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D.C. "State" Quarter - Mint Expected to Balk at Voting Rights Message
Goldbully
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This could only happen in the District of 'Marion Barry, the B*tch set me up' Columbia.
By Mary Beth Sheridan
Washington Post Staff Writer
Tuesday, February 26, 2008; Page B02
Forget the fragile cherry blossoms and cuddly panda bears. The District has decided to seek a tougher message on its new commemorative quarter: a protest of its lack of full voting rights.
The only question is whether the U.S. Mint will go along.
Yesterday, the District submitted three ideas for its quarter, part of a popular program that has produced coins representing each of the 50 states. One would feature the three stars and two bars of the D.C. flag; another would portray Benjamin Banneker, the 18th-century abolitionist who helped survey the city; and another would depict jazz great Duke Ellington, a D.C. native.
Each design would include the inscription "Taxation Without Representation" or "No Taxation Without Representation."
Those slogans were broadly popular as the D.C. government sought suggestions from residents in recent weeks on what to put on the coin. About one-third of the 350 people who sent in ideas requested the inscriptions, city officials said.
But the Mint does not allow "controversial subjects" on the coins, according to its guidelines. Even before the District submitted its ideas, the Mint had expressed its lack of enthusiasm for the voting rights theme, said Stephanie D. Scott, secretary of the District.
"They do not expect they will approve it," she said of federal officials.
Hoping to change minds, Scott sent a memo explaining why the city viewed the phrases as reflecting D.C. reality, not a political rant.
"Our citizens see this as an opportunity -- similar to our license plates -- to educate the general public" about the voting rights issue, said her memo to Treasury Secretary Henry M. Paulson Jr.
About 30 billion coins have been issued through the U.S. quarters program, which was established in 1998. The law that set up the program left out the District, a sore point for a city smarting over its limited autonomy and lack of voting representation in Congress. After years of complaints, the city was added to the program in December, along with five U.S. territories.
The District coin is expected to be minted in 2009.
Mayor Adrian M. Fenty (D) called on city residents in recent weeks to pitch their ideas for the quarter, and they were not shy in responding.
In addition to monuments, birds and flowers, there were calls for exploding manhole covers and red-light cameras. One person suggested a picture of Alexander "Boss" Shepherd, the 19th-century public works czar, eating a hot dog from Ben's Chili Bowl, a well-known restaurant. Another sent a drawing of a subway escalator, apparently aimed at educating clueless tourists. "Step to the Right on Metro Escalators," the motto read.
Scott and her team did not limit themselves to the e-mails, calls and letters from residents. They checked out local blogs that solicited ideas, which ran from the serious to the sarcastic.
The suggestions included making use of such potential D.C. symbols as a rat and a crack pipe. One blogger called for commemorating a takeout joint called Fish N Stuff.
"People were definitely into this," Scott said.
The final selections were made by Scott and a three-person committee of D.C. residents named by city dignitaries. They included Ayanna Smith, a communications professional; Natalie Ludaway, a lawyer; and Michael Fauntroy, a political science professor and nephew of the District's first congressional delegate .
The official District submission includes "narratives" of what the design should include, rather than actual drawings.
The U.S. Mint will study the ideas and then hold further talks with the city. Greg Hernandez, a Mint spokesman, declined to say whether the voting-rights proposals would be rejected.
"We just received them. They're being reviewed," he said.
WaPo Link
By Mary Beth Sheridan
Washington Post Staff Writer
Tuesday, February 26, 2008; Page B02
Forget the fragile cherry blossoms and cuddly panda bears. The District has decided to seek a tougher message on its new commemorative quarter: a protest of its lack of full voting rights.
The only question is whether the U.S. Mint will go along.
Yesterday, the District submitted three ideas for its quarter, part of a popular program that has produced coins representing each of the 50 states. One would feature the three stars and two bars of the D.C. flag; another would portray Benjamin Banneker, the 18th-century abolitionist who helped survey the city; and another would depict jazz great Duke Ellington, a D.C. native.
Each design would include the inscription "Taxation Without Representation" or "No Taxation Without Representation."
Those slogans were broadly popular as the D.C. government sought suggestions from residents in recent weeks on what to put on the coin. About one-third of the 350 people who sent in ideas requested the inscriptions, city officials said.
But the Mint does not allow "controversial subjects" on the coins, according to its guidelines. Even before the District submitted its ideas, the Mint had expressed its lack of enthusiasm for the voting rights theme, said Stephanie D. Scott, secretary of the District.
"They do not expect they will approve it," she said of federal officials.
Hoping to change minds, Scott sent a memo explaining why the city viewed the phrases as reflecting D.C. reality, not a political rant.
"Our citizens see this as an opportunity -- similar to our license plates -- to educate the general public" about the voting rights issue, said her memo to Treasury Secretary Henry M. Paulson Jr.
About 30 billion coins have been issued through the U.S. quarters program, which was established in 1998. The law that set up the program left out the District, a sore point for a city smarting over its limited autonomy and lack of voting representation in Congress. After years of complaints, the city was added to the program in December, along with five U.S. territories.
The District coin is expected to be minted in 2009.
Mayor Adrian M. Fenty (D) called on city residents in recent weeks to pitch their ideas for the quarter, and they were not shy in responding.
In addition to monuments, birds and flowers, there were calls for exploding manhole covers and red-light cameras. One person suggested a picture of Alexander "Boss" Shepherd, the 19th-century public works czar, eating a hot dog from Ben's Chili Bowl, a well-known restaurant. Another sent a drawing of a subway escalator, apparently aimed at educating clueless tourists. "Step to the Right on Metro Escalators," the motto read.
Scott and her team did not limit themselves to the e-mails, calls and letters from residents. They checked out local blogs that solicited ideas, which ran from the serious to the sarcastic.
The suggestions included making use of such potential D.C. symbols as a rat and a crack pipe. One blogger called for commemorating a takeout joint called Fish N Stuff.
"People were definitely into this," Scott said.
The final selections were made by Scott and a three-person committee of D.C. residents named by city dignitaries. They included Ayanna Smith, a communications professional; Natalie Ludaway, a lawyer; and Michael Fauntroy, a political science professor and nephew of the District's first congressional delegate .
The official District submission includes "narratives" of what the design should include, rather than actual drawings.
The U.S. Mint will study the ideas and then hold further talks with the city. Greg Hernandez, a Mint spokesman, declined to say whether the voting-rights proposals would be rejected.
"We just received them. They're being reviewed," he said.
WaPo Link
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Comments
<< <i>This could only happen in the District of 'Marion Barry, the B*tch set me up' Columbia. >>
Heh! I know Marion Barry. He just likes to party.
>>>My Collection
articulate people through all sections of the city but a significant number of the people who
actually live in this area went to school here and many can't read or write.
Was this a telephone poll or was it written?
It sounds to me that if 1/3 requested it then it's a political ploy and most of the responses
were from "plants".
This is an issue in the district but it's hardly a thing that's likely to appear with this frequency
from a cross section.
Of course this would sit better with me than an Hawai'i quarter though.
<< <i>You never know - the Mint's main administrative offices are in DC, so they many there be sympathetic.
I know......show the Mint's headquarters building on the D.C. quarter.........
TD
<< <i>You never know - the Mint's main administrative offices are in DC, so they many there be sympathetic. >>
These workers live in the VA and MD suburbs - few actually live in the District itself.
60 years into this hobby and I'm still working on my Lincoln set!