District residents are mourning the loss of a prolific D.C. Statehood activist who died Friday.
Jerry Clark, founder of the D.C. Statehood Coalition, “died peacefully in his sleep at Virginia Hospital Center” at the age of 74, according to fellow advocacy group New Columbia Vision. Clark was reportedly battling health problems related to a fall he suffered in January.
From Alden Leonard. Contact him at [email protected] and follow him @aldenleonard on Twitter.
The New Hampshire House of Representatives has voted down a proposal that would have made it the first state to endorse statehood for the District, DCist reports. The measure failed by a 248-79 vote that fell mostly along party lines. (See Borderstan’s previous coverage on the DC statehood movement, links at bottom of this post.)
Click for more photos from DC Flag Tattoo Day in Dupont Circle on June 14. (Luis Gomez Photos)
The vote followed a trip last month by a delegation of District officials who traveled to the Granite State to lobby the chamber to make DC the 51st state. State representatives in Concord balked at the request, questioning in particular whether granting such autonomy to the nation’s capital would be constitutional.
The delegation tried a number of arguments to sway the Chamber, but to no avail. There are other similar measures supporting DC statehood in state legislatures around the country.
Bordertan asked Martin Moulton, who is active in the DC statehood movement for comment.
“What I learned on my visit to Concord was that a majority of the state leaders, where I attended one of the top colleges in the United States, are completely ignorant about facts about our nation’s capital city. It’s 2012. I was shocked and embarrassed for them. When my father and aunts immigrated to this country, they needed a better understanding of civics than some of these lawmakers needed to get elected,” said Moulton.
In addition to being active in the DC statehood movement, Moulton is president of the Convention Center Community Association. He is also “#39” — one of 41 DC residents arrested April 11 during a sit-in demonstration near the U.S. Capitol.
Check out the DC Vote site for more information about the statehood movement.
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From Mike Kohn. Got a news tip for Mike? Send him an email.
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The April 26 special election to fill an At-Large D.C. Council seat is getting more interesting. Logan Circle resident and realtor Wayne Dickson told The Washington Post last week that he is definitely in the race (14th & You has more on Dickson and his entry). We happened upon Dickson Sunday at the Q Street entrance to the Dupont Circle Metro stop. He told Borderstan that he has 15 people out collecting petitions; you need 3,000 valid voter signatures to get on the ballot.
