I find there is much to be gained by getting to know our Councilmembers, and not just our Ward Councilmembers. Robert White, one of our four at-large representatives, will be at Bin 1301 on U Street this Thursday from 6-8 pm with the sole purpose of getting to know the residents of our communities better. I encourage anyone who has the time to stop by and talk to Robert. I’ve found him to be a stand-up guy from day one.
Details below:
The Georgia Avenue Community Development Task Force and Park View UNC are hosting a candidates forum for the Democratic At-Large primary race on Monday, May 9th.
If you want to know some more about the candidates who will be participating in the forum, the Petworth News blog posted a conversation with Robert White, and you can check out the campaign Website of David Garber. I wasn’t able to find a current campaign site for Vincent Orange, but you can check out his At-Large Council site here.
Details from email below:
The Georgia Avenue Community Development Task Force and the Park View United Neighborhood Coalition will host an At-Large Candidates Forum on Monday May 9th at 6:30pm at the Bruce Monroe @ Park View School – 3560 Warder St. NW. The following candidates will be present:
- David Garber
- CM Vincent Orange
- Robert White
We are in the process of selecting the questions for the forum. If you have issues pertaining to Lower Georgia Avenue that you would like to see addressed at this forum, please send an email to Sylvia Robinson at sylvia (at) ecacollective (dot) org or call her at (202) 462-2285.
We are really looking forward to hearing from the candidates on a range of topics important to our community. Hope to see you there
On February 29, 2016, Commissioner Boese testified before the Committee on Business, Consumer, and Regulatory Affairs, focusing his testimony on the Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs (DCRA) and its need for improvement. While he acknowledged some positive changes within the department over the past year, there is still much room for improvement. Through his engagement with DCRA over the past year, he has discovered wrongly issued building permits and construction that does not match the plans reviewed in the permitting process among other problems.
Chief among the improvements he requested are:
During the hearing, Councilmember Orange asserted that while DCRA can still improve, he didn’t believe that DCRA was as broken or failing to function as some testifying had stated. He referenced the strong development of the District and the fact that DCRA issues over 35,000 building permits a year — using this as an indicator that DCRA is doing something right. Boese countered that a strong real estate market and the resulting increase in development are the cause of the increase in the number of building permits issued — but that this has no relationship to how well DCRA is operating. During the hearing Councilmember Orange often intertwined the issue of DCRA operations and the District’s revitalization and population growth — along with what he felt was his role in it — ultimately clouding the discussion.
You can watch the entire hearing here. Commissioner Boese’s testimony can be found between 03:11:48 and 03:52:42.
The west side of the 3600 block of Georgia Avenue.
On May 5, 2015, Councilmember Vincent Orange introduced the Nightlife Regulation Amendment Act of 2015 (Bill B21-0196). As introduced, “this bill requires that certain establishments licensed to sell alcohol shall measure the noise levels outside of their establishments using a decibel meter once an hour between the hours of 9 p.m. and 4 a.m. The noise measurements must be submitted to the Alcoholic Beverage Regulation Administration (ABRA) on a weekly basis. Noncompliance can result in a warning for the first offense, a fine between $500 and $1000 for a second offense, a suspended license for the 3rd offense, and revocation for a fourth offense. The requirement applies to establishments holding C/R, C/N, C/T, D/R, D/T and D/N licenses.”
Upon learning about this bill — and its attempt to address noise coming from restaurants, bars, and taverns through self regulation by business owners — I immediately saw this as a bad bill (read my June Issues Spotlight on noise here). It would be an undue hardship for our good small businesses and the problem businesses owners would find ways around the self reporting aspect. In reflecting on how 11th Street, Upshur Street, and (recently on) Georgia Avenue started to revitalize due to the small business owners in the hospitality industry, the particulars of Oranges’ bill seemed particularly nonsensical. Looking Glass Lounge, Room 11, Crane and Turtle, Maple, and DC Reynolds (to name very few), are not the problem. These are good businesses that know their customers and engage in the community. These are precisely the businesses we need to attract other good businesses, and the businesses that often proceed or attract retail.
At the June 10th meeting of ANC 1A (as already noted by Borderstan and the District Hopper), I introduced a resolution opposing the Nightlife Regulation Amendment Act of 2015 … and I’m happy to say that the Commission passed the resolution overwhelmingly by a vote of 8-0 with one abstention.
I do agree with Mr. Orange that the city can do more to address noise issues — particularly by beefing up our construction code to mitigate noise in new construction before noise even becomes an issue. Or, by establishing standards for sound abatement in replacement windows for buildings located in Commercial corridors. There is a lot that can be done proactively that D.C. just isn’t doing. This is precisely why I’m taking a deep dive into the Construction code and comparing it with other jurisdictions to document best practices that would make sense in D.C. For me, maintaining the communities quality of life does not and should not be accomplished through laws hostile to small businesses, but rather through improved construction and the use of new technologies.
The hearing on the Nightlife Regulation Amendment Act of 2015 is scheduled for July 9th. Those wishing to testify or submit written comments can find instructions to do so in the Announcement of the Public Hearing.
Today, Brianne Nadeau will be sworn in as Ward 1’s representative on the Council of the District of Columbia. Nadeau defeated 17 year incumbent Jim Graham in the April 2014 primary.
One thing that should be of great interest to all Ward 1 residents is who will be staffing Nadeau’s Council office. Below is a rundown of her team as shared via email last week.
Meet Councilmember Brianne Nadeau’s Team
Tania Jackson, Chief of Staff
Tom Fazzini, Deputy Chief of Staff and Communications Director
Danielle Burs, Legislative Director
Claudia Barahona, Constituent Services Director
Cherryl Bradley, Scheduler and Constituent Services Representative
Maricela Nava, Administrative AssistantWith all voting precincts reporting in, mayoral candidate Muriel Bowser (with 44.24% of the vote) and Ward 1 candidate Brianne Nadeau (with 58.68% of the vote) won decisive victories in yesterday’s closely watched and hotly contested D.C. Primary elections. Voter turn-out was low, with only 22.50% of registered voters participating in either early voting or yesterday’s Primary, and played significant roles in several of the tight races. You can view the election results for all races at the DC Board of Elections Web site. I’ve also included the results of the Ward 1 primary below.
I would also like to take this opportunity to congratulate Brianne Nadeau on her victory. Nadeau ran a well-organized and aggressive campaign and it paid off handsomely. Her youthful energy and intelligence — along with her growing knowledge of the residents and issues gained from months of canvasing every corner and neighborhood in Ward 1 — will serve her well and help her hit the ground running when she takes office next January.
In the Ward 1 Council race, I have decided to endorse the incumbent, Councilmember Jim Graham. In making this decision it boiled down to one thing – in the race between Jim Graham and Brianne Nadeau, I believe Jim Graham’s experience and understanding of both the Ward and Georgia Avenue’s dynamics makes him the better candidate when it comes to representing the issues of our community and the future of lower Georgia Avenue.
As I often have had to do in my role as a community leader, I have given this decision much thought knowing full well that some in the community will disagree with it. Yet, above all I feel it is my duty to advocate in the best interests of the community. I believe this decision does that.
It has been my experience during my years of service that Councilmember Graham has provided much needed support to community priorities when it mattered most. A few of the many issues in our community I credit him with are:
Against a backdrop where development has begun to take hold on Georgia Avenue, it is essential that our Councilmember for the next four year be someone who knows the dynamics of the corridor, be a proven and knowledgeable community advocate, and be someone who is truly interested in working with residents and community leaders on issues that directly impact them.
Washington is a city with many talented and intelligent people. I would count both candidates among them. However, in reviewing Ms. Nadeau’s record I find it slim at best, even when compared to others who have had similar opportunities. As a community activist and leader who served on ANC 1B from 2007-2010, I expect more of her record than an ability to “bring people together around tough issues.”
Within this context, I find Councilmember Graham to be the only real choice in the 2014 democratic primary race for Ward 1. I urge those who desire genuine, positive, and inclusive progress in our community to consider this when they vote on April 1st.
For those who haven’t made up their mind on who to vote for in the Ward 1 Council race, the The Georgia Avenue Community Development Task Force is hosting a Ward 1 Candidates Forum on Wednesday February 26th at 6:00pm at the Bruce Monroe @ Park View school at 3560 Warder St. NW. Candidates Brianne Nadeau and Councilmember Jim Graham are invited to share their views on Georgia Avenue. They will be asked five questions related to Georgia Avenue, and a series of yes/no questions. Audience questions will follow as time permits. Both candidates will need to leave immediately afterwards for another forum so the forum will need to end by 7:30. It’s an opportunity for residents to attend a forum in the neighborhood and become better acquainted with the candidates.
(The Park View school building on Warder Street)
Ward 1 Council candidate Brianne Nadeau.
According to DC Reynolds Facebook page, they will be hosting a meet and greet for Ward 1 Council candidate Brianne Nadeau. The event is tonight, Friday December 20th, beginning at 8 p.m. In addition to meeting Ms. Nadeau, she will also be bringing registration information in case attendees haven’t registered to vote yet.
The following description is from DC Reynolds announcement:
“Brianne Nadeau is a former ANC, running for DC Council to bring a new energy to the Ward. She has focused her campaign on maintaining affordability in our community, strengthening our schools and improving the delivery of government services. She believes the Council should be focused on long-term solutions to our ongoing problems, not quick fixes. During her time on the ANC, she was known as responsive, accessible and for bringing people together around tough issues. She has worked closely with leaders along Georgia Avenue to strengthen the corridor and has made this a top priority for her campaign.”
It sounds like an interesting event.
At the beginning of December, one of the questions I asked was if residents thought Ward 1 Councilmember Jim Graham would be running for re-election. Yesterday morning, CM Graham answered that question on Newstalk with Bruce Depuyt on NewsChannel 8 with a definitive yes!
If you happened to miss it, you can watch the segment below.
"The territory comprising Park View extends from Gresham Street north to Rock Creek Church Road, and from Georgia Avenue to the Soldiers' Home grounds, including the triangle bounded by Park Road, Georgia Avenue, and New Hampshire Avenue" (from Directory and History of Park View, 1921.)
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Park View, D.C. 