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Get Out and Vote!

November 6, 2012

The Campaign for Anthony Cimino has signs posted around Irving Street and other areas within 1A10

If you didn’t take advantage of early voting, today’s the day. Polls are open from 7:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. To find your polling location, click here.

While voters tend to focus on the bigger races, you also have the opportunity to vote for Advisory Neighborhood  Commissioners, who serve 2 year terms and can be a community’s strongest advocates. In the surrounding Park View area, the ANC candidates that will be on the ballot are:

  • 1A08 – Kent Boese
  • 1A09 – Bobby Holmes
  • 1A10 – Anthony Cimino
  • 1A10 – Lenwood Johnson

Front and back of flyer distributed around Irving Street in support of Commissioner Johnson’s re-election campaign

The 1A10 race has become particularly interesting and hard fought. Incumbent Lenwood Johnson was featured in several less than flattering media posts last Friday. In one article, Johnson was quoted as saying about the home he considers his primary residence that: “I’m not very happy there [on Irving Street], so I don’t spend a whole lot of time there except for sleeping there and whatever. I do spend a lot of time in Gaithersburg.”

Challenger Anthony Cimino and his supporters have also been actively distributing flyers, posting on Facebook, and distributing election signs throughout the neighborhood.

It will all be over soon and by tomorrow we should know who’ll be serving the new 12 member Advisory Neighborhood Commission 1A come 2013.

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ANC 1A10 Race Just Got More Interesting

November 2, 2012

With less than 5 days before the November 6th election, I was surprised to see an unflattering article in the Washington Post about ANC 1A10 Commissioner Lenwood Johnson. According to the article, Johnson has misused his government issued cell phone to make calls for political and personal purposes, including frequent calls to adults-only chat lines.

This news certainly isn’t going to help Johnson in his re-election bid for the 1A10 seat … especially with him having a strong challenger this in candidate Anthony Cimino.

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Early Voting Has Rough Start, Resumes Today, What Are Your Thoughts on At-Large Candidates?

October 31, 2012

I was very dismayed last Saturday morning when I started to get phone calls from upset residents who reported to me how truly messed up, under supported, and unprepared the DC Board of Elections and Ethics was when early voting began throughout the District’s eight wards. The wait at the Columbia Heights Community Center (1480 Girard Street) was over an hour at the start of the day and grew to more than a two hour wait for some voters. In disgust, some would-be voters left without voting.

Then, when Sandy threatened the east coast early voting was cancelled on Monday and Tuesday. It resumed this morning with extended hours. Early voting locations will be open between 8:30 a.m. and 9:00 p.m. today.

While I’m sure that all of these kinks and delays will be/have been sorted out, I do want to urge anyone that attempted to vote over the weekend and left to return this week or vote on November 6th. Not voting won’t impact the national election, but it does have a significant impact on our local races, particularly with the At-Large and ANC races.

Which brings me to the question of the at-large candidates. Each voter gets to vote for two candidates. I highly favor David Grosso for one of my votes but am undecided on the other vote. Of the candidates, who do you think are the best choices to represent us on the council?

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ANC1A10 Candidate Anthony Cimino Comes Out Strong

September 18, 2012

Residents in ANC 1A10 were introduced to candidate Cimino via door hangers on Saturday

ANC 1A10 candidate Anthony Cimino officially opened the ANC campaign season in Park View on Saturday by canvasing his Single Member District with a door hanger distribution. The door hangers not only help to get his name out there, they sum up his platform and outline what he hopes to accomplish should he be elected.

In Park View, 1A10 is the race that will have the most impact to the community (full ANC1A map here). Originally, three candidates picked up and filed nominating petitions for this Single Member District. I’ve since learned that candidate Craig Isakow has withdrawn from the race and will be supporting Anthony Cimino.

The other candidate is incumbent Lenwood Johnson. Johnson has served as an ANC commissioner for roughly a decade, and in the course of that service he has attracted his share of critics. It will be up to voters to decide in November on whether or not Johnson’s past performance merits change.

Candidate Anthony Cimino organizing door hanger distribution. Volunteers included ANC 1A Commissioner Betty Pair (right)

After meeting with Cimino and reading over his door hanger (below), I believe he would make an excellent commissioner, serve the community well, and provide valuable leadership as the ANC1A addresses increasing issues impacting Lower Georgia Avenue.

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Deadline for Filing ANC Nominating Petitions Passes — Who Will Be on the November Ballot

August 9, 2012

The deadline to file ANC petitions for the November election came and went last night giving us an idea of what the election will look like.

The list below shows the candidates that filed their petitions by the deadline. Click on the above map to view a larger version of the new ANC 1A Single Member District borders that will take effect on January 1st, 2013, and to see which candidates you’ll need to consider voting for. The full list is available at the Board of Elections & Ethics Web Site.

There will next be a period where signatures could be challenged. But, I’ll presume (for now) that all filed petitions hold are valid.

One thing that is clear in looking over the list is that half of the 12 races this year will be just that, races. 6 races have a sole candidate running. Those candidates are:

  • Lisa Kralovic (1A01)
  • Steve Swank (1A03)
  • Kevin Holmes (1A05)
  • Thomas Boisvert (1A07)
  • Kent Boese (1A08)
  • Bobby Holmes (1A09)

The race that will be of most interest to residents in Park View will be the 1A10 race. That race has three candidates. They are:

  • Anthony Cimino
  • Lenwood “Lenny” Johnson (incumbent)
  • Craig John Isakow

I’ll try to get more information on these candidates in the next week or so to better inform voters prior to the election.

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How Are Things Shaping Up in the ANC 1A Race?

July 20, 2012

Two weeks into the of nominating period for the Advisory Neighborhood Commissioner 2012 general election candidates still shows some Single Member Districts (SMD) wide open and others with races that may be hotly contested. With two and a half weeks to go for candidates to pick up their petitions and file, it is too early to tell who will end up on the ballot in any of the ANC 1A races. Still, I find it troubling that there are still three SMDs where no one has shown interest to date.

Below is the list of potential candidates as of July 19th according to the DC Board of Elections and Ethics.

All three of the currently open SMDs are along the western edge of Columbia Heights. I have faith that a candidate will come forward in SMD 1A01, a seat currently held by Commissioner Lisa Kralovic. SMDs 1A05 and 1A12 are more problematic.

Due to redistricting, residents in 1A05 may not realize that their current Commissioner, Laina Aquiline, no longer lives in that district. That means that someone new will need to step up.

Similarly, SMD 1A12 is a complete wildcard and could start 2013 open. It is a completely new SMD that was created by uniting some parts of ANC 1A and ANC 1B together as part of the redistricting process. As with SMD 1A05, residents living in the new 1A12 may not realize that those currently serving as their commissioner may live outside their district.

I’ll definitely revisit the ANC 1A races after the August 8th filing deadline. At that time I also hope to provide some information on the candidates that will be on the ballot.

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Election Season Opens for Advisory Neighborhood Commissioners

July 10, 2012

Ward 1 map showing 2013 ANC and SMD boundaries

Advisory Neighborhood Commissions are a uniquely D.C. component of local government. For those currently serving as commissioners — or deciding to toss their hat into the ring for the first time — yesterday began the biennial election cycle.

Starting at 8:30 a.m., the Board of Elections and Ethics began handing out ANC nomination petitions. The petitions are due by the close of business on Wednesday, August 8th. In order to qualify to be on the November 6th ballot, a minimum of 25 registered voters from a given Single Member District need to sign the petition for an ANC candidate. The map above shows the new ANC and SMD boundaries that will be in effect beginning on January 1, 2013.

As in past elections, some races tend to be hotly contended, others are unopposed, and still others have no one running at all.

Cecilia Jones, President of the  Northwest Columbia Heights Community Association, sent out (in part) the following in a call for candidates on the Columbia Heights Listserv:

The Advisory Neighborhood Commission is a political structure in DC where one Commissioner represents a Single Member District (SMD) [of] about 2,000 residents. Each of DC’s 8 Wards have at least 4 Advisory Neighborhood Commissions (e.g., 1A, 1B, 1C, 1D). Each Commission has about 8 to 10 Commissioners. On November 6th, nearly 300 Advisory Neighborhood Commissioners will be elected to represent DC’s neighborhoods.

Have you ever considered running for public office? Would you like to become your neighborhood’s ANC? Or would you like to support a candidate who is already running, or encourage someone you know to run? What we must NOT do is refuse to act now and complain later.

Important 2012 Dates:

July 9th  – Nominating Petitions are available.
August 8th – Nominating Petitions are due. Petition Requirements: 25 signatures of registered voters from the candidate’s Single Member District.
November 6th – General Election for ANC Commissioners and other races

**Note: ANCs are non-partisan so there is no primary, just the General Election on November 6th. The position of Advisory Neighborhood Commissioner is unpaid, and can be very demanding.

Please talk about the upcoming ANC election among your neighbors and friends. Please go to the next ANC Meeting in your area: http://anc.dc.gov/anc/site/default.asp

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Mayor Gray Presents his FY2013 Budget to Ward 1

May 1, 2012

Mayor Gray at the Ward 1 FY2013 Budget presentation

Mayor Gray presented an overview of his proposed budget priorities for FY2013 last night at Bell Multicultural High School, 3101 16th Street, NW. The Ward 1 presentation was the last of his eight Ward presentations.

According to the Mayor’s PowerPoint presentation, his FY2013 budget proposal has three main goals and four development principles.

The goals:

  1. Diversity and grow the District’s economy;
  2. Educate and prepare our work force for the New Economy; and,
  3. Improve the quality of life for all.

The principles:

  1. Continue to prioritize strategic investments in education, public safety, and workforce development;
  2. Protect our most vulnerable residents;
  3. Ensure a structurally balanced budget (no use of fund balance); and,
  4. Balance the budget with no new taxes or fees.

There was a notable emphasis on education — both in funding schools and in capital improvements (such as school modernizations). In responding to a question after the presentation that questioned all the money going into schools, especially for adults without children, Gray replied that investment in education was investment in the District’s future in all areas.

Because there is a projected budget gap for FY2013, one of the Mayor’s proposed methods of making up some of that revenue would be to expand sales hours for alcoholic beverages by bars and restaurants. While very little print was give to this proposal, the Mayor actually spent some time discussing it during the presentation and it was a topic of concern by more than a couple residents during the follow up questions to the Mayor. Residents from Adams Morgan, in particular, noted their observations that services responding to concerns in that neighborhood are already inadequately addressed. Some noted their belief that any money raised by extending the sales hours for alcohol would merely pay for the increased policing, etc., of the problems that the extra hours would create.

For those interested in exploring the FY2013 budget proposal themselves, many relevant documents are currently available online and can be accessed here.

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Going to the Ward 1 FY2013 Budget Town Hall Meeting Tonight?

April 30, 2012

There have certainly been a lot of notices on the listservs about tonight’s FY2013 Budget Town Hall Meeting. Is anyone else going? If so, what do you hope to learn from it?

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D.C. Primary Election Tomorrow, April 3rd — Who Are You Voting For?

April 2, 2012

Tomorrow, for those that have not already voted early, is the 2012 primary election. The most interesting choice we have in Ward 1 is in the Democratic At-Large Council race. This election, we have four candidates to choose from. They are:

Sekou Biddle: former school board and council member. In the words of the Washington Post, “he has a record of public service, an expertise in education and a thoughtful approach to the city’s pressing problems.” His campaign Web site is here.

Among those endorsing Biddle are the Washington Post, the Northwest Current, and the Washington City Paper.

E. Gail Anderson Holness: is the sitting ANC Commissioner for 1B11. Dr. Holness is a Human Rights Activist, Lecturer, Businesswoman, Motivational Speaker, College Administrator, TV Talk Show Host, Columnist, Lawyer, Author and Pastor.  You can read up on Dr. Holness at her campaign Web site.

Vincent Orange (incumbent): according to Orange’s campaign Web site, Vincent’s vision for Washington, DC, is that of a world-class city operating at its fullest potential. An extremely vibrant city that continues to beckon individuals, couples and families to live in, visit and experience its culture, arts, restaurants, retail, entertainment, sports venues, neighborhoods and tourism.

Among Orange’s endorsements are the InTowner Newspapers, the Ward 5 and Ward 8 Democrats, and the DC Chamber of Commerce.

Peter Shapiro: recently moved back to D.C. from Prince George’s County, where he successfully ran for a seat on the Prince George’s County Council and served from 1998 to 2004. He was the Council Chair for two consecutive years. You can read more about Shapiro at his campaign Web site.

Shapiro appears to be endorsed by Greater Greater Washington.

Where to vote in the neighborhood — most of Park View is in voting precincts 43 (north of Park Road) and 38 (south of Park Road). Precinct 43 residents vote at the Park View Recreation Center, corner of Otis and Warder, NW. Precinct 38 residents vote at Cesar Chavez Prep. Charter Middle School, 770 Kenyon Street, NW.

Polls will be open from 7:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.

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