“Who am I? Why am I here?”

by Ed Lazere, Executive Director, DC Fiscal Policy Institute

I was thinking of that hilarious, bizarre quote from Admiral Stockdale — Ross Perot’s 1992 running mate — as I sat down to write this. Why is the DC Fiscal Policy Institute, a budget watchdog that focuses largely on issues like affordable housing and human services, showing up on the DC Environmental Network blog?  Was this some kind of mistake?

Actually, there are lots of reasons to be here, and I appreciate the opportunity.

People like you who are passionate about improving DC’s environmental health should get to know more about the DC budget — and we at DCFPI are happy to help.  And there are many times reasons that environmental advocates may want to lock arms with advocates for the poor.  Here are a few.

Open and Transparent Government: This year, advocates led the cause to get the DC Council’s crucial final budget deliberations open to the public.  They were televised, which was a step forward though not perfect.  The streetcar fiasco could have been avoided if the Council had released its proposed final budget a few days before the vote — instead of a few hours.  I look forward to working with DCEN members to make DC’s budget documents and budget process more open and transparent.

Business Tax Subsidy Accountability: Before you say “huh?,” consider this: The Mayor and DC Council award millions in tax breaks each year to a wide array of development projects.  I am thinking of the $25 million offered to Northrop Grumman and a pending proposal to exempt the retail activities in Union Station from property taxes forever.  Every dollar of wasteful tax breaks is a dollar that is not available to meet real DC needs.

Friends of the Earth was one of the leading groups to challenge DC’s $700 million baseball stadium boondoggle, and together we almost succeeded in forcing the stadium to be built with a serious private contribution rather than being entirely financed with public funds. It was fun, too.

Revenue Increases: The Great Recession has devastated DC’s finances and forced cuts across the board.  The budget crisis is likely to continue for some time.  Environmentalists and advocates for the poor can work together to promote a balanced approach to the recession — one that includes revenue increase to help keep important services and programs from being cut.

Environmental Justice: Low-income communities often suffer the most from environmental negligence, and thus have a lot to gain from better environmental stewardship.

So, thanks for having me.  I look forward to getting to know you!