William & Mary Bill of Rights Journal Volume 23 | Issue 1 Article 7 Welcome to New Columbia: The Fiscal, Economic and Political Consequences of Statehood for D.C. David Schleicher Repository Citation David Schleicher, Welcome to New Columbia: The Fiscal, Economic and Political Consequences of Statehood for D.C., 23 Wm. & Mary Bill Rts. J. 89 (2014), http://scholarship.law.wm.edu/wmborj/ vol23/iss1/7 Copyright c 2014 by the authors. This article is brought to you by the William & Mary Law School Scholarship Repository. http://scholarship.law.wm.edu/wmborj WELCOME TO NEW COLUMBIA: THE FISCAL,ECONOMIC AND POLITICAL CONSEQUENCES OF STATEHOOD FOR D. C. Davi dSchl ei cher* Returning from work on ast ormydayafew mont hsago, I wassomewhat surpri sedt ofi ndt helamppostsonthest reetcoveredi nD.C. Stat ehoodsi gns. Whi l e suchcampai gnsebbandfl ow, t hi sl evelofful l -st reetcoveragewas, t osayt hel east , i mpressive. Att hatmoment,wi t hawhooshofwi nd, t hebannersfel loffoneofthe l amppost sandfl ew downConnect icutAvenue. Independence, youmi ghtsay, was i ntheai r. Andwi t hgoodreason, t oo: theDi stri cti sbooming. Overthepastfiveyears, the economicgrowthofmet roD.C. hasdramat i cal l yout stri ppedt henat i onasawhol e.1 In2013, D.C.spopul ati onroseatafast errat ethaneverystat ebutNorthDakota,2 growth t hati spart icularl y st art li ng gi ven D.C.shi gh housi ng prices.3 Indeed, at 646,449, i t spopul at i onhascomet oexceedt hatofWyomi ngandVermont .4 Gi vent hi s growth, i ti snotsurpri si ngt hatt herearei ncreasedcal l sforanew poli t i calst atus. Fort oolong, however,thest at ehooddebat ehasoverwhel mingl yfocusedont he samesetofi ssues: t hei mpactofst at ehoodont hefederalgovernment sstructure. * Associat eProfessor, GeorgeMasonUni versit ySchoolofLaw;Irvi ngS. Ri bi coff Visit ingAssoci ateProfessor,Yal eLaw School . I woul dli ketot hankJeremyGreenbergand DanielRauchfortheirexcell entresearchassi stance. 1 See CarolMorel lo& DanKeat ing, D.C. Region is Nations Richest, Most Educated Region in the Nation, Census Data Show, WASH. POST, Dec. 15, 2010, atA1. 2 See Mi chaelA. Memoli , California Back on Growth Path, but North Dakota Sets the Pace, L.A. TIMES (Dec. 30, 2013), htt p:/ /arti cles.l ati mes.com/2013/dec/30/nat ion/l a-na-nn -nort h-dakot a-fast est -popul at i on-growt h-20131230. Report i ngonpopul at i onfl owsfrequent l y fail stoacknowl edgetherol eplayedbyhousi ngprices. Butthecostofhousingissi mpl ythe priceofadmi ssioni ntoaci ty. Regi onsandci ti eswi thlow housingcosts(becausetheydo notrest ricthousingsupplywit hstrictzoni ngrest rict i ons), l ikeHoustonandAtl ant a, have seenhugepopulati oninfl owsdespitehavi ngl owerwagest hanci tiesli keSanFrancisco, New York, orWashington, wheredemandforhousinghasexpresseditselfinhighpri cesbecause ofst ri ctl i mi t sonhousi ngsupply. See Davi dSchl eicher, City Unplanning, 122 YALE L.J. 1670, 167475 (2013) [herei nafterSchl ei cher2013]. 3 U.S. CENSUS BUREAU, ANNUAL ESTIMATES OF THE RESIDENT POPULATION FOR THE UNITED STATES, REGIONS, STATES, AND PUERTO RICO: APRIL 1, 2010 TO JULY 1, 2013 (2013), available at htt p:// www.census.gov/ popest/ dat a/ stat e/t ot als/ 2013. 4 District of Columbia, UNITED STATES CENSUS BUREAU (Mar.27, 2014, 9:54 AM), ht t p:/ / qui ckfact s.census.gov/ qfd/ st at es/ 11000.ht ml ;Davi dShust er,Racism on Display:Washington, D.C.s Status in Congress, HUFFINGTON POST (Jan. 17, 2013, 10:36 AM), ht t p:/ / www.huffi ngt on post .com/ davi d-shuster/ raci st-t o-the-core-t he-co_b_2492360.ht ml . 89 90 WILLIAM & MARY BILL OF RIGHTS JOURNAL [Vol . 23:89 Theseissuest akeavariet yofformsfrom hi gh-theoret i cdi scussi onsont henat ure 5 ofrepresent at iont ogri tt yquesti onsofCongressi onalpart ypower. Yeti fD.C. did becomeastat e, themosti mpact fulchangei nit sci ti zens l i veswoul dnot bet hei r new abi l i t yt oel ectmembersofCongress;i twoul dbet hedramat i cshi fti neconomi cs andpol i t i cst hatwoul dcomewi t ht hecreat i onofanew, si ngl e-ci t yst at egovernment . Ifwewantt oknowwhatl i fewi l lbel i kei nt heproposedNewCol umbi a, t hesechanges mustbeourst art ingpoi nt .6 Thi sEssaysket chessomeoft hel ong-term economi candpol i ti calconsequences ofD.C. st at ehood. Mygoali snott oaddt ot hechorusofsupport ersoropponent sof st at ehood;i nst ead, I aim t ofl eshoutsomeoft heunseenpromi seandperilthatD.C. statehoodwoul dbri ng. Ont hedayNew Col umbi aent erstheUni on, i twoul dbear aconst ell ati onoffeat uresunprecedentedi nthenat ion: theonl ystat ewholl ypartof onemet ropoli t anregi on,7 t heonl yst at ewi t houtl ocalgovernment s, andtheonl y whol lyurbanst at e. Thesefeatures, whi cht odat ehavesel dom beenconsi dered, have deepi mpl i cat i onsfortheadvi sabi li t yofstat ehoodwhencomparedt otheal t ernat ivesofret rocessi on(becomi ngpartofMaryland)8 ort hestat el essst at usquo. Att he sameti me, t hesefeat uresal sofurni shablueprintforst epst omi t i gat et heri sksand exploitthebenefi tst hatst at ehood, i fpursued, wouldoffer. A qui ckovervi ew: PartI oft hi sEssaywi l ldi scusst hespeci alfi scalandeconomi c condi t i onst hatNew Col umbi awoul dface. Ononehand, st at ehoodwoul dbet t eral l ow D.C. t otakeadvant ageofperi odsofeconomicsuccess. Inparti cular,ast at eofNew Col umbi awoul dl i kel ybefreeoft herest ri ct i veconfi nesoft heHei ghtofBui l di ngs Act , al l owingforgreat ergrowt hwhendemandforl i vi nginD.C. i shi gh.9 Moreover, ashasbeennot edel sewhere, t heDi st ri ctwoul dl i kel yal sogai ngreat ert axi ngpower See, e.g., ShaniO. Hi lt on, Surprise:D.C. Statehood Not a GOP Priority, NBC WASH. (Aug. 22, 2012, 1:23 PM), ht t p:/ / www.nbcwashi ngt on.com/bl ogs/ first -read-dmv/ SurpriseDC -St atehood-Not-a-GOP-Pri ori t y-167051805.ht ml;Shuster, supra note4. 6 ThenameNew Col umbi a hasbeenproposedbyst at ehoodadvocat esasapossi bl ename fort hest ateofD.C., andsohasbeenadopt edforthi sEssay. See New Columbi aAdmi ssi on Act,H.R. 292, 113thCong. (2013). 7 RhodeIsl andcomescl ose, wi t ht hi rt y-ei ghtoft hi rt y-ni nemuni ci pal i t i esi nt heProvi denceFal lRi ver-Warwi ck, RI-MA Metropoli tanStat ist icalArea. BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS, MAY 2013 METROPOLITAN AND NONMETROPOLITAN AREA DEFINITIONS (2013), available at ht t p:/ / st at s.bl s.gov/oes/ current/ msa_def.ht m#77200 [herei naft erMAY 2013METROPOLITAN]. 8 Thepresentt erritoryoft heDi st ri ctwasdeli mit edby1801 t hrought heDi stri ctof Col umbi aOrgani cAct . See MICHAEL K. FAUNTROY, HOME RULE OR HOUSE RULE? CONGRESS AND THE EROSION OF LOCAL GOVERNANCE IN THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA 29 (2003). Under theAct,bot hVirgini aandMarylandcededpart soft heirterrit oryt oform thenew distri ct. Id. In1846, however,thoseport i onsoftheDi st ri ctthatVi rgini acededwereret urnedtothei r ori gi nalst at e. Id. Asaresul t , al ll andi nt hecurrentDi st ri cthasi t st erri t ori alori gi nsi nMaryl and. Thus,i nt heory, t heDi st ri ct sl andandpeopl ecoul dl egal l ybecombi nedwi t hMaryl andt hrough appropri at el egi sl ati on. 9 See infra notes3643 andaccompanyingtext . 5 2014] WELCOME TO NEW COLUMBIA 91 (al t houghi twoul dlosesomeformsofgenerousfederalfundi ng, parti cul arl yini ts 10 Medi cai dprogram). Yetsuchbenefit scomeatapri ce: asasi ngl e-ci tyst at e, New Col umbi awoul dfacedrast i cri sksi nt i mesofdownt urn. Thefactt hatNew Col umbi a woul dbeent irel yi noneeconomi cregion, andt hefactt hati twoul dexcl usi vel ybe t hecent erci tyoft hatregion, woul dmeanal mostnecessari l ythatt hest at ewoul d face subst ant i alfi nancialri sksi nt he case ofregi onaland urban-form rel at ed shocks.11 Moreover,st at esfrequent lyredi stri butemoneyfrom successfulpartsoft he st at et ot heunsuccessfult omi t i gat eregionaldownt urns: New Col umbi awoul dnot havet hi sabi l i ty. What smore, i ntheeventoffi nancialcatast rophe, New Columbi a woul dal sobei nel i gi bl eforChapter9 bankrupt cy, i nsofarasi twoul dbeast at eand notamuni cipali t y. Suchadynami cunderst andingofNew Col umbi asfi scalandeconomi ccondit ionsmakest hecaseforst at ehoodweakerandt hecasei nfavorofret rocessi ont oan adj oi ni ngstate, ast at uswhi chwoul dal l ow fort hepot ent i alforgrowt hwhi leensuri ngafi scalsafet ynet , muchstronger.Al ternat ivel y, ifstatehoodweretoproceed, I arguet heNew Columbi ansshouldadoptseveralstructuralprot ect i onsagai nsteconomi cvol at i l i t y. Inpart i cul ar,I arguei nfavorofabudgetrul et hatresul t si nt heaut omat i cdevel opmentofarai nydayfund i nprosperoust i mes, andast at econst i t ut i on t hateschewsabal ancedbudgetrul e. PartII di scussest hei mpl i cat i onsofNew Col umbi asuni quei nt ernalpol i t i cs. As noted, New Col umbiawoul d bet heonl yst at ewi thoutl ocalgovernments. The absenceofseparatespheresforlocalandstateel ect i onswouldhaveatleastt wo majori mpl icati onsforNew Col umbi aspol i t i csandpol i cy. Fi rst , asast at ecomposed ofanoverwhel mi ngl ysi ngl e-part yci ty, New Col umbi asel ect i onswouldl i kel ybe deci dedl yuncompet i t i ve. Eveni nt hest at usquo, t hi sabsenceofpart y-l evelel ect oral compet i t i oni salikel ycauseofmanypat hol ogi esinD.C. pol i ti cs, from excessi ve rest rict i onsongrowt ht oi t spersi st entprobl emswit hcorrupt i on. Toensuret hest at e ofNew Col umbi adoesnotsharet hesedefect s, anymovet owardsst at ehoodwi l lneed t oi ncl udereformsai medati nt roduci ngmorepol i t i calcompet i t i on. Second, andmore opt i mi st i cal l y, t heunprecedent edmarri ageofaci t yandast at egovernmentoffersa powerfulchangefori nnovat i on. Hi st ori cal l y, t herel at i vel yci rcumscri bedl egalpower ofci ti eshaspreventedt hem from pursui nganumberofeffect i vepol i ci esbecause suchpowersaret heexcl usi veprovi nceofstat es. Furt her, bigci ti esareoft enl osers instatepoli t i calfi ght s.12 Inthiscont ext , New Columbi asfusi onofci tyandstate provi desmanyopport uni t i esforpol i cyfl exi bi l i t yanddi scoveryunavail abl etomost bi gci ti es. See infra not es2135 andaccompanyi ngtext. See infra notes4456 andaccompanyingtext . 12 GeorgeWashi ngt onPl unki t tfamousl ydescri bedNew YorkCi t yaspi efort hehayseeds i nt hest at egovernmenti nAl bany. WILLIAM L. RIORDAN, PLUNKITT OF TAMMANY HALL: A SERIES OF VERY PLAIN TALKS ON VERY PRACTICAL POLITICS 21 (1963). 10 11 92 WILLIAM & MARY BILL OF RIGHTS JOURNAL [Vol . 23:89 I. NEW COLUMBIAN ECONOMICS Sofar,mostli t erat ureont heeconomicsofD.C. statehoodfocusesont hest at ic, short -term consequencesont hecit ysbudget .13 Suchworki simportantbuti gnores acruci alreal i t y;overt hel ongrun, ast at esfi scalheal t hdependssubst ant i al l yont he dynami cquest i onofhow resi l i ent l yi trespondst oeconomi cchange. Thi ssect i on arguest hatt hewayNew Col umbi arespondst ol ong-t erm economi cchangei scruci al t oassessi ngwhet herst at ehoodwoul dact ual l yhel pD.C. resi dent sand, i fst at ehoodi s pursued, whatl egisl at i veandconst i tuti onalst ruct uresmi ghtbestensureprosperit y. Beforeproceedi ng, t hough, i ti si mport antt osummari zet het radi t i onalargument s forandagai nstt heeconomi csofD.C. st at ehood. Int hest at usquo, t heDi st ri cti scaught i nabi nd: i ti sobl i gat edt opayforservi cesandprogramscommonl yprovi dedbyst at es, butnotprovi dedwi t ht het axpowersstat esgeneral l ypossess. Fi rst , expendi t ures: t heDi st ri cthasal lsort sofresponsi bi l i t i est hataccruet ost at es, andnotci t ies, l ikeMedi cai d, chi ldandfami lyservices, andhi ghereducat ion. A 2005 st udybyt heFi scalPol i cyInst i t ut eandt heBrooki ngsInst i t ut i onfoundt hatt hese 14 st ate-l i keservicescostt hecity$1.1 bil lionannuall y. Someoft hi swast radi t ionall y offsetbyanannualpaymentbyt hefederalgovernment .15 Tosomeext ent ,t heseaddi t i onalexpensesweremi t i gat edi n1997. Thatyear, t he FederalGovernmentpassedt heRevi t al i zat i onAct , whi chremovedsomeoft hest at el i keresponsibi li ti esofD.C. inreturnforendi ngt heannualfederalpaymenttot he Di st ri ct .16 Thefederalgovernmentbeganpayi ngfort heD.C. j udi ci alandi ncarcerat i on syst ems, i ncreasedthemat chi ngrat efori tsMedi cai dfundi ngt ooffsetwhattheci t y woul dordi nari lyreceivefrom astategovernment, andassumedresponsi bi l it yfor theunfundedpensionliabil it iesrackedupbeforetheHomeRul eAct . 17 Morerecent changesi ncreasedfundi ngfort heWMATA, t heregi onalt ransport at i onbody,18 and gaveD.C. resi dentstheabi l i tyt oat t endanyst ateuniversi t yatthei n-st aterat e19an 13 See, e.g., Wi l l i am Raspberry, Why Seek Statehood for D.C.?, WASH.POST, Sept . 26, 1988, atA15. 14 EdLazere& Davi dGarrison, A NewFederal Contribution to the District of Columbia, Need, Likely Impact, and Some Options, BROOKINGS INST. 3 (2005), available at ht t p:// www.brookings.edu/~/media/research/files/reports/2005/11/cities%20lazere/20051116 _dci nfrast ructure.pdf. 15 Id. 16 Nati onalCapi talRevi tal izat ionandSelf-GovernmentImprovementActof1997, Pub. L. No. 105-33, 111 St at.251;ALICE RIVLIN ET AL., BUILDING THE BEST CAPITAL CITY IN THE WORLD 81,100 (2008) [hereinaft erRIVLIN 2008]. 17 Lazere& Garrison, supra note14, at3. 18 See Cl eanRail roadsActof2008, H.R. 2095, 110thCong. §601 (aut horizi ngsome $1.5 bil li oninaddi ti onalfederalfundingforWMATAsi nfrast ruct ure). 19 See Di st ri ctofCol umbi aCol l egeAccessActof1999, Pub. L. No. 106-98, §3, 113 St at . 1323 (1999). 2014] WELCOME TO NEW COLUMBIA 93 acknowl edgmentt hatst at esandnotci t i esareusual l yresponsi bl eforhi ghereducat i on. 20 Nevert hel ess, manysuchspeci alspendi ngobl i gat i onsst i l lremai ni npl ace. Att hesamet i me, D.C. facesseverall i mi t si ni t sabi l i t yt orai serevenue. Thecent ral l i mi tont heD.C. government sabi l i t yt orai serevenuei st hat , aspartoft heHomeRul e Act , Congressexpl i ci t l ybarredt heci t yfrom t axi ngt hei ncomeofnon-resi dent swho worki ntheDi stri ct .21 Everystatethatt axesincomesi ncl udesat axonnon-resi dent s 22 whoworki nt hest at e, butVi rgi ni aandMaryl andsuccessful l yfoughtt oi ncl udet hi s l i mi ti nt heHomeRul eAct .23 In1997, economi st sest i mat edt hatt hi sl i mi tcost st he Di st ri ctgovernment$1.4 bi l l i onannual l y.24 In2005, t heci t yest i mat edt hatt hecostwas 25 $2.2 bi l l i on, andt henumberi ssurel yhi ghernow, asi ncomesi nt heregi onhavebeen ri si ngsubst ant i al l y(forpurposesofcompari son, t he2015 overal lbudgetest i mat ei s 26 $6.5 bi l li on ). TheDi st rictist reatedl i keaci t yfort axi ngpurposes, notast at e. Nevert hel ess,st at ehoodwoul dnotbeashort -t erm budget arypanacea. Inpart i cul ar, New Col umbi awoul dbei nafarworset axi ngposi t i ont hanot herst at esbecauseoft he hugeamountofnont axabl epropert yi nt heDi st ri ct . Forexampl e, federall andt akesup 28% oft heDi st ri ct sl andacreage.27 Ift heDi st ri ctcoul dt axt hi spropert y, i twoul d 28 i ncreasei t srevenueby$550 mi l l i on. TheDi st ri ctst i l l , however,hasresponsi bi l i t yt o provi depol i ce, fi re, andot herservi cesfort heseareas.29 Furt her, anot her3.9% oft he Di st ri ct st axabl e weal th isowned by non-profits.30 When combi ned wi t h ot her propert yt axexemptpropert i es, 42% oft het ot alpropert yweal t hoft heci t ycannotbe t axed.31 Moreover, ast at eofNew Col umbi awoul dl argel yl ackweal t hysuburbst hat 32 coul dengagei nt ransferpayment swit ht hecent ralci t y. See Lazere& Garrison, supra note14, at4. D.C. CODE §1-206.02(a)(5) (2013). 22 CAROL OCLEIREACAIN, THE ORPHANED CAPITAL: ADOPTING THE RIGHT REVENUES FOR THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA 10305 (1997). 23 Formoreont hesenegoti ati ons, seeid. at105. 24 CAROL OCLEIREACAIN & ALICE M. RIVLIN, A SOUND FISCAL FOOTING FOR THE NATIONS CAPITAL: A FEDERAL RESPONSIBILITY 4 (2012). 25 See RIVLIN 2008, supra note16, at21 n.13 (ci ti ngYESIM YILMAZ, D.C. OFFICE OF REVENUE ANALYSIS, CALCULATING THE IMPACT OF FEDERAL PREEMPTIONS ON THE DISTRICTS TAX REVENUE 4 (DRAFT Mar. 5, 2008)). 26 Let terfrom Nat warM. GandhitoMayorVincentGrayandChairmanPhilMendel son (Nov. 3, 2013), available at ht tp:/ /cfo.dc.gov/si tes/ default /fi les/ dc/si tes/ ocfo/publi cat ion / att achment s/ FINAL_FY_2015_Current _Servi ces_Fundi ng_Level _Budget %5B1%5D.pdf. 27 OCLEIREACAIN & RIVLIN, supra not e24, at4. 28 Id. 29 Id. at3. 30 JosephCordes, The Nonprofit Property TaxExemption:Who Benefits, Who Pays, and by How Much, URBAN BROOKINGS TAX POLY CENTER (May. 2, 2012), http:// urban.org / taxandchari ti es/ upl oad/ panel -1-cordes.pdf. 31 OCLEIREACAIN & RIVLIN, supra not e24, at4. 32 See RIVLIN 2008, supra not e16, at25 (descri binghow thecityofBal ti more, unl ike D.C., i sabletoreceiveassist ancefrom otherpart sofit sst ate). 20 21 94 WILLIAM & MARY BILL OF RIGHTS JOURNAL [Vol . 23:89 Recogni zi ngt hesecount ervei l i ngforces, Al i ceRi vl i n, aformerDi rect oroft he federalOffi ceofManagementandBudgetandl eadi ngexpertont hebudget aryeffect s ofst at ehood,33 concl udedt hati ti suncl eari fst at ehoodwoul di mproveorharm t he fi scalposi t ionoft heDi st rict : Theneteffectofal lt hesefi scalposi t i vesandnegat i vesassoci at ed wi t hst at ehoodi sext remel yuncert ai n. Myguessi st hatst at ehood woul dbri ngposi t i venetfi scalbenefi t st ot heDi st ri ct , provi dedi t i ncl udedt hepowert otaxnon-residenti ncome(exceptforafederalencl ave), al t houghl osi ngt hesavi ngsfrom t heRevi t al i zat i on Actof1997 woul doffsetalargefract ionoft hegai n.34 Up t o thi spoi nt , however, t het radi ti onaldebat ehasfocused on stat ehoods i mmedi atei mpactont heci tybudget . Whatisnotacknowl edged, t hough, i st hevast i mpactt hatdynami ceconomi cchangewoul dhaveont hefi nancesofNew Col umbi a. AsI out l i nebel ow, t heseeffect swoul dbesubst ant i al . Inbri ef,st at ehoodwoul dhave adramat i cprocycl i caleffectont hel ocalbudget , permi t t i ngt heDi st ri ctt ot akebet t er advant ageofgoodt i mes, butl eavi ngitatgreaterri skindownt urns. Begi nwi t ht headvant agethatNew Col umbi awouldenjoyduringboom t i mes. Perhapsthest rictestandl eastrat ionalrest raintt hefederalgovernmentput sont he di st ri cti st heHei ghtofBui l di ngsAct ,35 rest ri ct i ngt hehei ghtofbui l di ngsi nD.C. based ont hewi dt hofnearbyst reet s.36 D.C.seconomyi scurrent l ydoi ngext remel ywel l ,37 butt herest ri cti onsoftheHei ghtAct(combi nedwi thD.C.srest rict i vezoni ngregi me, whi chwi l ll at erbedi scussed), havemeantt hatt heci t yfacesanenormouscri si s i nprovi di nghousi ngandoffi cespace. D.C. current l yhast henat i onsl owestoffi ce vacancyrate,38 andthecent ralbusi nessdi stri cthast hethirdhi ghestrentpersquare foot .39 Housi ngissi mil arl yexpensi ve.40 See id. at9. If the District of Columbia Becomes a State:Fiscal Consequences:HearingBefore the Spec. Comm. On Statehood and Self Determination (D.C. 2009) (st at ementofAl i ceM. Ri vl i n). 35 Buil di ngHei ghtActof1910, Pub. L. No. 61-196, 36 St at.452 (1910). 36 D.C. CODE §6-601.05 (2014). 37 JoelKotki n, The ExpandingWealth of Washington, FORBES (Mar.19, 2012, 9:32 AM), ht tp:/ /www.forbes.com/ si t es/joel kot kin/ 2012/ 03/ 19/t he-expanding-wealt h-of-washington. 38 JeffCl abaugh, D.C. Has Nations Lowest Office Vacancy Rate, WASH. BUS. J.(Aug. 26, 2013), ht t p:/ / www.bi zj ournal s.com/ washi ngt on/ breaki ng_ground/ 2013/ 08/ dc-has-nat i ons-l owest -offi ce-vacancy.ht ml . 39 KenMcCart hy, Some Needed Perspective on Sluggish Leasing, COM. OBSERVER (Sept . 26, 2013), ht t p:/ / commerci al observer.com/ 2013/ 09/ some-needed-perspect i ve-on-sl uggi sh -leasi ng/ . 40 JustinKarp, Washington, D.C. RentingCosts AmongHighest in Nation, Report Says, WJLA (Apr. 2, 2012), http:// www.wjla.com/art icl es/2012/ 04/ washi ngt on-d-c-rent ing-cost s -among-highest -in-nat i on-report -says-74458.ht ml . 33 34 2014] WELCOME TO NEW COLUMBIA 95 IfD.C. becameastate(orjoi nedMarylandthroughret rocession), t heHei ghtof 41 Bui ldingsActwoul dli kel ybehel dunconsti t ut i onal . Freedfrom suchrest ricti ons, D.C. woul dbeabl et oaccommodat egrowt hfarmoreeffecti vel yduri ngboom ti mes. Suchgrowt hcouldt akemanyforms. Forexample, Vi nceGray, t heci t yscurrent mayor,hascal l edformodi fi cat ionsi ntheHei ghtActtoal l ow tal l erbui ldingsdownt own(a25% i ncreaseabovet hehei ghtl i mi ti nt heLEnfantCi t y) andgreat erdensi t y 42 al ongMet rol ines. Inanycase, removi ngbuil di ngheightrest ri ct i onswoul dmake D.C. anevenmoreeconomi cal l yvi brantplacei nprosperoust i mes. Thisnewfoundabil it yt oharnessgrowth, however, comesatacost:whenlean t i meshi tNew Col umbia, theywi l lhi twi thavengeance. Noci tyboomsforever. Downt urnsi nevi t abl yoccurforanynumberofreasons: changesi nt ransport at i oncost s, t ast es, pol i t i cs, ort hedemandsoft hebroadermacroeconomy.43 Moreover, theseshift sareoft encausedbyforcesbeyondt hecont rolof l ocal , ci t y, orstat edeci si on-makers. ThepowerCongressi si nvokingi npassi ngdi st rict -wi derestri cti onsonhei ghti ssurel y it spowerovertheDi st rictunderArti cleI, Sect i on17 oftheConst i tut ion. Whi lethefederal governmentcoul dsurelysti lllimitheightsofbui l dingsi nsomepart soft heci tyunderi t s ot herpowers, itwoul dneedt ojust ifywhypart sofNew Col umbiat hatarefurtherfrom the Whi t eHouset hanunrest ri ct edRossl yn, Vi rgi ni a, needhei ghtrest ri ct i ons.Acknowl edgi ngt hi s aspartofapushforst at ehood, proponent ssuggest edt hat , pri ort ost at ehood, t heDi st ri ctcoul d gi vetheDepart mentofInteri orasceni ceasement t hatpreventsanyonefrom buil di ng abovet hel i mi t ssetbyt heHei ghtAct . See The Economic and Financial Impacts of District of Columbia Statehood:HearingBefore Spec. Comm. on Statehood and Self Determination (D.C. 2009) (st atementofWalterSmi th), available at htt p:// www.web.archive.org/ web/ 201308 14103015/ht tp:/ /www.dcvote.org/ trel l is/ struggle/ st atehood_t est imony_smi t h.pdf;t hencl i ck BrowseHi st ory;t hensel ectAugust14, 2013). However,suchaproposali sprobabl ynot const it uti onalfort woreasons.First , undertheequalfoot ingdoct rine, stat esmustbeadmit t ed asequalsovereigns, andast atewi thoutthepowertoregul ateheightswoul dnotbeequalto ot hersoverei gns.See generally ValerieJ.M. Brader,CongressPet:Why the Clean Air Acts Favoritism of California Is Unconstitutional Under the Equal FootingDoctrine, 13HASTINGS W.NW. J.ENVTL. L. &POLY 119, 151 (2007). Furt her,zoni ngi spartofast at espol i cepower andi tcannotbehel dt oacont ractdel egat i ngt hatmuchofi t spol i cepower.Eucl i dv. Ambl er Real t yCo., 272 U.S. 365, 373 (1926);see also Uni t edSt at esTrustCo. v. NewJersey, 431 U.S. 1, 2123 (1977) (hol di ngessent i alpart sofastat espol i cepowercannotbecont ractedaway). 42 See Changes to the Heights Act:ShapingWashington, D.C., for the Future, Part II: HearingBefore H. Comm. On Oversight and Reform, 113thCong. (2013) (statementof Harri etTregoning, Directoroft heOffi ceofPlanning), available at htt p:// oversi ght.house .gov/ wp-cont ent/ upl oads/ 2013/12/ Tregoni ng.pdf;Ri chardSi mon, Washington, D.C., Might Finally Get Tall Buildings, GOVERNING (Dec. 3, 2013) available at htt p:// www.governing .com/news/headli nes/Washi ngt on-Might-Fi nal ly-Get-Tall -Bui ldi ngs-.ht ml;AaronWi ener, Issa Offers Hope for D.C. Autonomy on BuildingHeights, WASH.CITY PAPER (Dec. 2, 2013), available at htt p:// www.washi ngt onci typaper.com /bl ogs/housingcompl ex/ 2013/12/02/ i ssa -offers-hope-for-d-c-autonomy-on-buil di ng-heights/. 43 See Schlei cher2013, supra note2, at169293 (notingthatci ti eswhichdonotsubstant ial lyhi ndernew devel opmentseel argerpopul ati ongrowt hs). 41 96 WILLIAM & MARY BILL OF RIGHTS JOURNAL [Vol . 23:89 Whatform mightt heseshockst akei nD.C.? Onepossibil i t ywoul dbet hatt he 44 recentt rendt owardt heurbani zat i onofweal t hyprofessi onal s, at rendt hathasgreat l y bol st eredD.C.sfi nances,sl owsorreverses.Ot herareasi nt heD.C. Met ro-Regi on, l i ke Rossl ynorTysonsCorner,coul ddevel opi nt ot ruedownt owns, chal l engi ngD.C. for domi nancei nt heregi on. Moreover, D.C.seconomyi ssubst ant i al l yconcent rat edi n al imi t ednumberofsect ors, suchasl aw (evenmoret hanthoseotherpartsoft he nat i onthatarehighl ydependentonfederalmoney, l i keNort hernVirgi ni asgovernmentandconsul t antheavyeconomy).45 Shocksspeci fi ct ot hesei ndust ri esi ncreased regul at i onofl obbyi ng, fori nstance, orderegulat i onofthel egalmarketmi ghtbe fel tpart i cul arl yhardi nD.C. Or,perhaps, at errori stat t acki nD.C. coul dharm t heci t y wi t houtharmi ngt hegeneralregion. Whatevert hecause, overt ime, atl eastsomeregionaldownturnisl ikelyt oi mpactD.C. atsomepoi nt . Ifandwheni tdoes, thest at eofNew Columbi awouldbe part i cul arlyhard-pressedt ocopewi t hdownt urn. Fi rstandforemost , asast at eexi sti ngwhol lywit hi nonemet ropol i tanarea, New Col umbi awoul dbeunabl et ocal lonresourcesfrom regi onst hatdi dnotfaceasi mi l ar shock. Thi si sasharpcontrastt oot herstat egovernment s, whi chcommonlymake sucht ransfersi nt imesofregi onaldecl i ne. New YorkSt at e, forexampl e, t ransferred subst anti alresourcesfrom upstat eareast oNew YorkCi tyduringt heurbandownt urnoft he1970s,46 butt odayshift sresourcesfrom downst at et oupst at etomi t igat e t hatregionsrel at ivedecli ne.47 Marylandsoveral leconomywasoncepoweredby See ALAN EHRENHALT, THE GREAT INVERSION AND THE FUTURE OF THE AMERICAN CITY 35 (2012);Davi dSchl eicher,The City as a Lawand Economic Subj ect, 2010 U. ILL. L. REV. 1507, 151112 (2010);Schlei cher2013, supra note2, at168990. 45 Asof2010, NorthernVirgi niaregionhad12,565 l egaljobsoutofatotalregi onal populat i onofroughly2.8 mi l l i on, arat i oofonelawyerper223 cit izens. See St ephenS. Ful l er& El l enHarpel , Workforce Trends and Occupational Forecasts for Northern Virginia 20102020, GMU REGIONAL STUDIES (June2011), available at htt p://cra.gmu.edu/ pdfs / st udi es_report s_present at i ons/ Workforce_Trends_and_Occupat i onal _Forecast s_i n_Nort hern _Vi rgi ni a.pdf.Bycontrast,D.C. has51,928 lawyersforapopul ati onofroughl y610,000, an incredi blerati oofonelegaljobpert welvecit izens. See American Bar Association National Lawyer Population, AM. BAR ASSN (2013), available at ht tp:/ /www.ameri canbar.org /content/dam/aba/administrative/market_research/2013natl_lawyer10_year_trends .authcheckdam.pdf. 46 Foravi ew ofNew YorkSt at essupportofNew YorkCit yduringthebankrupt cycri sis ofthe1970s, seeFlushingNat. Bank v. Mun. Assistance Corp. for City of New York, 358 N.E.2d848, 855 (N.Y. 1976). 47 Cf. Jaison R. Abel& Richard Deitz, New Measures of Economic Growth and Productivity in Upstate NewYork, 14 CURRENT ISSUES IN ECON. & FIN. 9 (2008), available at ht t p:/ / www.newyorkfed.org/ research/ current _i ssues/ ci 14-9.ht ml(showi nghowupst at eNew Yorkhaspoorereconomicgrowt hthandownst at eandtherestt ocount ry);Givingand Getting:Regional Distribution of Revenue and Spendingin the NewYork State Budget, Fiscal Year 200910, NELSON A. ROCKEFELLER INST. OF GOVT (Dec. 2011), available at ht tp: / / www.rocki nst .org/ pdf/ nys_government / 2011-12-Gi vi ng_and_Get t i ng.pdf.Fordat aonupst at e New Yorksdecli nein manufacturing, seeJason Bram & Mi chaelAnderson, Declining 44 2014] WELCOME TO NEW COLUMBIA 97 Bal ti moreseconomi cdynamism,48 butnow ittransfersmoneyfrom t heri chsuburbs 49 ofD.C. t oprop upBal t i moreschall enged economy. A st at eofNew Col umbi a, however, woul dbeunabl et omakesucht ransfers. Toseet hei mpactoft hi sl i mit , considerRhodeIsl and. Today, RhodeIsl andi s al mostent irel ypartoft heProvi dence-Fal lRi ver-Warwi ck, RI-MA Met ropol i t an St at i sti calArea.50 Duringtherecenteconomicdownt urn, alargenumberofRhode Isl andmunici pal i t iesfacedfi scalcri ses, i ncl udi ngonebankrupt cyinCent ralFal l s.51 Butt hest at e, facedwi t hsimul t aneousl ocalcri sesandfiscalprobl emsofi t sown, wasi nnoposit i ont ohel p.52 Asaresul t , RhodeIsl andwaspart i cul arl yvul nerabl e t oeconomi charm. Moreover, shoul dfi scalcat ast rophecomet opass, t hest at eofNew Col umbi a woul dbefarl essequi ppedt orequestnat ionalassi st ance. Thenat i onalgovernment hast husfarmai nt ai nedastrictnobai l out ruleforstategovernments, seekingto avoi dmoralhazard.53 Moreover, ci ti eshaveaccesst oChapter9 bankrupt cy, butas 54 astategovernment , New Columbiawoul dnot . Asaresul t , shoul daD.C. economi c downt urnbecomeabudgetcri si s, t hest at eofNew Col umbi awoul dl ackaccesst o severalcruci almeansofrecovery. ManufacturingEmployment in the New York-New Jersey Region:19691999, 7 CURRENT ISSUES IN ECON. & FIN. 1 (2001). 48 See generally El eanorS. Bruchey, The Development of Baltimore Business:18801914, MD. HIST. MAG., Spring1969, at1842 (describingthei ndust rialdevel opmentofBal timore bet ween18801914). 49 OCLEIREACAIN &RIVLIN, supra not e24, at910 (di scussi ngpresent -dayweal t ht ransfers t oBal t i more). Ot herexampl esofsuchci t y-t o-non-ci t yregi onalt ransfersarequi t ecommoni n ei therdi rect ion. InWashi ngt onStat e, Seatt leseconomyisasubstanti alnetcontri but orto ruralcoffers, whi l ei nMi nnesot a, redi st ri but i onfrom ruralareassubsi di zesci t yservi ces. See LinkingState Spendingto Where Taxes are Generated is a Bad Idea, SEATTLE T. ONLINE (Jan. 23, 2011, 4:15 PM), ht t p:/ / seat t l et i mes.com/ ht ml / edi t ori al s/ 2014001088_edi t 24onestat e .html ;BenOl eson, A Brief History of Minnesotas System of Government Finance, STRONG TOWNS (2011), http://www.webarchi ve.org/ web/ 20111114030027/ ht tp:/ / www.st rongt owns .org/storage/reports/A%20Brief%20History%20of%20Minnesotas%20System%20of %20Local%20Government %20Fi nance%201960-2010.pdf. 50 See MAY 2013 METROPOLITAN, supra not e7. 51 See JessBidgood, Plan to End Bankruptcy in Rhode Island City Gains Approval, N.Y. TIMES, Sept.7, 2012, atA21. 52 MaryWill iamsWal sh& AbbyGoodnough, A Small Citys Depleted Pension Fund Rattles Rhode Island, N.Y. TIMES, Jul y12, 2011, atB1, available at htt p:// www.nyti mes .com/2011/07/12/business/central-falls-ri-faces-bankruptcy-over-pension-promises.html ?pagewanted=all &_r=0. 53 See DavidA. Skeel,Jr., States of Bankruptcy, 79 U. CHI. L. REV. 677, 70406 (2012) (descri bi nghow federalbai l out sforst at esi snotfeasi bl e). Thefederalgovernment srel uct ance t obai loutt hest at esi sl ongst andi ng, begi nni ngi nt he1840s.See ThomasSargent , An American History Lesson For Europe, WALL ST. J., Feb. 3, 2012, atA17, available at htt p:// onl i ne .wsj.com/ news/ art i cles/ SB10001424052970204740904577193032770537826. 54 Skeel , supra not e53, at67980 (noti ngthatmunici pali tiesmayfi l eforbankrupt cy whil est ategovernment sl ackt hatopti on). 98 WILLIAM & MARY BILL OF RIGHTS JOURNAL [Vol . 23:89 Bycont rast , i nt hest at usquo, D.C. can cal lon t hefederalgovernmentfor assi st ance. Indeed, asacreat ureoft hefederalgovernment , D.C. cancount ercycl i cal l y benefitfrom boom ti mesanywhereel sei nt hecountrywhencompensat i ngforl ocal chal l enges.55 Moreover,whent heDi st ri ctfacesfi scalcri si s, asi tdi di n1997, i ti sabl e 56 t oturnt ot hefederalgovernmentforhel p(asdi scussedabove). Takent oget her, whatdot heseprocycl i calchangesmeanforthecaseforD.C. st at ehood? Theycert ai nl yst rengt hent hecaseforret rocessi on(joi ni ngwi t hMaryl and) i nst eadofst at ehood. Ret rocessi onwoul dal l ow t heDi st ri ctt oharnesst hebenefi t sof boom t i messuchasbychangi ngbui l di ngregul at i onswhi l eal l owi ngfort ransfers i nti mesoft roubl e. However, i fst at ehoodwerepursued, t hereareanumberofspeci fi cprotecti ons New Col umbi acoul ddesi gnt omi ti gat eaboom-bustcycl e. Fi rst ,t hefactt hatNew Col umbi awoul dbebet t erabl et ot akeadvant ageofgoodt i mes, butwoul dbeexposed t omoreri ski nbadt imes, counsel si nfavorofaconst i tuti onal l yprot ectedrai nyday fund. Sucharul emi ghtt aket heform oft hebudgetrul eusedi nSweden, whi chrequi res a1% budgetsurpl usoverabusi nesscycl e.57 Inanycase, gi venst at es t radi t i onalt endencytounderfundorrai dtheirrainydayfunds, suchstrongprovi si onswoul dbe necessaryt oensuret hatNew Columbi acoul deffect i vel yweat herdownt urns.58 Atthesamet ime, t heimposit ionofast atebalancedbudget requi rementthat barsNew Col umbi afrom runningyear-t o-yeardefi ci tswoul dbeadest ruct ivemi sst ep. Fort hereasonsoutl i nedabove, New Col umbi awouldl i kel yhavegreat ereconomi cswi ngst hanot herst at es.59 A bal ancedbudgetrul ewoul donl yexacerbat et hese swi ngs, prevent i ngcount ercycl i calspendi ngi nbadt i mesandrequiri ngi ncreasesin goodti mes.60 Thus, thetraditionalbenefit sofbalancedbudgetrul eswouldnotoutwei ghtheiruni quedi sadvant agesint heNew Col umbiancontext,andsotheyought t obeavoi ded. Indeed, the1997 financi alchal lengeout linedabovemaybeseenast hefederalgovernmentredistributi ngresourcesfrom t het hengeneral lyprosperousnati onint othelocal l y depressedDi st ri ct.See supra notes1620 andaccompanyingtext . 56 See id. 57 See EdDol an, How Smart Fiscal Rules Keep Swedens Budget in Balance, BUS. INSIDER (Aug. 1, 2011), ht t p:/ / www.busi nessi nsi der.com/ how-smart -fi scal -rul es-keep-swedens-budget -in-bal ance-2011-8. 58 See Bri anGal le& Ki rkJ. Stark, Beyond Bailouts:Federal Tools for PreventingState Budget Crises, 87 IND. L.J.599, 601 (2012). Thatsaid, D.C. hasrecentl ybeendoingagood jobofprovidingmoneyfori tsrai nydayfund. BenjaminR. Freed, D.C. Announces $417 Million Surplus to Be Added to Rainy-DayFund, DCIST (Jan. 29, 2013), http:// dcist .com /2013/01/dc_announces_417_milli on_surplus_to.php. 59 Thenew st atewouldhavetoendurelosi ngthegovernmentbenefit sCongressplanned t oawardit , butwoul dgai nt heabil it yt ot axout-of-stat eworkers. See supra notes1626 and accompanyingtext . 60 See Gal l e& St ark, supra not e58, at60001 (descri bi nghow st at esarevul nerabl et ot he cycleofrecessi on-reinforcingbudgetcrises). 55 2014] WELCOME TO NEW COLUMBIA 99 II. NEW COLUMBIAN POLITICS Beyondi t seconomi cidiosyncrasi es, New Col umbi awouldal sohaveaspecial breedofst atepol it i cs. Inpart i cul ar, i twoul dfacebot ht heperi l sofl imi tedpart y compet i t i onandt hepromiseofnew formsofgovernmentinnovat i on. Fi rst , onemustconsiderpol it i calcompeti t i oninNew Col umbi a. Tradi ti onall y, bi gcit ypol i ti csareverydi fferentfrom nat i onalorst at epoli t i csi nani mport antway: al mostallnon-mayoralracesarewhatpol i ti calsci ent i stscal lsecond order, or det ermi ned by vot erpreferencesatot herlevel sofgovernment l ocalci t y counci l vot i ngfol lowsPresi dent i alvot i ng.61 Inmostbi gci t i esi nAmeri ca, t hi smeansthere i snopart i sancompet i t i on.62 Thi st urnsoutt ohavedramat i ceffect sont heout put sof 63 t hei rl egi sl atures. Asaci t y-stat e, New Col umbi awouldeffect i vel ybeast at egovernmentwit ht he pol i t icsofabi gcit y. Whatwouldt hi smean? Mostsi gni ficant ly, theabsenceofpart i sancompetit ionwoul dmakeNew Col umbiasgovernmentl essresponsivet ot he opi ni onsofthegeneralpubl i c. St at ehoodwoul dtakeD.C.sexist i ngpat hol ogi es i t srel i anceonal dermani cpri vi l ege, t heeconomi cal l ydest ruct i vel i mi t si tpl aceson growth, andi tsregul arcorrupt ionandopent hem t omorepol i cyareas.64 However, werei t spol i t i csi mproved, st at ehoodwoul dal soal l owD.C. t oserveasamodelfornew combi nat i onsofpol i ci est hatot herci t i es, duet oconfl i ctwi t ht hei rst at ecapi t al s, have notbeenabl et oconsi der. Oneneedonl yqui ckl yperuseelecti onret urnstoseethatD.C. hasl i tt l egeneral 65 el ect ioncompet it i on. Democrat swi nwi t hpercentagescl oset othehugepercentagesthatt hePresidentcarri edinD.C.66 Onemi ghtt hi nkt hat ,i nanoverwhel mi ngl y Davi d Schlei cher, Why Is There No More Partisan Competition in City Council Elections?:The Role of Election Law, 23 J.L. & POL. 419, 41920, 457 (2007) [hereinaft er Schl ei cher2007]([T]hel esspromi nentt heracet hemorel i kel yt hatpart yi dent i fi cat i on. . .wil l predi ctavoterssel ecti on.). 62 See id. at41920;ChristopherS. Elmendorf& David N. Schl eicher, Informing Consent:Voter Ignorance, Political Parties and Election Law, 2013 U. ILL. L. REV. 363, 38890 (2013) (describi ngvot eri gnoranceeveninpri maryelect ions). 63 St atelegi slativeel ecti onsarefrequentl ysecond-order, too, butt oalesserdegreeand wit hdi fferentconsequencesi nplaceswheretheparti esaremorecompet it ive. See Elmendorf & Schlei cher, supra not e62, at399400 (defi ning asecond-orderel ect i on asonei n whichvot ersrespondtocandidat esandcandidat esappealforvotes, onthebasisofpol it ical devel opment sin a different area.). 64 Foranexpl anati onofal dermani cpri vil ege, seeSchl eicher2013, supra not e2, at 17101711. Fortheperni ciousi mpactofsi ngle-part yrul e, seeid. at16991708. 65 See Election Results, D.C. BOARD OF ELECTIONS (Jan. 15, 2014), http://www.dcboee .org/ electi on_i nfo/el ect ion_result s/ . 66 See id., available at ht t p:/ / www.dcboee.org/ el ect i on_i nfo/ el ect i on_resul t s/ 2012/ November -6-General-Election/ . 61 100 WILLIAM & MARY BILL OF RIGHTS JOURNAL [Vol . 23:89 Democrat ict own, t herealcompet i t i oni si npri mari es.Butt hi smi ssesacent raldi st i nc67 t i onbetweenpri mariesandgeneralel ect i ons. Vot ersknow l ittleabouti ndi vi dual candi dat esi nl egi sl at i veraces, butt hi si snotpart i cul arl yi mport anti nt hegeneralel ect i onsasvot erscananddouset hepart ymembershi pofcandi dat esasaheuri sti c 68 devi ce. Whenvot i ngforCongress,bysi mpl yknowi ngt hatacandi dat ei saDemocrat orRepubl i can, vot erscanl earnal mosteveryt hi ngrel evantaboutt hem. Thi si snott rue i nprimari esatanylevel,whi chhavenoon-bal l otheurist i cst odi fferenti at ebet ween, say, cent ri standl i beralDemocrat s, nevermi ndbet weencandi dat est hatdi fferonl ocal i ssues. Further, vot erscannotuseanunderst andi ngofhow t hi ngshavegonei nthe past whatpoli t i calsci ent ist scal lret rospect ivevot i ng69becausei ti sdi fficultto know whet heranyi ndi vi dualcandi dat ei sresponsi bl eforcurrentcondi t i ons, whereas i ngeneralel ect i ons, vot erscanhol dt hepart yi ncont roloft hel egi sl at ureresponsi bl e forgovernment alsuccessesorfai l ures. Theabsenceofpart ycompet i t i onhasdramat i cconsequencei nD.C. Fi rst , andmost obvi ous, i st hatD.C. hasasubst ant i alcul t ureofpol i t i calcorrupt i on. From t heMari on Barryi mbrogl i ot oi nvest i gat i onsagai nstMayorVi ncentGrayscampai gns,t heDi st ri ct hasbeenrepeatedl ydoggedbyscandal .70 Thi ssordi dhi storyconfirmswhatt heory suggest s: i nt heabsenceofcompet i t i on, i ncumbent sarel essafrai dofl osi ngandmore wi l l i ngtot akerisks, leadi ngtocorrupt ion.71 Second, thel ackofpol i t icalcompet i t ionengendersi rrati onalandsubopt i mal nei ghborhoodparochi al i sm. AsarguedbyBarryWei ngastandJohnFerej ohn, among ot hers, l egi sl at urescangeti nt osubopt i malequi l i bri umsrel yi ngondi st ri but i on.72 The 73 mostwel lknownoft heseisporkbarrelspendi ng. A legisl at urecansupportl ower t axesandl owerspendi ngoveral l , butendupi nahi ghspendi ng, hi ght axequi l i bri um El mendorf& Schl eicher, supra not e62, at367, 38889. Id. at386, 404. 69 See Ji deO. Nzel i be& Mat t hewC. St ephenson, Complementary Constraints:Separation of Powers, Rational Voting, and Constitutional Design, 123 HARV. L. REV. 617, 624 (2010). 70 See PaulSchwart zman& Mi keDeBoni s, D.C. Grapples with Culture of Corruption, WASH. POST, June9, 2012, atA1, A18, available at htt p:// www.washingt onpost.com/ local / dcs-pol i t i cal -corrupt i on-has-deep-root s/ 2012/ 06/ 09/ gJQAqvL9QV_st ory.ht ml(Pol i t i ci ans wi l lsayt heresacul t ureofcorrupt i on, andoft enpeopl esayi t srhet ori c, sai dBryanWeaver, aDemocrat i cact i vi stwhohascampai gnedfort hecounci l . Butwheni tcomest oD.C., t heres acul tureofcorrupt i ont hatreal l yexist s. Whatgetspassedoffaspol i ti csasusualarehuge ethi callapses.). 71 Davi dSchl ei cher,I Would, but I Need the Eggs:Why Neither Exit Nor Voice Substantially Limits BigCity Corruption, 42 LOY. U. CHI. L.J. 277, 288 (2011). 72 JOHN A FEREJOHN, PORK BARREL POLITICS: RIVERS AND HARBORS LEGISLATION, 19471968 23352 (1974);BarryWei ngast , A Rational Choice Perspective on Congressional Norms, 23 AM. J. POL. SCI. 245, 249, 25253 (1979). 73 Geral dGamm& ThadKousser,Contingent Partisanship:When Party Labels Matterand When They Dontin the Distribution of Pork in American State Legislatures, AM. POL. SCI. ASSN 2013 ANNUAL MEETING 1 (2013), available at ht tp://ssrn.com/abst ract =2300304 (describi ngt hel argebodyofresearchi nthisarea). 67 68 2014] WELCOME TO NEW COLUMBIA 101 becausemembersmostpreferspendi ngi ntheirdi stri ct s. Thi sprisonersdil emmal ikesetofpreferencescanresul tinast abl enorm ofallmemberssupporti ngal lot her members proj ect sbecauset heyareworri edt hatdevi at i ngfrom t hi snorm wi l lresult i nlosi ngt hei rownporkproject . Part ycompet i t ionisakeyant idotefort hi st ypeofbadnorm devel opment . As Mat hew McCubbi nshasshown, part iesi nlegisl at uresexisti npartt oconst rai nt hei r membersfrom offeri ngamendment sthatmi ghtpassbutwoul dharm ot herpart y members.74 Backbenchersgi vepartyl eaderst hepowert odothist osett hevoti ng rul esandorderbecauset heleadershavei ncenti vest ost rengt hent hepart ybrands acrossal lseat s. Part yl eaderscanhel pt hei rcaucusoutoft hesepri sonerdi l emma-l i ke defect equi l i bri umsandi nt oagreement st oworki nt hei rcol l ect i vei nt erest .75 St rong part i esandstrongpart ycompet it i onl eadstol essporkspendi ng, somet hi ngwecan seei nt odaysCongress.76 Yet , asGeral dGamm andThadKousserhaveshown, whensuchpart ycompet i t i oni sl acki ng, subopt i mall og-rol l i ngandprot ect i oni sm prevai l . Inpart i cul ar,Gamm and Koussernot et hatuncompeti t i ve legisl at uresfeature more di stri ctbi ll s or decisionsbyagenerall egi slat uret opassbil l st hatarespeci fi ct oonearea, usual l y i ndeferencetothememberfrom t hatareaandwit hl i tt l eregardfort hei roveral l 77 aggregat ei mpactont hepol i t y. Inone-part yD.C., t hi sporkbarrel equi l i bri um i spreci sel ywhathaspl ayedout . Nowhereist hepat t ernclearert hani nt hefi eldofhousi ngdevel opment. D.C., as not edabove, facesamaj orcri si si naffordabl ehousi ngandoffi cespace.78 Yet , despi t e t hecrisi s, t heci tycounci lhasresi st edpermi t ti ngnew const ruct ion.79 Asprevi ousl y not ed, partoft hereasonfort hi si st heHei ghtAct sl i mi tonbui l di nghei ght s.80 Yett o asubst ant i aldegree, const ruct i onhasal sobeenl i mi t edbyordi narymuni ci palzoni ng rest rict i ons. Whywoul dt heCit ysleadersvot etozoneoutgrowt hi nat i meofprosperi t yandopportuni ty? A keyreasonist hecit ycounci lstradit ionofal dermani c See generally GARY W. COX &MATHEW MCCUBBINS, LEGISLATIVE LEVIATHAN: PARTY GOVERNMENT IN THE HOUSE (2ded. 2007);GARY W. COX & MATHEW MCCUBBINS, SETTING THE AGENDA: RESPONSIBLE PARTY GOVERNMENT IN THE U.S. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 46 (2005);D. RODERICK KIEWIET & MATHEW D. MCCUBBINS, THE LOGIC OF DELEGATION: CONGRESSIONAL PARTIES AND THE APPROPRIATIONS PROCESS 12 (Benjami nI. Pageed. 1991). 75 Andofcourset oscrew t heot herpart y!See generally Gamm & Kousser,supra not e73. 76 Davi dSchl ei cher,How Polarization Cooked Congresss Pork, PRAWFSBLAWG (May8, 2012, 9:17 AM), ht t p:/ / prawfsbl awg.bl ogs.com/ prawfsbl awg/ 2012/ 05/ -how-pol ari zat i on-cooked -congresss-pork-.ht ml . 77 See GeraldGamm & ThadKousser,Broad Bills or Particularistic Policy?:Historical Patterns in American State Legislatures, 104 AM. POL. SCI. REV. 151, 151, 165 (2010). 78 See supra notes3740 andaccompanyingtext . 79 See Aaron Weiner, Cheh Considers Bill That Would Give ANCs More Input on Residential Buildings, WASH. CITY PAPER (Mar.29, 2013), ht t p:/ / www.washi ngt oncit ypaper .com/ bl ogs/ housi ngcompl ex/2013/ 03/29/cheh-consi ders-bi l l -t hat -woul d-gi ve-more-i nput -on -resi denti al -buil dings/[hereinaft erWeiner1]. 80 D.C. CODE §6-601.05 (2012). 74 102 WILLIAM & MARY BILL OF RIGHTS JOURNAL [Vol . 23:89 pri vi l ege, aconvent i onbywhi chl eadersdefert ol ocaladvi sorynei ghborhoodcommi ssi onsandt hecounci l memberwhorepresent sthel ocat i onofpot ent ialnew buil d81 i ngproject s. Thi st radi t i ondirect l yparal lel sthesortofsubopti malgoal ongt oget al ong equi l i bri um t hatcharact eri zesone-part yl egi sl at ures, andt hatwoul dform t he coreofpol it i calcult urei nNew Columbi a. D.C.sregularuseoft hi sal dermani cpri vi lege, asabet t ed by al ack ofpart y compet i t i on, hasl edt odeepl yi l l ogi calout comes. Fori nst ance, out si deofdownt own, t hemostlogicalplaceintheci tytobuil dnew housingisneighborhoodsinupper Nort hwest , wherepropert yval uesarehi gh(evi denceofdemand) anddensi t yi sl ow.82 However, homevot ers i nt hosenei ghborhoodsdonotl i kenew construct ion, asit woul dreducet hemonopol yrentst heygetfrom owni ngi ntheseri t zyareas.83 Why doesntt herestoft hecit ycouncilsi mpl yoverrul et hem fort hebenefi tofal l? Why doesi tsanct i onthistypeofprot ect i oni sm byt heci t ysri chestresi dents? Theanswer i sal dermani cprivilege. Zoni ngamendments, foral li ntentsandpurposes, mustbe 84 approvedbyt hecounci l memberfrom t hearea. Therestoft hecounci ldefers, l est proj ect sputt hei rneighborhoodsagainstt hewi shesoft hei rhomevot ers. Theresul t i ngout comei sdeepl yunsat isfying. Leavi ngdeci si onsaboutt hedevel opmentoft heupperNort hwesti nt hehandsof i tscounci lmemberi snomoreatt ract ivet hanl eavinghedgefundregul ati ont ot he MemberofCongressfrom Greenwi ch, Connecti cut,orgunsafet yregul at iont ot he represent at i vefrom Madi son, Nort hCarol i na(whereRemingt onArmsisheadquart ered). Thi st ypeofnorm iswhatprevai l si nt heabsenceofpart isancompeti t i on. If D.C. weret ogainstatehood, t heni twoul di nheri tthesubopt i malgoalongtoget al ong equil i bri um t hatal lone-part ypol i t iest endt odevel op. Cant hi sfat ebeavoi ded? Asapartofanymovet owardsst at ehoodandeveni f st atehooddoesnotoccurD.C. shouldconsi derreformst hatmakepol i t icalcompet i t i onmorel i kel y. I haveproposedanumberoft heseovert heyears.85 Onet hatwoul d See DavidAl pert , Its One City, Not Eight Cities, GREATER GREATER WASHINGTON (Mar.26, 2012), ht t p:/ / great ergreat erwashi ngton.org/ post / 14213/ i t s-one-ci t y-not -ei ght -ci t i es/ . Here, Im referringtoareasi nwhi chdeveloperswoul dneedazoningamendmentinorder t obui l d. However, atl eastonememberofthecouncil(whoisalsoont hispanel) hasasked forci tycounci lapprovalevenwhenproject sareenti relycompli antwit hl ocalzoni ngrul es (i.e., whenbui ldi ngisas-of-right). See Wei ner1, supra note79. 82 FedwardPot z, The Rent Is Too Damn High, WE LOVE DC (Feb. 7, 2013, 8:00 AM), ht tp:/ /www.wel ovedc.com/2013/ 02/ 07/ the-rent -i s-t oo-damn-hi gh/ ;AaronWi ener,Where the Millennials Live (and Other Demographic Treasures), WASH. CITY PAPER (Dec. 11, 2013), ht t p:/ / www.washi ngt onci t ypaper.com/ bl ogs/ housi ngcompl ex/ 2013/ 12/ 11/ where-t he-mi l l enni al s -li ve-and-ot her-demographi c-t reasures/ . 83 See WILLIAM A. FISCHEL, THE HOMEVOTER HYPOTHESIS: HOW HOME VALUES INFLUENCE LOCAL GOVERNMENT TAXATION, SCHOOL FINANCE, AND LAND-USE POLITICS 5152 (2001);Schl eicher2013, supra not e2, at1732. 84 Schl eicher2013, supra not e2, at170607. 85 El mendorf& Schl eicher, supra not e62, at40911;Schl ei cher2007, supra not e61, at46473. 81 2014] WELCOME TO NEW COLUMBIA 103 bepart i cul arl yat t ract ivei nt hecont extofD.C. woul dbeal lowi ngi nt erestgroups t hatareabl et ogat herenoughsi gnat urest heabi l it yt omakeon-bal l otendorsement s, al l owi ngvoterst otel lt hedi fferencebet weenaChamberofCommerce-support ed candidateandonesupportedbyt heSierraCl uborwhomeverelse.86 Inanycase, suchmeasuresshoul dbet oppri orit i esift hest at eofNew Col umbiai st oovercome acul t ureofcorrupti onandreachbet terpoli cyout comes. Fort unately, however,New Col umbi aspol i t i calcul t urewoul dal soofferst ri ki ng opport uni t i esfori nnovat i on. Inpart i cul ar,t hecombi nat i onofaci t yandst at egovernmentopensunchart edandi nt ri gui ngpossi bi l i ti esforpoli cydevelopment . Tot hesortofi nnovat i ont hatst at e-ci t yfusi onmi ghtbri ng, consi derl anduse. Most ci t iesl ackt hepowert ocreat edifferentnui sancelawsgoverni ngdi fferentnei ghborhoods(si ncecommonlaw ist heprovi nceoft hestat es). Asaresul t, ci ti esareleft wit ht heblunderbusst oolofrest ri ct i vel anduserul es, whi choft enl eadt oexcessi ve separat ionofuses. Forexample, ci ti esfrequent lyandunnecessaril ybarresi dents from manufact uri ngzonesbecauseoft heriskt hatresi dentswoul dsuet hemanufac87 t urersundernuisancelaws. However, ifthecit y could si mpl y creat easpeci al nuisancezone,88 itwouldal l ow forresi dent swhowerewi ll i ngt oli vei nmanufact uringzonest odoso, creat i nganew spaceforhousi ngexpansi ons. Ast hi spossi bi l i t y demonstrat es, theabili t ytomi xst atepowerwi t hacit yspreferencesshouldopen upsubstanti alpol icyareasforexpl orat ion. Fi nal l y, thestat eofNew Col umbi ami ghtgenerat emoreradi calinnovat i ons si mpl ybecauseD.C.spopul at i oni sdi fferentfrom t hepopul at i onsofmostst at es. For i nst ance, D.C. woul dbeoneoft henat i onsonl ymaj ori t y-mi nori t yst at e,89 oneoft he 90 youngestst at es, andthest at ewi tht hemostLGBT resi dentsbypercent age(despi t e 91 bei ngt heei ght hmostLGBT ci t y). Provi di ngt hi spopul at i onwi t ht hepowersofSt at ehoodmi ghtal l owfornewpol i cy i nnovati onsandexperi ment sunt ri edi nt hestat usquothatcoul dyi eldsubst ant ial benefit s. Moreover, all owingpopulat i onst hataremi nori t iesont henat i onalst age t heful lpowerofst ategovernmentwoul dal l ow forgreat erdi ssent ingbydeciding, 92 asHeat herGerkenwoul dnote, maki nganydissentsagai nstnat i onalconsensus Schl eicher2007, supra note61, at425 (not ingthat , wi thonlypartyaffi li ationonthe bal lot , vot ershavel itt lei nformati onregardingcandidat esstancesonlocalissues). 87 See Schl eicher2013, supra note2, at1681. 88 See generally id. at1672, 1681. 89 Median Age, by State, USA TODAY (June10, 2010), http:// usatoday30.usatoday.com /news/ nati on/ census/ median-age-by-st ate.htm. 90 U.S. CENSUS BUREAU, RESIDENT POPULATION BY RACE AND STATE: 2010 TBL. 19, available at htt ps:// www.census.gov/compendi a/st atab/2012/t abl es/ 12s0019.pdf. 91 JeremyW. Peters, The Gayest Place in America?, N.Y. TIMES, Nov. 15, 2013, at11, 14, available at htt p:// www.nyt i mes.com/2013/11/17/fashi on/ Washingt on-DC-has-thri vi ng -gay-lesbi an-and-transgender-populat i on.html ?_r=0&pagewant ed=all . 92 See Heat herK. Gerken, Dissentingby Deciding, 57 STAN. L. REV. 1745, 1770 (2005). 86 104 WILLIAM & MARY BILL OF RIGHTS JOURNAL [Vol . 23:89 morepowerfulbyprovi di nganexampl eoft hosedi ssent si nact i on. Whoknowswhat di fferenceswoul demerge, buti twoul dcreat eani ncredi bl yexci t i ngopport unit y. CONCLUSION New Col umbi anStat ehoodwouldcarryprofoundlegal , politi calandeconomi c i mpl i cat i onsfort heregi on. Whi l ewecannotant i ci pat eeveryconsequencet hi schange woul dbri ng, severalarecl earenough;economi cal l y, New Col umbi awoul dbebet t er poi sedt ot hri vei nboom t i mes, yetfacest arkerrisksi ndownt urns, whi lepol i t icall y, i twoul denj oyanew scopefori nnovat i on, butwoul dsuffert heharmsofsi ngl e-part y corrupt i on. Thi sli stisfarfrom compl et e, butbyt urni ngourfocustot hesesortsof i mpact sanddynami cs, wecanbegi nt ounderstandjustwhatst at ehoodwouldoffer t othepeopl eofNew Col umbi a.
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