Missed this on Friday, but D.C. Wire did a post on D.C. Council member Phil Mendelson's (D-At Large) comments on the eviction of Cora Masters Barry's organization from the Southeast Tennis and Learning Center. Mendelson, chair of the Council's Judiciary committee thought that the situation could have been handled with a phone call, but it appears that the Attorney General disagrees. Barry's organization deems themselves a "tenant" of the center and that proper eviction policies were not followed. However, Attorney General Nickles said that they are a contractor that requires a corporate charter, and that even though the Mayor originally called this a "technical" issue, Nickles disagrees. It's hard to say what's going on here, but I'm gonna take a stab and say that if the Mayor or the city wanted to fix this, they would have picked up the phone, but since they didn't, then I think it's clear they have their own agenda.A direct appeal to the mayor made by Serena and Venus Williams, has only seemed to force the mayor's hand as far as an additional comment, but not a change of heart. Originally, Fenty's office stated that if Ms. Barry got her papers together, then the Mayor's office would determine if she could play a role in the future plans of the city. If she could play a role? WOW--looks like someone is being demoted. A second statement released, not long after the first said that, "While we can't comment on lease/contracting issues, the Administration appreciates the contributions and partnership of Cora Masters Barry over the years and will work hard to find ways to continue working with her going forward." Regardless of how you look at it, both statements sound like a thanks for all you've done, but we'll take it from here, kind of statement.
