Washington, D.C. - Following a meeting with Presidential Inaugural Committee (PIC) and federal officials yesterday, the Office of Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton today released a letter previously sent to PIC Executive Director Emmett S. Beliveau outlining her concerns. Norton's office also announced that the Congresswoman will hold an Obama Inauguration Open House for her constituents during the swearing-in and the inaugural parade in her offices at 2136 in the Rayburn House Office Building on Jan. 20th. The Congresswoman, who is chair of the subcommittee with jurisdiction over the General Services Administration, also will seek to have some sections of government buildings open on inauguration day to relieve crowd congestion and allow respite for residents and visitors from long walks in the cold weather, and access to restrooms. Norton's office will use a lottery to randomly pick residents to receive inaugural tickets distributed to members of Congress. The Congresswoman's office stopped taking names after receiving 10,000 calls and e-mails that began spontaneously on Nov. 5th, the day after Barack Obama was elected.

Norton said that the meeting yesterday demonstrated that PIC is being "proactive and innovative while taking the steps necessary to assure public safety and comfort." The meeting concerned both the Mall gathering and the parade, including getting ticket-holders through record-breaking crowds of non-ticket holders, accommodating tour buses nearby, and preparing visitors to make the decision to come to the Mall only if they are prepared for the walks, crowds, weather, and other conditions. Also discussed were official indoor and outdoor "Obama Inauguration Swearing-in Sites" that Norton suggested in her letter, using public spaces such as the Washington Convention Center, FedEx Field, Nationals Ball Park, churches, and other indoor and outdoor sites that can give visitors the same feeling of participation as being on the Mall far from the swearing-in looking at Jumbotrons.

In her letter, Norton linked the success of the inauguration to the tourist-dependent D.C. economy and the opportunities the Inauguration will give the city during this recession. She wrote: "I have no doubt that the campaign's brilliant record in pulling off the largest campaign rallies in U.S. history more than prepares you to do what is necessary here. Particularly considering the serious recession, the District's elected officials, of course, want to encourage as many people as possible to come, especially this year, and to help them have the time of their lives, so they continue to take great joy in Barack Obama's election and will want to return to the District. The city's economy is closely linked to our role as a federal city and a major national and international tourist destination." Norton will ask lottery winners to take tickets only if they are prepared for long walks, difficulty getting on public transportation, and other conditions that will be outlined.

The Congresswoman's letter follows.

Dear Mr. Beliveau:

This letter was about ready to go when I saw that you were on my schedule tomorrow, along with the chair of the Capitol Police Board, House Sergeant at Arms Bill Livingood. Nevertheless, I thought it might be useful for you to have in advance these observations and further background based on prior inaugurations as well as some suggestions that I hope that the Presidential Inauguration Committee will consider.

I appreciated our recent conversation and the steps you are taking to make maximum use of the National Mall.  I have no doubt that the campaign's brilliant record in pulling off the largest campaign rallies in U.S. history more than prepares you to do what is necessary here. Particularly considering the serious recession, the District's elected officials, of course, want to encourage as many people as possible to come, especially this year, and to help them have the time of their lives, so they continue to take great joy in Barack Obama's election, and so they will want to return to the District. The city's economy is closely linked to our role as a federal city and a major national and international tourist destination.

My concern has never been with the Mall's capacity, or even with security.  As a result of my oversight responsibilities on the Homeland Security Committee, I believe that the federal agencies are well-prepared for the inauguration and other unexpectedly large crowds, as they have continuously demonstrated over many years, particularly since 9/11. In addition, Mayor Adrian Fenty has appointed as his police chief an able officer who led the District's homeland security efforts after 9/11. The District, which I have observed as a native Washingtonian, including 18 years of service in Congress, is the most experienced and successful jurisdiction in the nation in handling large crowds, regardless of size, particularly inaugurations.

The problem is less with the Mall's capacity than with the inherent limits of transportation, ready access to the Mall, crowd comfort and mobility, as well as the appropriate preparation necessary to facilitate the enjoyment of an unusually large crowd expected in January. Requests for tickets have overwhelmed members of Congress since the day after the election. Many, if not most, who will come to the inauguration will be newcomers to inaugurations, and perhaps even to Washington. Many will not know that even ticket holders will have to walk many blocks, even miles, to reach security check-points, and wait in long lines to enter or that there will be no restrooms except for unsightly, unheated, portable toilets. In 2004, many did not get through security check-points until after that swearing-in was over. The Obama inauguration will draw many more, most without tickets, and the three-day Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday weekend will add to the crowds. The number is unknowable. Beyond the usual calculations based on hotel reservations, scheduled transportation, and tour buses, many will drive and stay in the homes of family or friends throughout the D.C., Maryland, Virginia and West Virginia region. In addition to the swearing-in, a huge additional crowd will come for the nearby parade, and inevitably some of these visitors will merge with the swearing-in crowd.

Regardless of the Mall's capacity, Metro, the only transportation that will get close to the Mall or to Pennsylvania Avenue for the parade, is limited in its capacity, even running extra trains continually. For all intents and purposes, walking from distant points will be the only reliable mode of transportation, and considering the crowds, walking will be difficult the closer people get to security. After the annual July 4th Mall celebrations, for example, people often must walk two or three subway stops to get on a train, and some stations have limited the numbers who can come into stations at one time.

Considering that an unprecedented crowd will come to the Mall and to the parade, no matter what the Presidential Inaugural Committee or security officials do, acting proactively is better than assuming only a manageably large number based on the Mall's capacity. In any case, if the crowds get too large or experience difficulty moving about, security officials will abruptly take over, spoiling the experience. I am sure you want a large crowd, but perhaps not as much as we in the District do, considering the shortfalls already occurring in our mainstay tourist economy on which the District is disproportionately dependent.

There is much that can be done to welcome and encourage what we hope will be the largest crowd in U.S. history, while taking every available step to avoid discomfort and disappointment, particularly for those who have never attended an inauguration and will have no tickets. I assume that because many people will come early because of the three-day Martin Luther King, Jr. weekend, the Presidential Inaugural Committee intends to initiate and encourage many activities that can give people a sense of participation in the inauguration, even before January 20th. In addition to assuring that the Mall is open to all who desire to come, however, I hope you also will consider steps to relieve congestion on the Mall. For example, the Committee also could "invite" people to both indoor and outdoor "Obama Inauguration Swearing-in Sites" near the Mall, located in federal buildings and other public spaces, such as the convention center owned by the District, for the comfort of those who desire this option. Visitors could be informed that the Committee wants to allow visitors to have their own personal choices of the best experience consistent with their own personal needs. Nothing would be lost, of course, because people on the Mall beyond 3rd Street and, even closer, will be looking mostly at large screens in any case because of the distance from the swearing-in. I do my race-walking on the Mall, but even people ready for the large crowds, the weather, and the walking might appreciate the possibility of choices other than a long walk to the far end of the Mall, with no decent facilities in January. Even if most people are left to fend for themselves, the elderly ("I never thought I would live to see..."), the disabled, and, I believe, many others would appreciate the thoughtful consideration of the Committee.

Sincerely,

Eleanor Holmes Norton