingtonians benefit from D.C.’s strong finances — such as affordable housing. (Her main opponent, Robert White, while admirable, may get his chance next time.) Bowser knows there is more work to be done and will do more in a third term (See our interview in this issue.). The Georgetowner newspaper supports her reelection.

Phil Mendelson is steady at the helm of the District Council, and steady wins the race. His is an important position for the District that Mendelson fills with careful consideration, a sense of balance and fiscal responsibility. We support his reelection.

The District’s longtime non-voting delegate to Congress — 15 terms — Eleanor Holmes Norton keeps on working for our constituents. We were pleased to see her at a recent ANC 2E meeting, later following up on promises. She is informed, involved and reasonable but calls out her opponents when needed. We support her reelection.

With Attorney General Karl Racine retiring, we look to Brian Schwalb, well known in the city and top lawyer at Venable. An activist in his own right, he holds the classic Democratic values of fighting for the underdog with the law in mind. The Georgetowner newspaper supports his election as attorney general.

The crowds are back. Pedestrians. Diners. Shoppers. Tourists. Students. The streets, once again, are packed.

And it’s a beautiful sight to see.

A quick look at our own “Biz Ins and Outs” shows there are more new businesses moving in than old stalwarts moving out. These new faces are mostly retailers, who originally made their name in e-commerce, or -- as they say in the trade-- DTC (Directto-Consumer). Stores like Everlane, Athleta, Allbirds, and Warby Parker, which had built well-established brand images online and targeted a well-defined, tech-savvy customer base, have now discovered it pays to go where the (old) money lives, shops and hangs out.

Which makes Georgetown an ideal location to plant some roots and create a brick-andmortar presence. According to a recent article in “Retail Dive,” a newsletter covering retail industry news and trends, we’re becoming a “hub” for DTC brands. Quoting Georgetown BID’s Joe Sternlieb, Georgetown offers the square footage and built-in foot traffic (and newly amenable landlords) every successful shopping area needs: “We have 2.8 million square feet of retail and 4,000 housing units, maybe 1,000 residents at best. Ten percent of our retail sales are to residents… 90 percent of the customers were imported from probably a two- or three-mile radius of Georgetown.” In other words, proximity is bliss.

Unlike other neighborhoods still feeling the repercussions of the pandemic and uneven hybrid work arrangements, Georgetown’s shops and restos enjoy regular repeat visits from locals and visitors, contributing to the lively vibe that extends well beyond standard business hours.

On the other hand, these new arrivals, however welcome, may not boast the same cultish allure as some of the locally grown stores we all remember -- Commander Salamander, say. Or The Biograph. (Cue your favorites.) Still, we should all be relieved that the report of Georgetown’s demise as a shopping haven had been greatly exaggerated. And that’s good news for everyone.

BY SUSAN BODIKER

Patients suffering from intractable, chronic, or phantom-limb pain often find relief in mirror therapy, which tricks the brain into believing the injured limb is “healed” by viewing a reflection of a normal, pain-free one.

We are living in just such a world, but in reverse. Instead of seeing a healthy body politic, we have in its place a seemingly infinite iteration of images reflecting lie after lie, distortion after distortion and the maladies infecting our republic.

We refer, of course, to the fantastical (un) reality conjured by former president Trump and his henchmen that describes the violent insurrection at the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021 – the day the Senate met to confirm President Biden’s victory in the Electoral College -- as “legitimate political discourse.” Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-NY) promised, even before the long-awaited hearings began, that “You will see us all over the airwaves. We will be setting the record straight. We will be telling the truth to the American people sharing the facts and also really pointing out how unprecedented and unconstitutional and illegitimate this committee is.” Indeed, in his “pre-buttal,” the dishonorable House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) who refused to comply with committee subpoenas, called the investigation “political” and a “witch hunt.” TV host Tucker Carlson, ever more extreme from night to night, declared Fox would not be televising the “propaganda.”

In prime time on Friday evening June 9, however, the evidence presented to launch the hearings was stunning and disturbing. More frightening than we remembered, a nightmare in the retelling. And the worst of it is the “firehose of falsehoods” keeps coming. As long as people believe the debunked assertions that the “election was stolen” and voter fraud is widespread, as long as wellfinanced platforms support the malignant inversion of our founding values, our republic might not survive the next insurrection.

In her opening remarks, committee co-chair Rep Liz Cheney (R-WY) warned her Republican colleagues who were “defending the indefensible” and perpetuating the lies: “There will come a day when Donald Trump is gone, but your dishonor will remain.”

And what we see in the mirror will be too painful to contemplate.

The May 11 opinion piece “SCOTUS Springs a Leak” by Susan Bodiker ignores the fact that under our Constitution, only State legislatures have authority to enact laws governing the health and wellbeing of their citizens. The 1973 decision in Roe vs. Wade, however, usurped a part of that exclusive authority from the States. The Alito draft opinion simply rectifies that basic constitutional error and returns the regulation of abortion to the States.

Moreover, “Justices Thomas, Alito, Gorsuch, Kavanaugh and Barrett” did not “swear to uphold stare decisis,” as Ms. Bodiker asserts. A careful review of the testimony shows they agreed that stare decisis is an important legal principle in our jurisprudence – not that it must be followed when earlier Constitutional interpretations, such as Plessy vs. Ferguson (1896), are later recognized to have been decided in error. The Supreme Court has overruled many of its previous decisions in the past and will continue to do so in the future when it concludes such action is necessary. — Don W. Crockett, Georgetown

Dear Lady and Gentleman of the Press:

I can’t thank you both enough for the warm and wonderful “homecoming” you created, thanks to your gracious reporting of my return to Georgetown and Everard’s in mid-May! As always, the high level of readership you attract brought wonderful longtime fans and me back together, for which I’m very grateful. Very best regards and thanks to y’all! Brava/Bravo! — Alexander Julian, Puglia, Italy (on vacation); Chapel Hill, North Carolina

In the May 11 article — “What’s the Latest on Streateries and Sidewalks?” — Joe Sternlieb, president of Georgetown Business Improvement District (BID), apparently said he is conducting surveys with residents on continuing with the streateries program. I was disappointed not to be consulted.

As a resident of Georgetown off and on since 1976, it is depressing to see the lack of aesthetic. Islands of excellence, such as Cady’s Alley, remain exceptions to the rule.

The pandemic and resulting expanded sidewalks give us an opportunity to rethink how Georgetown works and is likely to work in future. Cars are likely to become less important to cities, as fewer people drive. Banning parking on Wisconsin and M Streets and expanding sidewalks in an aesthetically pleasing way will attract locals to the local restaurants and non-residents to whatever local shops remain.

The Georgetown BID in association with the Citizens Association of Georgetown and the Georgetown Historical Society could also do better on the quality of retail frontage. Too many are eyesores. Have a competition for the best (and worse). — Judy O’Connor