It’s been two years since I decided to run for ANC and began collecting signatures to get on the 2012 ballot. Last week I went back to the Board of Elections and picked up petition sheets to once again run for neighborhood commissioner and continue to represent you in ANC 2B09.
Over the last two years I have gained enormous respect for this neighborhood and for the people who live here, work here and visit here. I also have a deeper understanding of the processes which the city uses to make decisions and how we can best foster and value community input. Most importantly to me, I have made dozens of new friends and now feel a real sense of belonging in the place I live, something I had been missing in my almost ten years of DC residency.
Of equal significance is that together over the last two years, we have accomplished a great deal to improve our neighborhood. Looking back at what I wrote on election night 2012:
Over the last two years I have gained enormous respect for this neighborhood and for the people who live here, work here and visit here. I also have a deeper understanding of the processes which the city uses to make decisions and how we can best foster and value community input. Most importantly to me, I have made dozens of new friends and now feel a real sense of belonging in the place I live, something I had been missing in my almost ten years of DC residency.
Of equal significance is that together over the last two years, we have accomplished a great deal to improve our neighborhood. Looking back at what I wrote on election night 2012:
When I moved to the neighborhood, I was looking for a way to meet more of my neighbors and give back to the community that I call home. My goals for the next two years are to make incremental progress in:
- Making our neighborhood streets safer for pedestrians, bikers and drivers
- Finding community-based approaches to solving neighborhood issues
- Creating stronger relationships with DC government agencies so they better serve our needs
We have had several key successes in each of those areas, including:
Of course, there is much left to be done and we need someone with experience and motivation to continue our progress in this important role. I’m ready to lead the way for two more years.
I am committed to our neighborhood and I will continue to bring a calm head with a goal of compromise to processes like historic preservation or zoning reviews where reason and logic don’t often prevail. I will continue my work on transportation policy, including improving our parking “system” for residents and visitors, making our streets and sidewalks safer for pedestrians and improving public transportation options; this is work that impacts every person every day.
And as always, I will remain available to each of you. I have found that one of the hallmarks of a an effective ANC Commissioner are to be available consistently, to listen first, and to approach situations without bias.
Over the next few weeks, I hope to knock on your door and ask for your signature to once again represent you on the ANC. And for all the reasons listed above, come November, I hope you will vote for me.
- Helping to pass a law that protects pedestrians and cyclists from dangerous and inconvenient construction;
- Expanding our biking infrastructure and pushing for better maintenance so that cyclists feel safe on our streets and don’t feel the need to be on the sidewalks;
- Established and chair the ANC’s Transportation and Public Infrastructure Committee to focus discussions on improving our neighborhood’s beauty and safety;
- Worked closely with neighborhood organizations, other ANCs and businesses to manage our neighborhood’s success by finding collaborative solutions to late-night noise, trash issues, parking concerns and more;
- Developed key relationships with officials at DDOT, MPD, DCFEMS, the Mayor’s Office, Councilmember Evan’s Office and more so that when something needs to be fixed or an agency is process is moving too slowly you can get the help you need quickly; and
- Elected as Vice-Chair of the ANC by my colleagues and provide leadership and stability to our Commission.
Of course, there is much left to be done and we need someone with experience and motivation to continue our progress in this important role. I’m ready to lead the way for two more years.
I am committed to our neighborhood and I will continue to bring a calm head with a goal of compromise to processes like historic preservation or zoning reviews where reason and logic don’t often prevail. I will continue my work on transportation policy, including improving our parking “system” for residents and visitors, making our streets and sidewalks safer for pedestrians and improving public transportation options; this is work that impacts every person every day.
And as always, I will remain available to each of you. I have found that one of the hallmarks of a an effective ANC Commissioner are to be available consistently, to listen first, and to approach situations without bias.
Over the next few weeks, I hope to knock on your door and ask for your signature to once again represent you on the ANC. And for all the reasons listed above, come November, I hope you will vote for me.
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