Phil Lepanto

December 15th Business Meeting Report

noreply@blogger.com (Phil Lepanto) — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 16:35:00 +0000

On Tuesday of last week, the ANC had its last meeting of 2009. I believe that I have a 100% attendance record for all business meetings and that I only missed one informal business meeting because I was out of town. If you read through this blog, you'll know how there have been times that I've been frustrated and times that I feel I've made a contribution.

On the whole, I think I have represented myself and my constituents well. I've began to find ways to work with the other Commissioners, but there is much room for improvement.

The Mural

You can see from one of my previous posts that the ANC was asked to provide a letter for support for a mural project funded by the City Arts and Humanitites Commission. Byron Peck, a renown local artist, had held 3 public meetings soliciting input on his design. After getting preliminary approval for the Commission, he was seeking ANC support to get final approval for funding. This mural would appear on the North side of the building at 3125 Mount Pleasant Street, the Atonatl or more informally, the Raven Building.

Everyone that I spoke with did not like the design. At the meeting, there were very few supporters of the design. Most people felt that Mr. Peck did a good job of trying to meet all the demands put on him by members of the community and the owners of the building. As I stated in an earlier post, I feel like I had to represent the feelings of my constituents on this issue.

In the end, the ANC deadlocked on a resolution to support it and a resolution to not support it. In effect, the ANC did nothing. However, I feel that this was an important vote to stop the ANC from doing something that many in the neighborhood were against.

Great Forward Looking Innovations for Mt. Pleasant and Washington, DC

My greatest regret is that I have not been able to develop a stronger working relationship with my fellow Commissioners. Perhaps I have been too critical of them on this blog without really giving them a chance, perhaps I haven't worked hard enough to develop a relationship. Whatever the reasons may be, the result is the same: I feel like I make very little progress on my initiatives and things where we might work together and done without me. Nevertheless, I will give credit where it is due. I think this meeting produced two excellent resolutions that I was proud to vote for.

ANC Resolution Delivery Via The Internet - This was a resolution proposed by Gregg Edwards. It calls on the Office of the Chief Technology Officer to develop a system by which ANCs can submit their resolutions via a web-based system and have them automatically delivered to the appropriate District agencies, as well as track the agency responses. I think this will be a great step forward for the institution of the Advisory Neighborhood Commission in Washington. We tweaked it a bit to make it clear that we wanted the whole system to be available for public use, but on the whole it is a brilliant idea and would really be of benefit to the city.

Convert Mount Pleasant Street to a "Pedestrian Encounter Zone" and "Bicycle Boulevard" - This was a resolution proposed by Jack McKay. It has received coverage at Greater Greater Washington and the Washington City Paper Housing Complex Blog. For the record, I indicated to the Washington City Paper reporter that Jack and Gregg really took the leadership on this. She indicated that she was working on a deadline and had to get something out, so I felt it was better to answer what questions I could so we could get the word out about this resolution. There are a couple of important reasons that I support this. First, our neighborhood businesses primarily serve residents who live within a .5 mile to 1.5 mile radius. I believe that we could cut down substantially on the number of cars that we accommodate on the strip, either traveling or parking, and still have a sustainable business environment. In fact, I think many businesses might benefit by having a larger outdoor space in which to operate. I think reducing the bus traffic substantially, as well as car traffic, would make Mount Pleasant Street a much more attractive place to visit and spend time. There are a ton of practical issues to be sorted out, particularly how to accommodate traffic on Irving and Park, the business community is likely to be very concerned, and simply put, the District Government would have to write a new chapter in their manual to put this together. The conversation is just beginning.

Important Issues of Note

More Active Parks - In addition to his excellent work on the Pedestrian Encounter Zone, Jack offered a resolution for "Promoting Social Activities in Mt. Pleasant Street Parks". As examples, he cites benches and chess/game tables that foster the development of a civic plaza. I supported this because I think it is right. Jack has expressed his belief in public meetings that part of Mt. Pleasant's economic troubles stem from many residents not feeling that the strip has a wide enough diversity of social and shopping opportunities. I think it is good that we are telling the Office of Planning that we see this as important.

Public Bulletin Board - The Commission worked together to amend a resolution previously offered by Gregg Edwards to build a kiosk or public bulletin board in Lamont Park as a Pilot Project for other kiosks in the community. I think that the Kiosk in Adams Morgan is a great place for civic interaction and feel that our neighborhood would benefit from one as well.

More Open Government - We passed a couple of resolutions related to Agency Transcriptions, Web-Casting, and Office of Planning source material. The main goal of these is to try and make it as easy as possible for the public to follow District Agency hearings. With regard to the Office of Planning resolution, I voiced my concern that this would slow the Office of Planning's Small Area Revitalization Plan but was assured by Jack and Gregg that the purpose was to be able to use the source data for other work.

Special Exception on Ingleside Terrace - Two neighbors wanted to build a deck and a balcony over their parking space behind their house on Ingleside Terrace. In general, I give great deference to the ANC Commissioner whose district includes these requests, particularly so when that Commissioner is Jack McKay. He knows his stuff. I think we were all perplexed at to the exact need for a special exception, but no one had a problem with it at the time. Of course, that seemed to the case when we initially heard a similar request for something on Kilbourne Place. But, I think there was adequate engagement with the other neighbors and we shouldn't have the same problem.

A District Attorney for DC - As a quirk of our status, we do not have a 'local' prosecutor. Our 'Attorney General' is that in name only. Before the Fenty Administration, that office was called the 'Corporation Counsel', meaning it is the legal arm of the Executive Branch, not the "Law" side of "Law and Order". Instead, the Federal District Attorney manages prosecution of criminal cases. We need an office holder who will be accountable to members of the community to uphold the law.

Does the ANC really have a role to play on this issue? No. I plan to bring this up the next time I want to move a resolution that has implications outside our neighborhood. I think we should speak up when we have something to say about this city, but we should be clear that we understand we have a limited impact.

Library Access Corridor - I voted against a resolution to contract with the Latino Association of Mt. Pleasant to study and organize for a different access ramp and a 'passage way' for fire trucks. People tell me that I am not concerned enough about protecting human life, that I'm supporting something that could have disastrous consequences in the event of a fire. I think they are wrong to believe that a Fire Truck would ever attempt to fight a fire from that close and that they are holding back the expansion of the only library in Ward 1.

My Reform Agenda

I was dealt a setback at this meeting. As you may know, I have offered a series of resolutions that I think would make the ANC function more effectively, the most basic of these is the establishment of an Agenda. Gregg asked if Oliver Tunda wanted to vote on any particular resolutions and he brought up my Agenda resolution. I should have blocked its introduction because I knew that Jack and Gregg would vote against it. I found it ironical that at the meeting, though Jack and Gregg both said they wouldn't vote for it, that they had tried to do something like that in the past. They both felt like it was a good idea, but that it just wouldn't work. It's too bad that they aren't willing to try again. Oliver then voted against.

I hope you find this blog useful. I will continue to share my perspective with you on it and I hope you will use it to communicate or discuss things with me. I'd also be interested in hearing things you think I can improve or should work on.

New Community Mural

noreply@blogger.com (Phil Lepanto) — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 14:50:00 +0000

Recently, I got a letter from an artist in our neighborhood asking the Commission to write a letter of support for an outdoor mural on a building on Mt. Pleasant Street. I've made copies of the images that he sent me to review to include on this blog. The first image you see below is the proposed location of the mural. The second image is the proposed design.

The artist, local neighbor Byron Peck, has a great reputation in the city and has done several murals around the city. Based on his experience, he reached out to the community and tried to take into account their interests and concerns. I attended one of those early community meetings, but there were two others that I did not attend.

Generally speaking, I do not have particularly refined artistic sensibilities. Moreover, I do not see my role on the ANC has being the arbiter of good design or of artistic merit. I am pleased to see that there is interest and excitement about bringing something remarkable to Mt. Pleasant and am always proud when our neighborhood is able to win grants. In that sense, I am supportive of this project.

As a student of political science, I have studied the question of whether an elected official should play the role of "Delegate" or the role of "Representative". In the former, the official does what s/he thinks is right, not what the majority desires. In the latter, it is the opposite. In this case, I don't think it is fair to only be the Delegate. It seems to me that we've gotten past the question of "Should we have a mural" and we are now at the question of, "Is this the mural that we want".

The vast majority of the opinion that I have heard leans in one particular direction. I haven't heard from many people, though. I'm trying to keep an open mind. I welcome your thoughts and opinions on the matter.

Ward 1 City Council Race

noreply@blogger.com (Phil Lepanto) — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 21:59:00 +0000

Yes, it has pretty much started already. How do I know? Because someone forwarded me an email he sent to supporters asking for donations. Mike DeBonis from the City Paper took note with the headline, "Jim Graham’s New Logo Embraces Sartorial Trademark".

I hate to jump on the snark wagon, but Jim sent me postcard when he ran four years ago with this same picture on it. If he is working so hard, why hasn't that mail pile gotten any bigger? What's also disappointing is that as he moves forward with his campaign for his 4th term (yes, he's been in office 12 years already and wants to go for 16!) he misspelled at least two of the names of his supporters.

In full disclosure, I am the Chair of the Ward 1 Republicans. I will not be taking sides in the Democratic Primary. Right now, we are working hard to build our party and to recruit an excellent candidate to take on the Democratic nominee in the Fall of 2010.

While Jim Graham has announced that he is seeking a 4th term, there are others that are exploring a candidacy. The Examiner notes that there are two Democratic candidates in the race for Ward 1, Jeff Smith and Bryan Weaver. I've also heard that David Gilliland is considering a run as an Independent.

Again, in full disclosure, Jim Graham approached me and asked for my support. I informed him of both my party duties and party affiliation, but I also indicated to him that I have had a good working relationship with Bryan Weaver. He is the ANC Chairman for Adams Morgan and a good friend. I have encouraged Bryan to run and am glad to see that he has formed an exploratory committee. Even though I told Jim Graham that I would not make a public endorsement in the Democratic Primary, as records will indicate, I did make a financial contribution to Bryan Weaver's exploratory committee.

The reason I make a distinction between making an endorsement and making a financial contribution is that Jim Graham is a three-term incumbent. He's got a campaign war chest and a well-oiled political machine (well, maybe not so quite well-oiled). Bryan has his record and his reputation, both of which while golden cannot be taken to the bank. It is in the best interests of every Ward 1 citizen that the 2010 race be competitive and about real issues. I see my contribution to Bryan Weaver's exploratory committee as an investment in an honest and engaging campaign season. It would be an absolute crime if we had a repeat of the scene in 2006 when Graham didn't really have a challenger and won the primary with 87% of the vote.

Finally, I am working on securing a location for a Ward 1 Republicans Open House on December 10, 2009. Stay tuned for updates.

Coming up for Air - ANC Nov 17, 2009

noreply@blogger.com (Phil Lepanto) — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 20:59:00 +0000

It seems like only this week have I finally been able to get my bearings since finishing up with my client's project in New York. I am still traveling up there regularly, but I do not have the intense schedule that I had in early November.

A month ago, I introduced a series of resolutions that I felt would make a difference in how our ANC relates and interfaces with the community. While they have not come up yet for a vote, they have made an impact.

ANC 1D BUSINESS AGENDA :
Progress - Jack McKay has always published his "Notes" for the meeting to the Mt. Pleasant Forum. This has been a useful indication of what business the ANC may consider in an evening.
Still Needed and Why - Jack McKay's Notes on the Mt. Pleasant Forum are useful and up-to-date, but they do not lay out what order the business will be considered and they do not estimate how much business time the ANC will commit to discussing the topic. I believe that this is an important step forward because it indicates to the community that we value the time we have so much that we will meticulously plan our business time. Moreover, it indicates that we must prioritize across the calendar to accomplish all the business we have before us.
CONTRACTOR WORK PLANS MUST BE SUBMITTED :
Progress - At the last meeting, Jack McKay presented an invoice from Bill Boetler outlining the hourly expenditure of time. This is the first one of these that I've seen. I have not yet had time to review it or provide a link to it.
Still Needed and Why: It's great that we can now see what HAS been done. But the purpose of the bill is to see what is PLANNED TO BE DONE. Again, without a clear plan for the future, we are constantly just dealing with the crises of the present.
ANC 1D MUST HAVE A BETTER WEBSITE THAT INCLUDES SPANISH CONTENT:
Progress - Jack McKay and Gregg Edwards are now co-linking the official ANC website at http://www.anc1d.org and pages on Jack McKay's website http://www.dcjack.org/ to show the Audio Files, "Notes" and Minutes from previous meetings. This makes it easier for members of the community to find information about the ANC.
Still Needed and Why: We need a better website and all of the ANC's information needs to be maintained under one, official, authoritative website. I know that we are constrained by the ridiculous rules that the DC Government puts on ANC expenditures (we can only use checks to transfer money and must have original, itemized invoices) and that the website as-is is currently a labor of love. But honestly, for the ANC to own two computers, a projector, an audio system, and real-time translation equipment and to not have a decent website seems to me to be somewhat ridiculous.

Now, aside from the progress that has been made, I've been having conversations with Gregg Edwards and other Commissioners about moving forward on some of these things. We are trying our best to work together and I am pleased that I think things are moving forward. I thank my colleagues for listening to my concerns.

In general, I think the meeting went about as well as can be expected. We spent a substantial amount of time reviewing the budget for its 'second reading'. I continue to be concerned that the amount of money that we are spending on staff consultants (Bill Boetler and Rob Waldeck) is not truly under control and that we are likely to go way over budget. The thing that is ridiculously upsetting is that despite all of the money spent on staff from October 2008 to November 2009, not a single penny has been distributed to a grantee. I am sure that there are a list of reasons why this is true and I intend to find them out and if they are at all interesting, post them here. My suspicion is that the perceived obstacles are not as large as they truly are and that we need to come together and plow foward.

We did not pass a resolution that called upon our staff to suggest a course for action on the Library. Our debate on Gregg Edwards' resolution prompted Juan Carlos Ruiz to voice the Latino Association of Mt. Pleasant's concern about fire safety. I reiterated my stance that I believe is in total harmony with the views express by Chief Rubin: the single most effective thing we can do to prevent a fire disaster in the landlocked buildings of that block is to advocate and secure sprinkler system retro-fits. When I hear that people are concerned that it might take too long, or it might cost too much, I only become more committed to making this happen.

We also endorsed the idea that the resident of 3121 Mt. Pleasant Street would be able to secure a bridge loan so that they can purchase their building. We passed a resolution calling on the City Council to pass Bill 18-0092 and Bill 18-0042. These are basically bills that add teeth to laws that protect tenants against bum landlords. Finally, I believe we adopted a resolution calling on the City and Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton to pass a "DC Hatch Act", or at least amend the Federal Hatch Act to protect ANC Commissioners.

If you attend the meetings, you may notice that I have taken up maintaining the audio system. At the last meeting, I attempted to record the Spanish Interpretation provided by Juan Carlos Ruiz and Lorena Mejia. I'm hopeful that Jack McKay will include a link to that file on his audio archive page.

November 4th is a great day

noreply@blogger.com (Phil Lepanto) — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 21:04:00 +0000

I have been working since January for a client in New York City, yesterday our project came to a close with definitive success. There have been many times where my professional obligations have required me to choose between what I do for a living and my office as ANC Commissioner, most regrettably November 3rd 2009 when I missed my first ANC meeting since taking office. However, I am proud of my accomplishment and am pleased that with the project having ended, I will be able to focus more time on Mt. Pleasant and the ANC.

As the project was coming to a close, I decided that traveling to NYC on a daily basis really wasn't sustainable and have basically spent the past two weeks working and living in Mid-town Manhattan. I did make it home on Halloween to spend some time with my wife and friends, and to hand out candy, but other than that, it's been a lot of time away from home and working hard hours.

I missed Mt. Pleasant.

We have a very special neighborhood, nothing brings that home for me more than Halloween night when Lamont Street closes and people from all over the neighborhood come celebrate in the street. It's inter-generational, it's cross-cultural, it's people from all walks of life just having a good time enjoying a really fun tradition.

But, spending time in Manhattan did give me a unique perspective on my home in Mt. Pleasant and Washington, DC. In particular, I've been struck by how Mayor Bloomberg has worked hard to make his administration accountable and transparent, trying to encourage innovation and responsibility in city agencies, and really working for what is best for the City of New York. Take, for example, the work by his Department of Transportation. Recently, they decided to close portions of Broadway near Time Square to vehicular traffic. It is a brilliant idea and has been a huge success (unless you operate a taxicab, then you hate it).

I was heartened when I saw that our young Mayor reached out to Mike Bloomberg at the start of his administration a couple of years ago. A lot of New Yorkers take issue with how their Mayor gets things done, but he gets positive results. It's an important lesson to learn: a leader needs to lead. But, it seems like Mayor Fenty might want to visit New York for a refresher now that the voters have given Mayor Bloomberg another four years. Our leaders need to be independent and strong, but they also need to build consensus, do things by the book, and set an example for dealing with things proactively, rather than reactively.

On the other hand, our Mayor must contend with the City Council that is a bit stronger than it's New York City counterpart. The problems with a feuding legislative and executive branch are writ large across every newspaper in Washington. In my mind, it's because too many of our Council Members are drunk with their own power and think of themselves as mini-mayors. They too, are beholden to the special interests.

It's time for reform.

As many of you may know, I am the Chair of the Ward 1 Republicans. Now that I have some more free time, I plan to organize and lay the groundwork for a viable Republican Party organization in Ward 1. The only way to hold elected officials accountable is to do it at the polls and if there isn't a real choice every November, nothing will ever change.

But look, I'm a realist. There is a three to one registration gap between Democrats and Republicans in Ward 1. It's going to take substantial time and effort to make that happen. Our city needs reform as soon as possible. I won't shirk from the job that I've signed up for (another volunteer job!!!), but I also won't play partisan games for the sake of partisan advantage. What I do is for the city and for the neighborhood, not for money.

The races for Ward 1 City Council and Mayor are just getting off the ground. I'm going to make every effort to make sure the voters are engaged and paying attention to the issues: Small Business, Education, Accountability, Ethics, Transparency, Affordable Housing, Crime and doing what it takes to build Ward 1 into a cohesive and dynamic corner of Washington, DC.

Resolutions for Mount Pleasant ANC Meeting 10/20/2009

noreply@blogger.com (Phil Lepanto) — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 18:16:00 +0000

On October 13th, I submitted the following resolutions to the ANC 1D Google Group for discussion. In my estimation, these are all designed to making the ANC function more transparently and effectively. There have been several comments that have been posted to our discussion forum. In particular, I was struck by a conversation between Evelyn Brewster and Barbara Hayden. Mrs. Hayden extolls some of the things that our ANC does better than other ANC in order to contradict Ms. Brewster's assertion that my suggested reforms will make our ANC function more effetively. Jack McKay also goes to great lengths to talk about how great our ANC does and explains how much effort he makes to reach out to the community.

Fundamental to my belief, the ANC is not an august body of Commissioners that consider neighborhood issues in tribal council. I believe that the ANC should be a vehicle for community engagement and discussion. I believe that means the establishment of committees and I believe that means the establishment of agendas. Furthermore, that means structural management of information resources in an ANC branded website.

ANC 1D BUSINESS AGENDA

RESOLVED, ANC 1D directs the Secretary to publish an agenda detailing the
order of business and the estimated time of completion for each agenda item
including the approval of minutes, officer and committee reports, the
consideration of previous business and new business. The publication of a
final agenda will be 5 days prior to the regular business meeting. A
preliminary, draft agenda shall be prepared 10 days prior to the regular
business meeting.

This resolution does not preclude the consideration of business not
published on the draft or final agenda. It is left to the discretion of the
chair what non-agenda business items will be considered.

WHY: Many community organizations and individuals are frustrated with how
much business shows up on the ANC business agenda without warning. There is
often business that the ANC must consider without being able to give proper
notice because the ANC itself has not been given prior notice. However, many
resolutions have been presented and considered in 2009 that were presented
without warning and did not require immediate action. More importantly, many
community organizations would see a clear and ordered agenda as an
indication that the ANC has a larger vision for the community and is not
simply reactive.

ANC 1D EXPENDITURE TRACKING

RESOLVED, ANC 1D directs the Treasurer that any budgetary directive
contained in resolutions passed within the last 36 months will become null
and void on December 31st 2009. This will make it easier to forecast and
track expenditures related to budgets.

WHY: Several ANC 1D resolutions set budgetary authorizations without any
type of sunset provisions or termination. These essentially become unmanaged
liabilities that could put ANC 1D in fiscal jeopardy.

CONTRACTOR WORK PLANS MUST BE SUBMITTED

RESOLVED: The current management practice maintained by the officers of ANC
1D does not provide sufficient transparency. Henceforth, Commissioners who
manage contractors will submit work plans detailing the estimated hours that
they expect to task their staff with for the next 30 days. The Commission
may veto any work plan that, in the estimation of a majority of
Commissioners, does not conform to the immediate and long-term priorities of
the ANC and the community. In the event that a contractor is hired on a
per-task basis rather than on an hourly basis, the workplan must simply
indicate the task and the expected date of completion.

WHY: Each month bills are presented by several contractors for work that has
been completed, yet few Commissioners actually know what work will be done
during the upcoming month or by whom, or for what purpose. This practice
keeps the community and some Commissioners in the dark with relation to what
the staff is doing on their behalf, furthermore, it does not establish a
track record that can be reviewed and audited to see if the work directed
and completed complies with best practices.

ANC 1D MUST HAVE A BETTER WEBSITE THAT INCLUDES SPANISH CONTENT

RESOLVED: The ANC 1D website does not contain a sufficient amount of
information to be a useful and reliable resource for the Community; nor does
it effectively communicate with many members of the community that do not
use English as their primary language. Furthermore, ANC 1D relies on several
other community websites as proxies to its own website such as the Mount
Pleasant Forum and DCJack.org instead of also maintaining a centralized,
functional portal to information about ANC 1D business and information.

ANC 1D asks Commissioner Lepanto to lend his professional expertise and
skill to redevelop and redeploy the ANC website before November 30, 2009.
ANC 1D hereby authorizes $1000 for outside contractors to assist in this
development upon submission and approval of work plans.

WHY: Many members of the community rely upon the internet to find out
information, the ANC relies upon the internet to disseminate and communicate
information, yet very few of us have any expectation that the website will
have up-to-date information or will be able give us the information that we
are looking for in a timely fashion. While the practice of disseminating
data and files to other websites is useful and admirable, few who are new to
the community would instinctively look beyond the ANC website to find
information. Finally, while the ANC endeavors to conduct its business
meetings bilingually, yet it does not publish data on the web in anything
but English.

Fire Safety between 16th Street and Mount Pleasant Street

noreply@blogger.com (Phil Lepanto) — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 17:21:00 +0000

Again and again, I hear people raise the issue of needing to have a fire safety lane between the buildings that front to Mount Pleasant Street and 16th Street. There is a belief, mistaken in my view, that having an alley or a 'lane' behind those buildings will make it easier for fire trucks to access those buildings and put out fires.

Look, I can't argue that having a lane back there is BETTER than not having a lane. That would be total nonsense and we all know it. But, let's be practical and reasonable. It isn't IMPERATIVE or even CRITICAL to have a fire safety lane between those buildings. Having fire truck access back there isn't as useful as making sure that all of those buildings have the latest fire protection technologies. If we're really serious about protecting residents in those buildings, the city should write legislation that would provide loan guarantees and possibly even subsidies that would allow residential buildings in 'land-locked' blocks to add sprinkler and fire suppression technologies. Dennis Rubin, the DC Fire Chief, has said many times that sprinkler systems are the most effective way to fight a fire. If that's the case, why must we insist on relying on the 19th Century solution of the fire truck?

Responsible Hospitality in Mount Pleasant

noreply@blogger.com (Phil Lepanto) — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 16:49:00 +0000

Don Jaimie's Restaurant was recently inspected by ABRA, the Alcoholic Beverage Regulatory Authority, for failure to comply with certain rules: not having copies of all of his Voluntary Agreements on premises, and not having a certain sign posted in areas of his restaurant. Both the ANC and Hear Mount Pleasant wrote letters to ABRA asking that Mr. Castillo, the owner, be show leniency and not fined, since these are relatively minor infractions.

In this case, it is excellent to see our community groups in agreement and harmony. It is important for businesses and individuals to follow the law, and ABRA was only doing its job in that it must enforce to the letter and the spirit of the law. But ABRA also sets punishments and it is up to the ABRA Board to decide what the penalties will be for violations. This is definitely one of those situations where it would make so much more sense for ABRA to help the business owner understand what was wrong through education and training, rather than through fines and hearings.

We'll see what ABRA does.

More importantly, as I have been advocating for a long time, we need a uniform set of rules for our neighborhood so that business owners can work together and can educate each other. We have that opportunity with the Responsible Hospitality Initiative and the Hospitality Zone Assessment. At this stage, it is vital that all the different neighborhood groups participate so that this process can move forward.

Affordable Housing in Mt. Pleasant

noreply@blogger.com (Phil Lepanto) — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 16:24:00 +0000

Last night I attended a meeting organized by ANC 1D, the Mount Pleasant Business Association and Council Member Jim Graham. The purpose of the meeting was to give the community an update on the status of the Deauville, 3145 Mt. Pleasant Street. As you may know, a large portion of this building was destroyed in a fire on March 14, 2008.

For those of you who were not able to attend, the main update is that the city, legal representation of the residents, and the National Housing Trust have worked out a deal with the owners to purchase the building. We're still a long way from actually completing the sale (January 2010) and redevelopment (2012).

There were also representative from DDOT (District Department of Transportation), DCRA (Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs), and the Mayor's office for Economic Development. They announced that they will be working to move the structural braces from the street side to the interior of the building. This should allow DDOT to reopen the sidewalk and remove the jersey barriers from the street. This will allow us to return to use needed parking spaces and to remove an ugly blight from out streetscape.

There are a lot of questions that will come out of this process. It's critical that the neighborhood provides support so that these buildings can re-open quickly. But it is just as critical that we make sure that the job is done correctly.

I was very impressed with Laurie Ballenger of Historic Mount Pleasant's question regarding whether the city could pass a law stating granting current residents of Mount Pleasant a preference for affordable housing units in these buildings. Unlike other ideas that have been floated recently, a geographically based class does not run afoul of anti-discrimation laws. I think it is also possible to create a class based on former residency, because we all realize how hard it is to STAY in Mt. Pleasant when so much of our affordable housing is being redeveloped or restored.

I can understand that it has taken 19 Months for the disposition of the ownership of the building to be worked out. What I don't understand is why it has taken so long for Jim Graham to corral District agencies to take control of the situation with regard to the building. Those braces could have been moved to the inside of the building a long time ago. Honestly, I really wonder how much the city could be doing that it isn't doing.

13 months til election day 2010

noreply@blogger.com (Phil Lepanto) — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 16:12:00 +0000

10 Months ago I decided to embark upon serving my neighborhood as an ANC Commissioner. I had spent the past couple of years working to help neighborhood businesses bring live music back to their restaurants. The more I worked on this issue, the more I realized how important it is for all of us to be involved in what happens in our community. I felt that I could play a role in helping our neighborhood move forward.

I am convinced that the Mt. Pleasant ANC's greatest challenge is ourselves. You can look at every Commissioner and find reasons to criticize. I know I feel like I never have enough time to do everything that needs to be done. I know that I am not always the easiest person to talk to and that I can often react very strongly to things.

I have also been frustrated by the way Angelia Scott, Gregg Edwards, and Jack McKay work together. I think I feel the same way that my predecessor, Jane Zara, felt: that our Commission operates in a very narrow range based upon what Jack and Gregg are interested in. I take responsibility for my inability to work with them, to persuade them to work more closely with me, however I have tried and will continue to try throughout my term.

If you are reading this, I urge you to start visiting ANC meetings (I think we are on track for almost two every month!) and seeing first hand how things work. We need oversight from the voters!

Serious Charges Against Ted Loza

noreply@blogger.com (Phil Lepanto) — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 19:14:00 +0000

As you may have read, this morning Ted Loza was arrested at his home in Columbia Heights on charges of bribery. These are very serious charges! Before anything else, I want to say that we should not rush to judgment. Mr. Loza deserves a presumption of innocence as the investigation and hearings continue.

Mr. Loza is the Chief of Staff for Council Member Jim Graham, who represents Ward 1 in the City Council.

The more that I have gotten involved as an ANC Commissioner, the more alarmed and concerned I have become that our city suffers from a chronic lack of excellence and professionalism in all aspects of our city's government. We have all struggled with the shenanigans of Council Member Marion Barry. Council Chairman Vincent Gray took a small half step earlier this week when he proposed a 'toothless' Code of Conduct for the Council Members.

The citizens of the District of Columbia deserve more than this! We need to establish the strongest anti-corruption practices and standards in the United States. We need to reject this legacy of graft, corruption, and malfeasance.

We have elections coming up in 2010. I hope you will seriously consider who you are voting for and make sure you hold them accountable.

Fiesta DC this Sunday 9/27

noreply@blogger.com (Phil Lepanto) — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 19:11:00 +0000

Don't forget that this Sunday is Fiesta DC. This is a great event that brings a lot of fun and culture to Mount Pleasant Street. There are significant road closures on Park, so make sure you are familiar with the traffic plan before you travel by car or bus.

Fiesta DC

ANC Meeting 09/01

noreply@blogger.com (Phil Lepanto) — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 16:59:00 +0000

The meeting was packed. We basically spent the entire evening listening to civic associations and members of the community, and of course, Fiesta DC.

If you haven't heard, Fiesta DC is returning to Mt. Pleasant on September 27, 2009. The organizers had considered moving to 14th Street but decided in late August that Mt Pleasant was the preferred option because of their confidence in their ability to put on the festivakl as they have done time and again.

In an ideal situation, the community would have more time to work with the organizers and make sure that the event fits properly with the capacity of the neighborhood. But, that is not the situation that we face. We must work together to make this a success and there is little room for mistake.

From the very beginning I have said that I want to make this happen. I have been working for the past few weeks to identify areas of concern and convey those to the broader community. We have identified issues of concern and I think it will take patience and time to sort through them. Unfortunately, both of which are in short supply.

One thing that I want to comment on, someone remarked from the audience that the ANC was holding a gun to Fiesta DC's head. I don't feel that is at all fair. Moreover, I was told that there is a huge racial divide in Mt Pleasant that we aren't addressing. I reject that wholeheartedly. Latinos, Anglos (whites) and African-Americans (blacks), are engaged and participating in our neighborhood, trying to make Mt Pleasant a better place. I and others have worked very hard to celebrate and strengthen our celebration of different cultures. Maybe it isn't perfect, but we need to stop using the politics of divisiveness to achieve our goals for the neighborhood.

The ANC passed a resolution expressing unqualified support. I wanted to vote for an amendment that conditioned our support on receiving written copies of their plans. This position was vacated by the very person who offered it and I was left alone. I did, in fact, vote to for the unqualified resolution. I did not consider it a viable strategy to hold out for a conditioned resolution. Jack McKay said he would be relying on the principle of 'trust, but verify'. As far as I can tell, that is no different than what we have had in the past.

I'm looking forward to the festival and I'm enjoying meeting new people and working with them for a great event.

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Phil Lepanto
Sent from my wireless device

Did you know I was a Republican?

noreply@blogger.com (Phil Lepanto) — Fri, 24 Jul 2009 03:20:00 +0000

I've mentioned it once or twice on this blog, paricularly during the campaign season. The ANC is a non-partisan office, but as you can see, I treat my volunteer status as an ANC Commissioner as a component of my efforts to make DC a better place, not the defining characteristic.

I recently accepted the duty of becoming the Chair(man) of the Ward 1 Republicans. My goal is to try and build a viable corps of party activists that will fight for what is right for the city. If you are interested in being a part of that, please let me know.

I've had some great conversations recently with some of my party members about how important it is for us to start building this party from the ground up. This city needs loyal, political opposition. The practical result of our one party system in DC has resulted in a rather stunted and amateur cardre of government officials. Competition breeds excellence. That is my goal. Citizens of the District of Columbia deserve the best that democracy can deliver and I want to make sure that there are real choices available to them.

In the coming months, I plan to follow the pattern being laid down in Ward 5 and Ward 6 and host a series of listening sessions with different elements of the community to hear about what they want out of a useful and productive government. As we identify clear themes and goals, we can begin to chart a strategy that can make them a reality.

Metro Bicycle and Pedestrian Workshop

noreply@blogger.com (Phil Lepanto) — Fri, 24 Jul 2009 03:09:00 +0000

On Wednesday I attended the MetroRail Bicycle and Pedestrian Workshop. You can read an excellent review of the events of the meeting at The WashCycle, one of the best blogs in town.

There wasn't really anything that I thought of that hadn't been considered by others. But it was interesting to learn that Metro really sees its mission in reducing the number of people who use automobiles so that those who do use automobiles can limit the extent to which they use them. It seemed to me that the entire thrust of the meeting was about how to get those people who live within 3 miles of the station and drive to start walking and biking so that it will be easier to accommodate those who live farther away and need a place to park.

Our urban DC stations are characterized by overwhelming numbers of riders that walk or ride their bikes to the station, rather than driving... though I don't know many bicyclists in DC that would waste their time with Metrorail when they have a pefectly good bike at their disposal.

To me, though, the critical issue is that Metro lumps pedestrians and cyclists together. They are different breeds and need to be accommodated differently.

July 21, 2009 ANC Meeting

noreply@blogger.com (Phil Lepanto) — Fri, 24 Jul 2009 01:52:00 +0000

Thank you for coming to my site to read this report. As I reflect on what happened this past Tuesday evening, there is a part of me that recognizes the import and the drama of what happened leading up to, during and what may yet to be, of the ANC meeting. But, there is also a part of me that remembers the person I was just a few short years ago that was blissfully unaware of the month-to-month actions of the Advisory Neighborhood Commission.

Mount Pleasant is a small neighborhood in the middle of a large city. Those of us who go to meeting after meeting all too often get caught up in the give and take of trying to do something positive, to do something right. The "small things" can loom so large that they evoke strong and powerful emotions. These can sometimes cloud our willingness to work together, to compromise, to see that there is often more room for flexibility and agreement than we might allow.

When I think about the six Commissioners, and the handful of dedicated members of our community who gave up their Tuesday evening to attend this meeting, I think about how wonderful it is that we have such dedication and committment to the neighborhood and to democracy. When I think about the large number of people who live, play, and work in Mt. Pleasant who were not at this meeting, I take pride in the fact that there is so much trust in our system of checks and balances that so many can choose to skip it. Living in Washington, DC has taught me many, many things. The thing that is forefront in my mind right now is the importance of careful attention to detail. The Advisory Neighborhood Commission is a truly strange animal in the realm of American Civic construction. It is neither legislative, judicial, or executive, yet it is an arm of the Government. Our most important work is often explaining the strange and mysterious workings of muncipality to our neighbors, and championing their interests in the endless minutiae of its bureacracy.

It is with this in mind that I want to make special recognition of the tireless efforts of a man whom I am proud to call my colleague, Jack McKay. He has graciously taken on the duties of both Secretary and Treasurer of the ANC and assiduously considers the dotting of every "i" and the crossing of every "t". The relative peace and harmony of each meeting is often traceable to his wise and steady hand. Jack is often most responsible for making sure that the important issues that impact people's lives are taken care of promptly and carefully.

If you attend enough neighborhood meetings, you begin to get to know so many of your neighbors. I don't know if it is a "DC" thing, or a "Mt. Pleasant" thing, but identifying yourself and the number of years that you've lived somewhere is a particular custom to which I have become sensitive. I've lived in this neighborhood at least ten years, if not longer. I can remember what this place looked like before Radius, before Tonic, and before Marx and Dos Gringos. So what? There are some who might read the preceding words and say, "big deal, what about today?" There are others who read this and say "big deal, I remember the riots of 1991!" I've met many neighbors who would say "big deal, I remember the riots of 1968!" But still, so what? How much attention can we pay to the past? Yes, those who do not study history are doomed to repeat it, but those who do not look to the future will remain in the past.

To my point, I've lived here a long time and I can tell that Mt. Pleasant is starting to change. The passion and the tension between neigbors over the small things hasn't gone away. But the capacity to talk about the big things while still being respectful and senstive to each other is starting to grow. I'm cautiously optimistic enough that I'm not quite sure I'm ready to say we're making progress, but I am hopeful enough to say that I think our potential to make progress as an entire community is greater than it has been in recent years.

At hand, Mt. Pleasant is engaged with the Office of Planning to develop a "Small Area Plan." This District agency is ably and thoughtfully represented by Tarek Bolden. I've been impressed by his willingness to engage with members of the community and the Advisory Neighborhood Commission. I believe in his sincere desire to do an excellent job for our community. I cannot stress how important I think it is for people that care about what this community to take notice of what is happening in this process and to share their thoughts and ideas. Democracy fails when those with a voice, no matter how meek or strong, remain silent. Frankly, though, it isn't the PLAN or the PROCESS that is important, it's the engagement. I am excited by the fact that we have so many different elements of our community who are willing to dialog with one another, who are vociferously and stridently calling for more and broader outreach. Talk to those that have been here for many, many years. They've heard it all before, they've seen it all before. Like the woman who heard that Moe Udall was running for President, "we were just laughing about that the other day."

A plan, an idea, or even a vision is a waste if it is not acted upon. I haven't been here long enough to describe why past visions bore fruit, or failed. What I do know is that in the time that I've been here, I feel like this is special. What comes from the process and the plan may become a nice report on a website, but more importantly, I hope the process and the plan foster working relationships among neighbors and community members. Perhaps we can work together to make sure the plan actually becomes a reality.

As to the play by play review of what happened at the ANC meeting, you can always read the minutes or listen to the audio recording. In the coming days I'll try to provide a description of what I witnessed, but for now I think it is more valuable for me to describe my perspective.

RHI Draft Report Presentation & Leadership Summit

noreply@blogger.com (Phil Lepanto) — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 11:50:00 +0000

On Wednesday night, Jim Peters from the Responsible Hospitality Institute presented the draft report of the Hospitality Zone Assessment that they conducted. This report is the culmination of extensive interviews and discussion with members of the Mount Pleasant community and many of the District government agencies that play a role in the hospitality industry.

The report is still a draft, and I think many residents and community members want to tweak certain statements. Several representatives from District agencies also felt that some of the proposed ideas needed to be discussed in more detail.

On the whole, though, I was encouraged by comments from Gregg Edwards from the ANC and All Ways Mount Pleasant who noted that 100% of the Mount Pleasant community agrees on 2/3rds of the issues. Sam Broeksmit from the MPNA correctly surmised that finding a way to agree on that last 1/3rd involves agreeing upon a vision for the community, a process that is already underway and making great progress with the Office of Planning Small Area Plan.

In my mind, there are two critical components to success in our neighborhood. The first is figuring out how to get the commercial property owners to engage and become a partner in revitalizing our street. The second is creating an environment where community organizations can work together and apart to achieve their goals and visions for the neighborhood. The critical factor on that second point is that we need to surgically remove the fierce personal competition that has infected our
neighborhood and that when we do find ourselves working at cross purposes that we redouble our efforts to reinforce those issues upon which we agree.

It is deeply disheartening to hear from District agencies and businesses that they fear wading into the politics of Mount Pleasant. One of the critical findings of the draft report was that we must put the past behind us and focus on the future. We have that opportunity before us, but we must work together and find as much common ground as we can in order to achieve it.

Sidewalk Safety

noreply@blogger.com (Phil Lepanto) — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 13:24:00 +0000

Yesterday, the DC City Council held a hearing on Mary Cheh's bill to install sidewalks on streets that don't have them when there is major construction work being done on those streets. This is a replay of a bill that she introduced in the last legistlative session and it has been District Department of Transportation policy for a long time.

I introduced a resolution at the ANC during our last business meeting that would have supported this legislation, but tabled it after several other Commissioners raised objections, one of which being that the Mayor was opposed to it. You can read more about it here:

http://greatergreaterwashington.org/post.cgi?id=2765

I believe that we need to encourage active transporation across our city. That means more facilities for cyclists and more facilities for pedestrians. As long as our infrastructure is dominated by the automobile, we need to make sure that there are certain protections for people who don't travel in vehicles that weigh several thousand pounds. That is why I support this bill.

As a matter of public policy, we should have some wiggle room. There are exceptions to every rule. But, the determination of those exceptions should be made with both clear and compelling evidence, or widespread and documented opposition by the community.

Our city's leaders must commit to a framework for planning and development and they must LEAD us forward. When members of the community object to aspects of the plan or framework, they should work to build support for the plan, rather than capriciously making changes to silence the squeaky wheel. Too much of our city's politics are driven by the Squeaky Wheel.

Mt Pleasant's Public Transit Awesomeness

noreply@blogger.com (Phil Lepanto) — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 12:30:00 +0000

If you attend ANC meetings or belong to a civic association, you probably take for granted how much public transit is in our neighborhood. After all, you've lived here for 10,20,30 years.

But if you are new to the neighborhood or are considering moving to Mt. Pleasant to live or start a business, you should know that Mt.P. is well served by several bus lines and is within a half mile of they heavy rail metro green line.

The 42 and new 43 express lines start in Mt Pleasant and run through Adams Morgan and Dupont Circle down to Metro Center or Farragut West, respectively. Frankly, I think the 43 should make a few less stops, but skipping Dupont Circle saves a lot of time.

The H buses can take you from Mt. Pleasant to Tenleytown or Brookland. They are a quick way to get across Rock Creek Park or to visit the Turkey Thicket Recreation Center.

There are also the S buses. These buses come down from Silver Spring and go to Potomac Park, McPherson Square, and the State Department. There is also the S9 express which is a limited stop bus.

Finally, Mt Pleasant has a stop on the new Northen Tier circulator line. This is a limited stop line that connects McPherson Square to Woodley Park Metro station via Mid-City, Columbia Heights, and Adams Morgan.

The green Metro line serves Columbia Heights which is just two blocks off of Mt. Pleasant Street.

Our Village in the City is well connected and well served by transit. I'm looking forward to our Smart Bike station, which should make it easier for people to make short trips to Adams Morgan, U Street, Dupont Circle and Columbia Heights.

Responsible Hospitality comes from Working Together

noreply@blogger.com (Phil Lepanto) — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 14:47:00 +0000

Someone asked me the other night why it was important that neighbors get involved with different groups in Mt. Pleasant. They asked why we didn't just create an umbrella group that could speak for the whole neighborhood. I smiled.

It would be wrong to say that we are all the same and wonder why we can't all get along. We have differences among us, we have differences of opinions and we have different concerns and issues. I believe that we must work to organize these different interests so that they can engage in the public space. To me, the ideal is not that we all agree but that we all agree that we will argue about our differences openly.

I don't know whether it is Mt. Pleasant or Washington, DC or something else, but it just seems so counter-productive and wrong for neighbor groups, factions, or activists to NOT engage in community discussions and workshops where they clearly have an interest and then to criticize them later. I think it is also wrong for activists to hold grudges and fight against causes simply because of their grudge, rather than letting people try to be constructive and innovative on their own. No one group or set of ideas has exclusivity on Progress or Improvement.

ANC Meeting June 16, 2009

noreply@blogger.com (Phil Lepanto) — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 14:12:00 +0000

This meeting actually lacked a fair amount of drama, other than starting late because there wasn't anyone to help Jack with the sound system. Personally, I think that the sound system thing is a good thing that is really a pain in the butt... I guess that is just the way it has to be.

I think the real interest from the community is on the issue of an application from Don Juan's restaurant for outdoor seating. As always I welcome your comments and input. I've talked with a number of people in my district and the neighborhood. Generally, everyone is supportive. Some are cautious. We've got a long way to go before this is done and there will be plenty of chance for input, but I think if we work together and keep the volume of the rhetoric to a minimum, we'll be able to do something good for the community without a lot of hassle.

I continue to press Mr. Ferruefino to put tables along Mt. Pleasant Street as well as Lamont Street. He is open to the idea, but I need to connect with the people at Bestway and possibly the owner of the building. Putting tables around Lamont Park makes a TON of sense. We need to activate our street and our parks. As I write this and get excited about the idea, I start to wonder if we could get rid of some of the median and extend our Eastern Sidewalks to allow Marx, Don Juan's, Corado's, Burritos Fast, Chinatown, Adam's Express and Heller's to have outdoor seating.... but, let's not get ahead of ourselves.

I also introduced a resolution to promote Sidewalk Installations across the City. I eventually moved that it be tabled because I didn't think that I had the votes to pass it. I think many of the objections raised are not really legitimate and I plan to work to get my resolution passed in late July.

We also passed a resolution on the Library. As I explained after the meeting to an interested community member, even though it seemed that the community voiced its support for Design Scheme F, that doesn't mean that everything is set in stone. I believe I have been absolutely consistent on this issue: I want to see the Library expanded AND we have got to do something about fire safety. In my comments, I believe that I think it would be a very extreme emergency that would compel firefighters to decide to drive a truck into a narrow space between buildings that is not paved and has semi-permanent structures like chain link fence and wooden buildings blocking their path. But, conceivably, they might need to. Is is possible to do something that might give the Fire Department another tool to battle fires in that area? I think it might. As I read our resolution, we are notifying the appropriate agencies that this is still an issue for our community and we'd like to see some effort from the DC Council on trying to figure out a way to solve the problem. I do not think our resolution requires the Library to go 'back to the drawing board'. We can move forward with the renovation (and on arguments of where to put the interim library!) and still take some time to consider what might be done to provide some type of passage between the buildings that front to 16th and the buildings that front to Mt. Pleasant Road.

I am not sure if I've mentioned it before, but I am honestly very pleased with the new Library design overall. I think it is much better and imaginative than the initial rounds of designs. I'm proud of the way our neighborhood worked together to push our government agencies to deliver a quality product.

Parking, RHI, and The Library

noreply@blogger.com (Phil Lepanto) — Thu, 04 Jun 2009 03:50:00 +0000

First, I want to share my enthusiasm for the new parking pilot prorgram in Mt. Pleasant. I think that the idea that parking is more oriented to the neighborhood is very good. My hope is that this paves the way to allow ANCs and neighborhoods to tailor parking programs to their particular needs. Some have criticized the program for putting commuter traffic 'in their part of the neighborhood,' as if living closer to the park entitles one to a greater amount of exclusivity and insularity. I don't accept that argument at all. Parking is a neighborhood wide resource and it must be allocated judiciously. There may be some places where residents feel entitled to the parking spaces in front of their homes. I firmly believe Mt Pleasant is not that kind of place.

Secondly, the RHI Hospitality Zone Assessment has been moving along steadily. This morning I participated in a very good discussion for a Safety and Security Roundtable. I think it would be good if Mt. Pleasant could be part of a pilot program with ABRA where all restaurants and bars could operate under the same rules. We still have a lot of work to do, but I am very encoraged by the energy and enthusiasm of the participants. I believe more and more that our ANC needs to find a way to work with ABRA more closely, even though I also believe that Mt. Pleasant needs to hit the reset button on where we are with all of these old Voluntary Agreements.

Finally... The library. On Wednesday we had a community meeting where DCPL presented a very detailed version of their latest design. I spoke in support of the library and the design. It isn't perfect and it is clear that we as a community and as a city need to figure out a long term fire management strategy. I struggled with that, but I ultimatley came to the conclusion that the library renovation isn't going to be the vehicle for resolving our concerns back there. Certain decisions do preclude other decisions, but the ideal can sometimes become an obstacle to the good. The Deauville/Meridian Baptist fire is a cautionary tale, certainly all the buildings along there face added risk from fire due to the lack of access to their backs. The ability to send fire trucks behind those buildings is only a part of a solution, and given the narrowness of the space and the fencing that is there for security purposes, it is a poor one. Buildings need sprinkler systems and modern fire alarm and suppression systems, that is the single most effective step we can take.

I want to thank all of the people that worked so hard to try and find the right solution for the library. While we didn't always agree, I felt like we all did a good job of trying to work together to find consensus. Thank you for your commitment and your service to our community.

Recent updates

noreply@blogger.com (Phil Lepanto) — Thu, 21 May 2009 00:14:00 +0000

First, the good news. The work that I have done trying to establish a pedestrian advisory council has been fruitful. The budget that recently passed the DC City Council not only established the council, but also funded it with $10,000. I am gratified that this is moving forward and expect great things.

Also, work with DCPL has gone very well. We aren't quite there yet, but we're close. I believe I have been consistent in my belief that we can find a way to expand the library in a way that benefits the neighborhood and the community. I am part of a small group that Council Member Graham has brought to the table with the Library. We have a meeting next week and I am looking forward to seeing designs that create a fire safety corridor and increases the usable space of the building to meet the program plan of DCPL.

The Hospitality Zone Assessment for Mt. Pleasant got off to a great start with our participants orientation meeting. I plan to reach out to the safety and security participants to make sure they do an evening walk through. Our neighborhood, ward and city need to take a much more holistic approach to managing alcohol and hospitality. I am hopeful that this HZA can be a step forward across our community.

I was frustrated by the axis of stasis at the ANC this week. I have been so impressed by the results of the Green Team's efforts in our neighborhood. I wanted the commission to formally commend their efforts. Several Commissioners indicated they didn't want to go out on a limb and commend one group fr fear they might forget another. One Commissioner bordered on slander when he said that there had been 'shenanigans' with regard to a grant that Mount Pleasant Main Street, Historic Mount Pleasant and the Mount Pleasant Business Association were able to secure.

On a more practical note, we passed a resolution calling for a study of 17th Street between Piney Branch and Netwon. It's important that whatever is done is the right solution. Slapping a couple of speed humps in there is the kind of hack government crap that leads to waste, abuse, corruption and incompetence.

One gentleman was there to comment on the new Parking Pilot Program. Apparently he objected to having his part of Mt. Pleasant designated as 1DD, the area that day time parking pass holders can use. I am not sure what his reasoning is, but in general I am much more concerned with night time parking. I think that the DD solution makes sense for workers that come to our neighborhood; they've got to park somewhere if they insist on driving.

I have recently been contacted by some constituents about security concerns for the 7-11. Do you have thoughts about that? Please let me know in the comments section.

-Phil

Another Busy Week - OP Planning Meeting

noreply@blogger.com (Phil Lepanto) — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 13:39:00 +0000

As many of you know, the Office of Planning is working with the neighborhood to develop a Small Area Plan for Mt. Pleasant. These plans can often have far-reaching impact as they tend to ‘set the agenda’ for a neighborhood. Without careful attention and thoughtful engagement, the results can cause acrimony within the neighborhood, for instance, Brookland.

Everyone that I have spoken with, however, has been impressed with Tarek Bolden of the Office of Planning and his efforts to be inclusive and thorough in gathering input from across the community. They have established a small Advisory group that has helped them establish a framework. The meeting they had Wednesday night at Bell Multi-cultural High School was open to the broader community. We saw a brief presentation, and then were separated into small break-out groups to try and focus our discussion.

In general, our group most strongly agreed that Mt. Pleasant wants to have local businesses as opposed to chain stores. I think we’re open to local chains; but we really are not inclined to favor something like McDonald’s or Burger King. We were somewhat divided on what type of businesses we’d like to see. Some voices strong support for nice restaurants, with outdoor seating and higher-end service. Others wanted to see more service type businesses, day care, pet care, etc. It’s interesting, but I keep hearing people say they’d like to see a bike store in Mt. Pleasant. I do think that would be great, but we have a great bike store over in Adams Morgan and another great bike store down in Mid-City.

The thing that I heard most frequently is that many residents have been through this type of process with the city before. There is skepticism that much will come of this process. I think it is warranted because, in truth, until the building owners get on board with change and improvement… giving local businesses a chance, our dreams will not come true. They are the missing piece of the puzzle and I have yet to see any indication that they care at all about our neighborhood and community. What is most heartening is the number of long time residents who grumbled and complained about how the potential uselessness of these sessions, but who came out and were actively engaged in the discussion. To me, that says that we are a community that does not give up hoping for a better day, but also is willing to be a part of making that better day a reality.

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Phil Lepanto for ANC 1D-01

http://www.phillepanto.com/

Facebook Page

phil dot lepanto atsign gmail dot com

Another busy week - ANC Meeting

noreply@blogger.com (Phil Lepanto) — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 13:39:00 +0000

On Tuesday, the ANC had our monthly business meeting. I arrived a little bit early so that I could try and help Jack McKay with setting up the room. He graciously declined my assistance, he had everything under control. There are a couple of issues that came up during the meeting that I would like to address.

We set the topics of discussion for the May Informal meeting. On the list were ‘bike lanes’. This frustrated me. I am a huge supported of bicycling issues and regularly attend meetings of the Bicycle Advisory Committee. I asked the Commission to remove this from the list because I wanted more time to organize cyclists in our community so that we could have a more useful discussion. My suggestion was rejected. I can only surmise that a certain Commissioner’s grand vision for revamping transportation in our community is threatened and he is using the draw of bike lane issues to drive his agenda. I am seriously considering not attending the next informal meeting.

The next issue I want to address is the review of the zoning variance for an addition at the corner of 17^th Street and Kilbourne Place. As you may know if you follow the Google Group postings, some of the neighbors are upset that the ANC took a vote on this issue without giving them an opportunity to weigh in, that the ANC didn’t actively seek out their input. I voted for this variance. On the specifics of the case in question, I have visited the alley where this addition will be constructed and given the plans a cursory review. In my estimation, I think there is not much reason to oppose it. I think it will be an improvement to the property in question and I don’t think that it will truly cause and undue burden on their neighbors. In general, I believe that it is important to defer to the Commissioner who represents the District in which the matter arises. Commissioner Bosserman was favorable to the renovation, so I decided to vote with him after taking a look at the plans. There is, I feel, a very legitimate complaint in that the ANC did not give sufficient notice to all the parties involved so that they might give testimony. Let me be clear, I do not think the ANC should provide notice to each party for every case that comes before it. However, as Dora Johnson testified, our ANC should do a better job of publishing an agenda so that residents and neighbors have ample opportunities to review proposed resolutions and prepare testimony. We have discussed not allowing resolutions to come forward that have not been proposed 10 days prior to the meeting, yet we lack organizational will to enforce that. It is my hope that we can find that will and thereby engage the community for broadly and be more effective as a community forum.

In full disclosure, I did propose a resolution at the beginning of the meeting asking for authorization of up to $100 for each Commissioner to print business cards. I did this on the spur of the moment and without notifying anyone. In my mind, this is a relatively trivial, internal business matter and isn’t really controversial.

There were several other resolutions offered, almost all of which I voted against. I voted against the library resolution because I feel that we’ve made substantial progress on the library and because I voted against it the first time. Our library, and the only Library in Ward 1 will benefit from expansion and improvement, I want to make sure that moves forward. I voted against the resolution to not install Washington Standard lightposts and to retain the existing Cobra lightposts on Park Road. I believe the Washington Standards are better looking and are more useful in terms of lighting the sidewalks for pedestrians than the Cobra lights that are more evocative of a highway and are more for roadway safety. I voted against the resolution calling for the Council to give the Public Service Commission the ability to assess fines and damages. There is no doubt in my mind that all too often in DC, the only effective regulators are those that harass the little guy. Large corporations and businesses tend to find themselves practically operating in a consequence-free environment. However, this is something that requires great political will, and it would be farce to think that our ANC’s poorly composed resolution would get the ball rolling. I voted against the resolution calling on the Commission for Arts and Humanities to support Byron Peck’s effort to create a mural over the Heller’s Bakery wall sign. I indicated at the time that I had requested letters of support from the business owners and the building’s owner and the ANC had not received them. Apparently, Mr. Peck was able to produce them, but then abandoned the project because he felt there wasn’t enough neighborhood support. For the record, I would be perfectly willing to engage in a neighborhood-wide discussion… and few discussions in Mt. Pleasant ring loud with consensus; but I was unwilling to put the cart before the horse.

I have spoken with several of my constituents since the meeting and I believe it has become imperative that the ANC undertake to reform itself to be more responsive to the community, rather than operating like a landed council of elders. Yes, we are not required to publish an agenda. Our only requirement is that we must meet 10 times per year and that we publish notice of our meetings 10 days in advance. But we need to rise above that, we need to have to community feel like it is worth their time and effort to attend ANC meetings.

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Phil Lepanto for ANC 1D-01

http://www.phillepanto.com/

Facebook Page

phil dot lepanto atsign gmail dot com