[Wpfw-lsb] wpfw work on bill 15-1028

[thomas ruffin]

dear wpfw local station board:

jim brown performed wonderfully in putting together the editorial against
the proposal for government-funding for a new baseball stadium.  in truth,
he deserves the credit for the editorial and for his leadership on this
project.  i am proud that he asked me for some advice about the matter. 
yet, in the end, he produced the editorial and delivered the statement on
the radio.  also, he well represented the sentiments of our local station
board.

i also thank ambrose lane for suggesting to jim brown and to the rest of us
working on this project that the editorial directly address the issue of
government-funding for a new stadium, and that the editorial exemplify our
board's authority to establish for wpfw a policy about these important
social issues.  moreover, i want to thank joni eisenberg for pushing us as
a board to come together when we met the day after our local station board
adopted the resolution calling for wpfw broadcast editorials and programs
that would both examine and, when appropriate, condemn the injustices of
the government-funding proposal for the stadium.  in that vein, i heartily
thank mark berman who pushed us on last wednesday night to adopt the
resolution that led to such decisive and effective action.  wpfw in a
timely way participated in a community action that slowed down an injustice
that major league baseball, mayor anthony williams, councilmember jack
evans, and other councilmembers manufactured at the expense of the poor and
the disenfranchised in the district of columbia.

in the end, like joni, i want to thank everyone who did so much in so
little time so that wpfw could be a vehicle for important community debate.
the staff, perhaps principally askia muhammad, ron pinchback, ryme
kathouda, gloria minot, and cedrac franklin, with help from rob robinson,
provided excellent work in producing, editing, directing,
scripting,engineering, and otherwise putting together fine broadcasts
against the government-funding initiative for the baseball stadium.  so
many hard-working people came together, not for wpfw, but for the
community, and they worked hard and very well together.  indeed, members of
the d.c. radio coop, although in conflict with management about their role
at the station, worked vigorously and with great professional care in
producing some of the most important segments of these broadcasts.  in this
regard, selina musuta, darby hickey, and several others whose names i
forget did good.  in fact, they performed exceedingly well.  in this
project at the least, their work proved to be indispensable.

thank you all for this.  city residents will warmly appreciate wpfw's
continuing contribution towards stopping this tragic proposal from
enriching major league baseball at the expense of the poor and the needy. 
indeed, as a representative of the anacostia neighborhood improvement
association, i know that our small group greatly appreciated all that you
did.

thomas ruffin.