20 “At-Will” Employees Dismissed!

WMATA General Manager, Paul Wiedefeld, announced in an in-house email, that the firing of 20 non-union managers Friday, in what the agency’s top executive described as a step toward “restructuring”, was effective immediately. Metro spokesman Dan Stessel said those terminated managers were among approximately 650 “at-will” employees of the transit agency, meaning they could be let go at the general manager’s discretion.

It appears that DC finally has at least one Agency Head/Public Servant who has the courage to due the right thing for the safety of our citizens and visitors who use the transit system daily to traverse the Nation’s Capital.

The Concerned Citizen applauds and supports Mr. Wiedefeld for taking this decisive and long overdue action.

Filed under: Public Servants

Major Metro Shutdown

The first major shutdown of the Metro DMV subway system begins today.

The blue, orange, and silver lines will be closed entirely between the Minnesota Avenue and Eastern Market stations. The shutdown runs through July 3rd and will affect the commute for tens of thousands of people, particularly those who take Metro from Prince George’s County, Maryland. Metro will offer bus service between the two closed stations, but general manager Paul Wiedefeld cautioned riders that the buses simply will not be able to handle the number of people who usually ride the subway during rush hour.

Government agencies are being urged to allow workers affected by the shutdown to modify their work schedules.  Contributed by:  p_smith@ccindc.com

Filed under: The Watch Desk

DC to help residents pay for surveillance cameras.

Police say surveillance video helped track down the man charged in the shooting on North Capitol Street due to images captured by several Security Cameras on private residences and businesses in the area. Chief Lanier said that the North Capitol Street case is a perfect example where cameras can be extremely useful to police. So, the District has now adopted a Security Camera System Incentive Program that will reimburse up to $500 of camera costs to residents who purchase and install video surveillance equipment. The program was initiated by the D.C. Council earlier this year with a limited pool of resources.

Mayor Bowser said “Our security camera program continues to have funds available and we want people to call us so if we have an incident we can make a swift arrest.” DC residents can contact the program at security.cameras@dc.gov or, by calling 202-727-5124.

The Concerned Citizen urges residents to call the number listed above and take advantage of this program while funds are still available.

Reported by:  Jillian A. Cohen |  ja_cohen@theconcernedcitizen.net

Filed under: Around Town