Welcome new readers! Re-introductions below plus a variety of neighborhood updates
SMD meeting, ANC meetings, BikeFest, bus lane enforcement and more
I had this week off work at my day job and decided to spend some of that time printing and distributing fliers at every door in 4D06 introducing myself, this newsletter, and flagging the coming district meeting at Petworth Library - almost 700 doors!
You may have seen me out walking around the neighborhood. Depending on how early in the process it was, I might have looked like this:
Or like this:
Anyway, I can see that many of you took the opportunity to sign up for this newsletter and I wanted to welcome you! Thanks for signing up to keep up to date on things happening in the neighborhood.
Below I’m going to briefly share:
Reminder about our SMD meeting on Thursday
ANC 4D’s return to in-person meetings next month
A family bike bus for DC Family BikeFest on Sun. 9/17
A reminder about bus lane enforcement
A recap of the items I’ve been working on this year
Some further reading of interest
SMD Meeting - Thursday 8/31 from 5-7pm
Just a brief reminder here that I will be in Meeting Room 1 (in the basement) of Petworth Library from 5-7pm this coming Thursday ready to meet with any and all of you who might be interested in stopping by. I’d love to meet those of you I haven’t yet, and re-connect with those who have, and hear any thoughts or concerns you have about issues affecting our neighborhood.
Please feel free to drop by and say hi! But I also totally understand if this time doesn’t work well for you for a variety of reasons. If you can’t come on Thursday, please remember you are always free to reach out to me directly by email or phone.
ANC 4D monthly public meetings
Another brief reminder - ANC 4D is going to try re-starting in-person meetings next month. These meetings will be hybrid, which means that you can choose whether you’d like to join in person or over Zoom. We will work hard to provide a good meeting experience no matter how you are joining us.
ANC 4D holds public meetings on the third Wednesday of every month. Our next meeting is Wednesday, Sept. 20, from 6:30-8:30pm. It will be held at the Washington Latin Charter Public School, 5200 2nd St. NW. Feel free to join us in person or over Zoom; Zoom registration details will be up on our website soon at www.anc4d.org.
DC Family Bikefest + Bike Bus
Sunday Sept. 17 is the annual DC Family Bikefest in Alethia Tanner Park, a fun gathering for families who bike in DC. I had a great time last year but didn’t get any amazing photos - best I’ve got:
I’m working with a few other folks up in our neighborhood to put together a bike bus for families who want to caravan together, slowly and safely, from Petworth to the event. The tentative plan is to meet in Sherman Circle at 9:00am and hit the road by 9:15. Please email me if you’re interested and follow the Bikefest page for final confirmation!
DC Bus Lane Camera Enforcement
For those who haven’t seen the news, DC is rolling out automated camera enforcement for unauthorized vehicles using or blocking dedicated bus lanes. Details on the program are here.
The cameras have already been deployed on busses and are currently identifying violations. Because this is a brand new program, it is currently in a “warning period,” in which drivers will receive warnings rather than fines for violations. But beginning on September 18, the warning period will be over and DDOT will begin to issue actual fines.
Recap of what I’ve been working on this year
I thought it might be useful to recap some of the work I’ve been doing on our Commission this year, particularly for those of you who are new to this newsletter and haven’t been following ANC 4D very closely this year. Here is a collection of items I’ve worked on (hopefully I’m not missing anything important!):
Resolutions
I’ve introduced five resolutions in ANC 4D so far this year:
4D-2023-02: This resolution established ANC 4D’s first set of standing committees on Public Safety, Transportation & Vision Zero, Public Health & Environment, and Public Facilities. The resolution passed 8-0.
4D-2023-05: This resolution expressed ANC 4D’s support for legislation pending before the D.C. Council that would designate the alley running between 9th St. NW, Georgia Ave. NW, Buchanan St. NW and Crittenden St. NW as Catlett Alley, named after famed DC artist Elizabeth Catlett. The resolution passed 8-0.
4D-2023-06: This resolution called for the District’s Automated Traffic Enforcement (traffic cameras) program to be directed towards safety rather than revenue, calling for the city to (1) ensure that excess revenue generated from these cameras go towards traffic safety improvements rather than general revenue; (2) use traffic calming rather than ATE as a first resort for safety; (3) use ATE to identify cars & drivers who persistently drive unsafely and treat them as an enforcement priority. The resolution passed 7-0 with 1 abstention.
4D-2023-08: This resolution called for safety improvements at the intersection of Kansas Ave., Allison St., and 8th St. NW, including raised crosswalks and curb extensions to shorten crosswalks, pedestrian refuges in Kansas Ave., and the creation of concepts for a more extensive redesign of this intersection. This resolution passed 7-1.
4D-2023-09: This resolution called for DDOT to proceed with the planned installation of two speed bumps on the 4800 block of 7th St. NW. This resolution passed 6-2.
I have also happily supported the other four resolutions our Commission has taken up and passed this year, concerning supporting the redevelopment of the Berean Baptist Church, supporting local democracy in DC, supporting the construction of a library at 5th & Kennedy St. NW, and supporting the deployment of automated traffic enforcement in DC school zones. All of these can be found on our website.
Public Testimony
In February 2023, I testified before the DC Council’s Executive Administration and Labor Committee concerning oversight of the Office of the City Administrator. My comments focused on the need to press forward with the District’s Vision Zero goals and improve transportation equity. My testimony can be viewed here.
For those interested, I also provided testimony to the Committee on Transportation and Environment in March 2023 in my personal capacity concerning DC’s proposed ebike rebates. My written testimony can be found below:
Written advocacy
Last week, I co-authored an opinion piece published in Greater Greater Washington reflecting on our efforts to get speed bumps installed on 7th St. NW and what that process says about the larger work of Vision Zero.
Letters signed
As an ANC, I have also supported some of the excellent work of other Commissioners and community members across the District by adding my voice to theirs in calling for action on various important issues:
A pending letter urging District leadership to end the practice of force-feeding animals in farming for DC's food industry.
July 2023: A letter urging District leadership to act to stop the transfer of ANC Commissioner Leonard Bishop, the representative of SMD 7F08 (DC Jail), to a penitentiary in Kentucky.
May 2023: A letter urging District leadership to push harder to take dangerous drivers off DC’s roads and curb reckless driving.
April 2023: A letter urging District leadership to focus Automated Traffic Enforcement efforts on traffic safety improvements
March 2023: A letter criticizing Representative James Comer’s harmful politicization of oversight of the District in the U.S. House of Representatives.
February 2023: A letter urging Mayor Bowser and Chairman Mendelson to forcefully support the District’s self-determination and statehood in the face of Congressional interference into District governance.
February 2023: A letter urging the National Park Service not to conduct an expedited eviction of unhoused residents from McPherson Square park.
I know also some ANCs are working hard to get city leadership to engage with the deep problems at DC’s Office of Unified Communications (which handles 911 calls); I plan to support those efforts as they are finalized.
Constituent services
A lot of Commissioners’ work is helping constituents ensure that District agencies (or other government officials) hear about problems they are facing where the government can be helpful. This has included a wide variety of issues, including addressing illegal dumping, ensuring oversight of vacant properties or properties under construction, noise complaints, connecting constituents with District services geared towards our older residents, various issues related to safety and maintenance at Sherman Circle Park, and more.
Further reading
Last, for anybody who made it this far, I wanted to share outstanding DC journalist Martin Austermuhle’s final piece for WAMU before his move to Switzerland. He wrote a long piece about Advisory Neighborhood Commissions - covering much of the good, bad, and ugly. For folks interested in learning more about our work, Martin’s piece is a nice survey. And as you might imagine, it has also prompted lots of discussion online from current and former ANCs (I have so far stayed out of it!). Some interesting perspectives here, here, and here.