Not supporting Muriel Bowser anymore

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The assault she’s unleashing on federal workers by solely blaming them for downtown DC not being “vibrant” because of remote work, is just so out of touch. And she’s aligning with the incoming administration? Has she lost her mind? I’m angry at this. I just want to vent. Why are feds always targeted unfairly for everything?

If she really wanted Federal Workers to return to office, maybe thinking about how they might get to the office will help.
Rock Creek closing Beech Drive
CT Ave - it is bad enough that you no longer have the additional lane but adding in the restaurant taking over the lane
Losing lanes to bike lanes (some that are barely used) has lead to gridlock
Changing some streets to one way etc etc etc

Everyone in my office takes Metro or the MARC train, except for one person who drives.

The bike racks are full, too.

My company has free garage parking at our downtown DC office, or employees can opt for free metro rides instead. Almost everyone drives, including lots of young people who live in DC. People really only take public transportation if parking is very expensive.

I don’t think the federal govt has ever offered free parking. There are also many BigLaw firms that don’t provide it…but lawyers get paid lots of $$$s so wouldn’t be surprised if many pay for monthly parking on their own nickel.

[Anonymous]

I always feel so weird out of step with my fellow District residents.

Muriel Bowser is the literal worst but pushing for federal RTO is good for DC. I know feds don't like it -- I also didn't like being pushed back into the office. But it's good for the city. A lot of my colleagues live in the burbs and they don't care but I live in the district and I know it's good for the city. If you are a fed go ahead and fight it, but getting mad at Bowser for advocating that one of it's largest employers (the largest? I don't actually know) actually put people in the enormous number of tax-exempt office buildings in DC is not a defensible position in terms of district policy. DC needs the revenue, the cultural impact, and follow-in economic boost.

This is also how I felt when people in DC were mad at Bowser for saying she wanted to get kids back in schools during Covid. Everyone is entitled to their opinion but it's confusing when I feel so at odds with my neighbors.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The assault she’s unleashing on federal workers by solely blaming them for downtown DC not being “vibrant” because of remote work, is just so out of touch. And she’s aligning with the incoming administration? Has she lost her mind? I’m angry at this. I just want to vent. Why are feds always targeted unfairly for everything?

If she really wanted Federal Workers to return to office, maybe thinking about how they might get to the office will help.
Rock Creek closing Beech Drive
CT Ave - it is bad enough that you no longer have the additional lane but adding in the restaurant taking over the lane
Losing lanes to bike lanes (some that are barely used) has lead to gridlock
Changing some streets to one way etc etc etc

Everyone in my office takes Metro or the MARC train, except for one person who drives.

The bike racks are full, too.

My company has free garage parking at our downtown DC office, or employees can opt for free metro rides instead. Almost everyone drives, including lots of young people who live in DC. People really only take public transportation if parking is very expensive.

I don’t think the federal govt has ever offered free parking. There are also many BigLaw firms that don’t provide it…but lawyers get paid lots of $$$s so wouldn’t be surprised if many pay for monthly parking on their own nickel.

Partners and some other lawyers at the firm will but people forget that law firms (and lobbying outfits and consulting firms) have tons of employees who don't make top salaries. Sure, the partner making 900k per year and driving in from a metro inaccessible house in falls church will pay for a space in the building. His legal secretary making 95k and commuting in from Silver Spring after dropping kids off at school can't afford that and will take the metro.

Associates technically make enough to afford to pay for parking but many associates are still paying down 200k in law school loans, and the cost of a car and gas and parking adds up pretty quickly. I know plenty of associates who don't feel like they can afford to pay the premium for parking downtown.

So at any one of these firms you will have more employees who can't afford to drive/park than do. Law firms are not soley comprised of very wealthy workers.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The assault she’s unleashing on federal workers by solely blaming them for downtown DC not being “vibrant” because of remote work, is just so out of touch. And she’s aligning with the incoming administration? Has she lost her mind? I’m angry at this. I just want to vent. Why are feds always targeted unfairly for everything?

If she really wanted Federal Workers to return to office, maybe thinking about how they might get to the office will help.
Rock Creek closing Beech Drive
CT Ave - it is bad enough that you no longer have the additional lane but adding in the restaurant taking over the lane
Losing lanes to bike lanes (some that are barely used) has lead to gridlock
Changing some streets to one way etc etc etc

Everyone in my office takes Metro or the MARC train, except for one person who drives.

The bike racks are full, too.

My company has free garage parking at our downtown DC office, or employees can opt for free metro rides instead. Almost everyone drives, including lots of young people who live in DC. People really only take public transportation if parking is very expensive.

This is not the norm. The last time I got free parking as a perk for a job in DC was 2010 and then we changed offices and they took it away and when I complained I discovered that NO ONE else I knew had that perk.

I'm sure like corporate execs and managing partners and that kind of person still gets it but the vast majority of downtown office workers have to pay for parking if they drive.

[Anonymous]

Here’s hoping that Trump makes Bowser paint over “BLM Real Estate Grifters” Plaza near the White House.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Here’s hoping that Trump makes Bowser paint over “BLM Real Estate Grifters” Plaza near the White House.

I'd put the odds at nearly 100%. It's the sort of symbolic stupidity that both Bowser and Trump love.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:lololol I thought this was going to be someone who finally woke up to her outrageous failure on crime.

Right!!!!!

Instead it’s Federal RTO that radicalized folks instead.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The assault she’s unleashing on federal workers by solely blaming them for downtown DC not being “vibrant” because of remote work, is just so out of touch. And she’s aligning with the incoming administration? Has she lost her mind? I’m angry at this. I just want to vent. Why are feds always targeted unfairly for everything?

If she really wanted Federal Workers to return to office, maybe thinking about how they might get to the office will help.
Rock Creek closing Beech Drive
CT Ave - it is bad enough that you no longer have the additional lane but adding in the restaurant taking over the lane
Losing lanes to bike lanes (some that are barely used) has lead to gridlock
Changing some streets to one way etc etc etc

Hard to see Trump keeping Beach Dr closed. That’s just a nonsense. I also bet the Virginia Avenue bike lanes disappear. Harris’s motorcade busted a tire on them in the tunnel and it is objectively a serious security risk.

I'm constantly torn between disliking Muriel Bowser for my reasons (she's terrible about Vision Zero, the John Falcicchio thing, now this "return to office" nonsense) and supporting her because the WJLA-watchers, racists, and obsessed bike-haters on DCUM hate her.

The anti-Bowser brigade who think she hasn’t been progressive enough is the most interesting niche group in the city. Over-represented on social media. But don’t exist anywhere else in the wild.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Aww you poor thing. You to stop "working" from home. Grow up and work a 9-5 like normal adults. There are lots of reasons that bowser is a disaster and this isn't one of them. Please do all of us taxpayers a favor and retire.

Funny because I live in Arlington and my $$$ neighborhood is full of very successful private sector employees who WAH at least several days per week including my DH who hasn’t gone into an office (aside from occasional large conferences and events to mentor others) in over a decade. And he makes more than me (plus stock bonuses). Many of them work with colleagues and clients across the globe so they work odd hours at times (with busy and slower seasons) versus the 9-5 butt in seat in some office complex of the Boomer generation.

I will be sure to let them all know they aren’t “normal adults.” Also I’m willing to bet you are at least 45 if not older and have no idea how things work anymore.

Yep.

I work for a major bank, fully remote. I make $170K.

DH is the CMO of a company. He’s fully remote. Makes over a million dollars a year. He hasn’t gone into an office since 2018.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP can you link to what she's recently said on this?

This or anyone else?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Aww you poor thing. You to stop "working" from home. Grow up and work a 9-5 like normal adults. There are lots of reasons that bowser is a disaster and this isn't one of them. Please do all of us taxpayers a favor and retire.

Funny because I live in Arlington and my $$$ neighborhood is full of very successful private sector employees who WAH at least several days per week including my DH who hasn’t gone into an office (aside from occasional large conferences and events to mentor others) in over a decade. And he makes more than me (plus stock bonuses). Many of them work with colleagues and clients across the globe so they work odd hours at times (with busy and slower seasons) versus the 9-5 butt in seat in some office complex of the Boomer generation.

I will be sure to let them all know they aren’t “normal adults.” Also I’m willing to bet you are at least 45 if not older and have no idea how things work anymore.

+1

I used to be forced to commute to an office even though my coworkers worked from home around the US. Eventually, I was able to WFH too.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I always feel so weird out of step with my fellow District residents.

Muriel Bowser is the literal worst but pushing for federal RTO is good for DC. I know feds don't like it -- I also didn't like being pushed back into the office. But it's good for the city. A lot of my colleagues live in the burbs and they don't care but I live in the district and I know it's good for the city. If you are a fed go ahead and fight it, but getting mad at Bowser for advocating that one of it's largest employers (the largest? I don't actually know) actually put people in the enormous number of tax-exempt office buildings in DC is not a defensible position in terms of district policy. DC needs the revenue, the cultural impact, and follow-in economic boost.

This is also how I felt when people in DC were mad at Bowser for saying she wanted to get kids back in schools during Covid. Everyone is entitled to their opinion but it's confusing when I feel so at odds with my neighbors.

I 100% agree. And we’re seeing the poor consequences of both in lost revenue and kids further behind in school and highest truancy rates ever. Remote work only improved traffic for drivers but it had no other benefits for the city.

[Anonymous]

I am also one of those "over 45" working fro home and have been for quite some time.

The problem is, we have a whole generation of 20-somethings who need the mentoring, the networking and "water cooler bull sessions" to adjust into what us older folks know as "regular working conditions.

Sure, we were lucky that COViD his and we were all established in our jobs and careers. But for anyone who has graduated from college the last say 6-8 years, it has been very disruptive.

[Anonymous]

This is what made you not support her? Not all of the corruption and stupidity?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The assault she’s unleashing on federal workers by solely blaming them for downtown DC not being “vibrant” because of remote work, is just so out of touch. And she’s aligning with the incoming administration? Has she lost her mind? I’m angry at this. I just want to vent. Why are feds always targeted unfairly for everything?

If she really wanted Federal Workers to return to office, maybe thinking about how they might get to the office will help.
Rock Creek closing Beech Drive
CT Ave - it is bad enough that you no longer have the additional lane but adding in the restaurant taking over the lane
Losing lanes to bike lanes (some that are barely used) has lead to gridlock
Changing some streets to one way etc etc etc

DC transportation policy shouldn’t cater to your car addiction. In fact, it should wean you off your car addiction. The metro area has a great public transport network. I’d recommend familiarizing yourself with it.

Compared to London, Paris, and other capital cities in the Western World, the DC Metro is incredibly small and incredibly unsafe. Asking people to give up their cars to risk their safety on an unsafe, paltry Metro network years is ridiculous. Maybe build some more Metro lines and make it less stabby and THEN ask for people to get out of their cars to use it.