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Word on the Hill: Welcome, Wharf

Sensenbrenner’s town halls, Boyle on soccer, and Hatch is Cosmo

Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton will help open up the newly renovated area in Southwest D.C. (Chris Maddaloni/Roll Call File Photo)
Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton will help open up the newly renovated area in Southwest D.C. (Chris Maddaloni/Roll Call File Photo)
By Alex Gangitano
Posted October 12, 2017 at 5:00am

$2.5 billion later, the mile-long stretch on the Southwest D.C. waterfront — The Wharf — will officially open today. Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton, D-D.C., and Mayor Muriel Bowser will participate in the opening ceremony at 11 a.m.

That’s followed by a day of live music, including a Bacon Brothers concert at 5 p.m., muralists, magicians, face painters, stilt walkers and daytime fireworks. Watch for HOH’s coverage of the opening.

D.C.’s first water taxi will connect The Wharf to Georgetown, National Harbor, Old Town and The Yards during baseball season. And there’s a new music venue called the Pearl Street Warehouse.

Town hall mania

Rep. Jim Sensenbrenner, R-Wis., loves holding town halls so much that he is planning to hold 26 of them, in person, from Oct. 14 to 21. That will make 31 town halls in just the month of October, and he is on track to end 2017 with 113 in-person town hall meetings.

Too soon, Rep. Boyle

Rep. Brendan F. Boyle, D-Pa., got some flak when he shared colorful, tongue-in-cheek comments about soccer and his dislike of watching the sport. He said people had “strong reactions” and insisted he will “always root for the USA.” Though he talked smack and got smacked back, he continued to double down on trotting out soccer jokes and called fans “snowflakes.”

Kildee’s Broadway debut

Rep. Dan Kildee, D-Mich., will be on Broadway in New York City on Sunday as part of Michael Moore’s show, “Terms of My Surrender.” The segment is about the Flint water crisis. Moore announced the special congressional guest on Twitter on Wednesday.

The two have known each other for years. They were on neighboring Michigan school boards when they were 18-years-old. Kildee was on the Flint School Board and Moore was on the Davison School Board. Moore tweeted about it in 2015.

National Coming Out Day

Wednesday was National Coming Out Day, and the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Congressional Staff Association celebrated with its Senate and Library of Congress counterparts by gathering on the Capitol steps.

“20 years ago, few congressional staff could be out at work or in public,” president of the LGBT Congressional Staff Association, Todd Sloves, said. “Today, more than 70 staff gathered on the Capitol Steps to show that has changed. We want to show that you can be out, proud, and work for the institution that directs the policy of our nation. We hope this show of pride and solidarity continues to change hearts and minds so that more may join us on the steps in years to come.”

Hatch is busted

A video showing Brigham Young University’s mascot, Cosmo the Cougar, leading the dance team at the school’s football game Saturday made the rounds this weekend, and a sportswriter tweeted a video and said she needed to know who that cougar was.

Sen. Orrin G. Hatch, R-Utah, ’fessed up.

Staffer shuffle

William R. D. Carty has been named the Network Advertising Initiative’s vice president for public policy. He most recently was Twitter’s director of public policy for the U.S. and Canada. Before that, he was policy director for the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee and a staffer for the House Energy and Commerce Committee.

#KindComments mural is up

Instagram’s #KindComments initiative spread to D.C. with a mural intended to inspire people to spread kind comments about others. The mural is located in Union Market (1309 5th St. NE). Check it out for yourself.

Happy birthday to …

Rep. Ed Royce, R-Calif., 66.

What’s going on?

Have any tips, announcements or Hill happenings? Send them to AlexGangitano@cqrollcall.com.

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