News Release
Orange Proposes Term Limits, Jobs Czar and Strip Club Moratorium
For Immediate Release: February 2, 2012 at 2:24 pm
[www.brooklandheartbeat.org]
On September 20, At-large Councilmember and Ward 5 resident Vincent Orange introduced a bundle of bills to the D.C. Council. Mr. Orange said the theme of his proposed legislation was “a fresh start and a new deal.”
“We need to look for a brighter future and a new start, like having councilmembers be full time, with term limits, and having high ethical standards,” said Mr. Orange. Since the current Council took office in January it has been engulfed in a series of ethical scandals.
Mr. Orange proposes limiting councilmembers, the Mayor, and other officials to no more than two consecutive terms in office. Mr. Orange would also require councilmembers to quit outside employment and work full-time as councilmembers—with no increase in pay—to reduce conflicts of interest. Councilmembers are currently paid approximately $125,000 per year.
Mr. Orange proposes an “ethics and accountability task force” to further ensure the integrity of District officials by implementing ethics reforms and creating penalties for ethical violations.
Mr. Orange’s legislative proposals also include the creation of a Jobs Czar to tackle unemployment. The Jobs Czar would be responsible for ensuring preparedness of the District’s workforce and for enforcing First Source Employment Agreements and the Living Wage Act.
In response to the recent inflow of strip clubs to the streets surrounding New York Avenue and Bladensburg Road NE, Mr. Orange proposes a moratorium on “strip clubs, topless bars, gentlemen’s clubs, or adult entertainment establishments in Ward 5.” Mr. Orange said “I definitely do not want to see New York Avenue or that area become the new red light district.”
The concentration of nightclubs and strip clubs in Ward 5 continues to attract the interest of out-of-town club promoters. Geoffrey Taylor, a real estate agent based in Vienna, VA, recently asked the Alcoholic Beverage Control Board if there were any legal obstacles to opening a strip club at 1356 Okie Street NE near the nightclub Love. The ABC Board issued a formal opinion on September 21st that a strip club could locate there if the establishment held a strip club license from a property zoned CM-2.
Mr. Orange said he would move quickly to get a hearing on the strip club moratorium to prevent more establishments from coming to Ward 5. “There are 6 or 8 licenses that could be transferred from the ballpark area,” he warned. Mr. Orange urged residents to contact him and Committee Chair Yvette Alexander if they supported his legislation.
While not a co-sponsor of Mr. Orange’s strip club legislation, Ward 5 Councilmember Harry Thomas Jr. said he supports the moratorium.
Documents released by the D.C. Attorney General during the investigation of Mr. Thomas’ now-defunct charity, Team Thomas, revealed that Team Thomas accepted $6,000 in donations from Ward 5 strip club owner Keith Forney. Mr. Forney also donated $2,700 to Mr. Thomas’ Ward 5 constituent-services fund.
The Orange Vision
Vincent's vision for Washington, DC, is that of a world-class city operating at its fullest potential. An extremely vibrant city that continues to beckon individuals, couples and families to live in, visit and experience its culture, arts, restaurants, retail, entertainment, sports venues, neighborhoods and tourism. More
Get to Know Vincent
As an attorney and certifiedpublic accountant, Vincent Orange has the skillset DC needs to make the citygreat again. In his earlier tenure on the DC Council, Vincent helped the cityturn a $518 million deficit into a $1.6 billion surplus reserve. Sincere-joining the DC Council last year, he has been at the forefront of efforts torestore ethical integrity to the Council, root out government waste, providejobs and continue education reform.More
