REMINDER ELECTION TONIGHT!!!

Please remember to go vote tonight for the new ANC 5C 08 commissioner for the Edgewood neighborhood.  If you want to read a little about Heather Deutsch please read my recommendation here.

Here are the details about the vote tonight!

Special Election for ANC 5C08

Date: TONIGHT Tuesday, May 17th
Time: 6:30 – 7:45pm
Location: Beacon House, 601 Edgewood St NE Ste 15

Vote for Heather Deutsch ANC 5C08 on May 17th!

While I have steered clear of making endorsements for city-wide races since this is a neighborhood blog I feel comfortable endorsing Heather Deutsch for ANC 5C08 - now if only I could move my house 1 block and across the street so I could vote for her! Please take the time to go vote on May 17th for Heather because Edgewood needs a strong, community-building representative!!

ANC 5C08 Election May 17th!!!

We are electing a new Commissioner for ANC 5C08 (one of our Edgewood Commissioners). The meeting will be held at Beacon House (601 Edgewood Street NE) on Tuesday, May 17th, 6:30-7:45 PM. See the  flyer for voter eligibility and details.

This is a very important election for our neighborhood!  Please take the time to vote and get to know the two candidates if you live in this single member district.  An active, helpful commissioner is essential to building a strong community.

Petitions Available for Vacant ANC 5C08

BOARD OF ELECTIONS AND ETHICS
CERTIFICATION OF ANC/SMD VACANCIES

The District of Columbia Board of Elections and Ethics hereby gives notice that there is a vacancy in one (1) Advisory Neighborhood Commission office, certified pursuant to D.C. Official Code § 1-309.06(d)(2); 2001 Ed; 2006 Repl. Vol.
VACANT: 5C08

Petition Circulation Period: Monday, February 28, 2011 thru Monday, March 21, 2011
Petition Challenge Period: Thursday, March 24, 2011 thru Wednesday, March 30, 2011

Candidates seeking the Office of Advisory Neighborhood Commissioner, or their representatives, may pick up nominating petitions at the following location:

D.C. Board of Elections and Ethics
441 - 4th Street, NW, Room 250N
Washington, DC 20001

For more information, the public may call 727-2525.

Edgewood ANC Commissioner Elections and Speeches

Edgewood ANC Commissioner Elections are fast approaching and at the Edgewood Civic Association meeting on Monday they were invited to come and give a speech on why they are running. While there are really only two ANC5C commissioner Single Member Districts (SMD) that are entirely in Edgewood there are three others that have at least a part of their SMD in Edgewood. Only a small number of those running were able to make the meeting and I am not sure if that was due to prior commitments or last minute notifications. I thought I should still share the speeches that I was able to record by those in attendance.

Here are the SMDs that involve Edgewood and the candidates:

ANC5C06

Current Commissioner Mary-Ellen Farmer-Allen (not in attendance, husband made speech)



Challenger Darin Allen



ANC5C07

Current Commissioner Barry Daneker (not in attendance)

Challenger James Fournier




ANC5C08

Current Commissioner Marshal Phillips (withdrew from election)

Challenger J. Jioni Palmer



ANC5C09

Current Commissioner Silas Grant (running unopposed and emailed to say he was unable to attend due to prior commitments)

ANC5C10

Current Commissioner Tim Day (running for Ward 5 city council and no one is formally running for this seat)

J. Jioni Palmer ANC Candidate 5C08 Letter to Neighbors

Dear neighbor,

Too often the crackle of gunfire, the trafficking of drugs and prostitutes, home burglaries and robberies violate our sense of security and undermine our quality of life. Making our community safe is one of my top priorities.

While the District of Columbia is experiencing the lowest rates of crime in a generation, the reality is that in too many neighborhoods in our great city continue to experience the devastating loss of human life to violence and property crimes.
By no means are the root causes of the crime plaguing our community one dimensional.

In fact, the sources are many. Inadequate conflict resolution skills, diminished economic opportunities, lack of parental and civic engagement, educational attainment and mental health issues are just some of the factors that play part in perpetuating the cycle of crime and violence.

The brave men and women of the Metropolitan Police Department continue to do an admirable job preventing crime, responding to incidents and working to strengthen the relationships with our community. However, there is always more that can be done, and as members of the Edgewood community we must all do our part.

As your Advisory Neighborhood Commissioner, I will take the following immediate steps to address public safety in the Edgewood Community:

· Work with neighbors, community leaders and police to aggressively address crime by employing holistic solutions
· Attend Police Service Area (PSA) meetings
· Provide timely reports to police concerning emerging hotspots
· Petition the DC government to repave and improve lighting in more alleys

While the issues fueling the cycle of crime violence are many and complex, we can have a positive effect reversing them by engaging in a neighborhood conversation, sharing insights about emerging hotspots and strengthening our community’s relationship with the Metropolitan Police Department.

By working together as neighbors we can make Edgewood an even stronger community. There is no challenge too tough or problem too difficult when we work together. I ask for your support in this campaign for Advisory Neighborhood Commissioner, because together we can make a difference.

J. Jioni Palmer
Advisory Neighborhood Commissioner Candidate 5C08
cell: 202-680-9842
web: http://jionipalmer.com/
twitter: http://twitter.com/jjioni
facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/J-Jioni-Palmer/123979307623909?ref=sgm

ANC Candidate 5C08: J. Jioni Palmer

Beyond the Lines on a Political Map
By J. Jioni Palmer

It was a much different time in the District of Columbia when Advisory Neighborhood Commissions were established to provide grassroots input from neighborhoods. It was the 70s and times were tough in our neighborhood. The city was in the midst of a decades long slide in population as residents left for the suburbs, and the job of the local commissioner was to help fight crime on the streets and bolster neighborhood efforts to keep the streets clean. Because of all these changes, very little development was going on; we just were trying to hold on to what we had.

Almost 40 years later, population in the District is surging and development abounds everywhere, including Edgewood. All this development will have long-term consequences for our city and region. Because the effects of development are rarely confined to a small area, especially one as small as an ANC Single Member District, we are well into an era where our commissioners cannot solely view development matters or most other matters of importance (crime, youth, recreation, etc.) through the lens of a particular commissioner's SMD.

That’s why as a recently announced candidate for Advisory Neighborhood Commissioner in the Edgewood neighborhood, I have chosen to talk about my agenda within the context of community rather than a Single Member District. The quality of life issues my campaign seeks to address are not confined by lines on a political map. They are broader; they affect not just one block but entire neighborhoods and sometimes our city. We are one community.

The Single Member District I seek to represent (5C08) ends in the middle of the street in front of my house. Yet across the street from my home in another Single Member District are Shaed Elementary School, Edgewood Park, and the Edgewood Recreation Center. Does that mean that the condition and future of those facilities are irrelevant to the people who live on my side of the street? Absolutely not!

Likewise, the shopping center at 4th and Rhode Island is within the Single Member District I'm running to represent, but certainly no one would suggest that the impact of Safeway closing or any potential redevelopment of that plaza will only have consequences for residents of 5C08. And thus, if elected, I see the great need to work with my colleagues in other SMDs to ensure that this shopping area is an asset to the entire community and has the support and energy of all the elected officials.

Yes, this campaign is about improving the basic delivery of services for the people I seek to represent. But it is also about building a movement in our neighborhoods, ward, and city that goes beyond superficial distinctions and focus on substantially improving our collective quality of life. I welcome your partnership, help, support, and suggestions.

web: http://jionipalmer.com/
facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/J-Jioni-Palmer/123979307623909?ref=sgm
twitter: http://twitter.com/jjioni

Edgewood: Advisory Neighborhood Commission (ANC) Elections

One only has to look around the neighborhood to know that election season is in full swing and that includes the elections for new ANC commissioners around the city. In the past couple of months ANC 5C has been very visible to the rest of the city and now there is the opportunity to vote on its makeup. I have heard from one candidate for ANC 5C about posting their statement on the blog and have agreed to post a statement from anyone running for ANC 5C in which part of their SMD is in Edgewood.

If you want to run for ANC commissioner for your SMD there is still time - you must pick up your nominating petition from DCBOEE and get at least twenty-five valid signatures from your SMD with your Declaration of Candidacy and Affidavit of Qualifications by September 3, 2010.

Here is how to run for ANC from the DC Board of Elections and Ethics if you are interested:

Advisory Neighborhood Commission (ANC) Elections

Advisory Neighborhood Commissions (ANCs) are neighborhood-based boards that may advise the District’s elected officials and other government with respect to all proposed matters of District government policy, including decisions regarding planning, streets, recreation, social service programs, health, police protection, and sanitation in their neighborhood area. (D.C. Official Code § 1-309.10).

ANCs are subdivided into smaller communities, each consisting of approximately 2,000 residents, called single- member districts (SMDs). There are 37 ANCs and 286 SMDs. ANCs range in size from two single-member districts to twelve single-member districts, depending on the size of the neighborhood.

Each SMD is represented on an ANC by an ANC Commissioner. The ANC Commissioner is an unsalaried official who is nominated and elected in a nonpartisan election by the registered voters who reside in the same SMD as the candidate. The term of office for an elected ANC Commissioner is two years.

The Board provides a variety of materials, including a map of the SMD and a list of registered voters, to make it as easy as possible for ANC candidates to have their names placed on the ballot. Please call our Voter Services Office at 202-727-2525 for details.

Here are the qualifications needed to run:

Advisory Neighborhood Commissioner

Advisory Neighborhood Commissioners advise the District government on matters of public policy including decisions regarding planning, streets, recreation, social services programs, health, safety, and sanitation in their respective neighborhood commission areas. To hold the office of Advisory Neighborhood Commissioner from a Single-Member District, an individual must meet the following qualifications (D.C. Official Code § 1-309.05):

1) Be a registered qualified elector in the District actually residing in the Single-Member District from which he or she is elected
2) Have resided in the Single-Member District continuously for the 60-day period immediately preceding the day on which the nominating petition is filed
3) Hold no other elected public office