ADVISORY
NEIGHBORHOOD COMMISSION 1B
Government
of the
Minutes
Thursday, October
7, 2010, 7:00 PM,
Second Floor
Conference Room, Reeves Center, 2000 14th Street N.W.
The regular
monthly meeting of Advisory Neighborhood Commission 1B occurred on Thursday, October
7, 2010, at 7:00 pm in the Reeves Center, Commissioner E. Gail Anderson Holness,
1B11, Chairperson, presiding. Commissioner
Myla Moss. 1B01, was present as Secretary.
Other Commissioners present during the meeting: Sedrick Muhammad, 1B03, Deborah Thomas, 1B04, Brianne
Nadeau, 1B05, Juan Lopez, 1B07, Rosemary Akinmboni, 1B08 and Eduardo Ferrer,
1B10. Commissioners absent: Peter Raia, 1B02, Melissa McKnight, 1B06. Thomas
K.D. Smith, 1B09.
Chairperson Anderson
Holness observed the presence of a quorum and called the meeting to order at 7:02
PM.
Chairperson Anderson
Holness then made the following announcement:
ü We ask that you silence your cell
phones. By “silence” I mean either put
them on “silence” or turn them off if you are able. The vibration and rings interfere with our
recording and we sometimes lose valuable information.
ü Our meeting agenda is based on a
strict time frame. We want to address
all issues and assure participation by all interested parties, but we also want
to make sure that our meeting ends at a reasonable hour. Therefore, we ask that all presentations be
limited to five minutes. Mr. Jim Irwin,
our staff director, will give each presenter a three-minute and one-minute
warning, and then will announce the expiration of time. We request all those asking questions to be
as brief and concise as possible.
Community announcements at the end of the meeting are limited to two
minutes each.
ü This meeting is audio-recorded for the
public record and the draft minutes of the meeting, which will be published on
our website as soon as possible.
ü We welcome and encourage public
comment at appropriate points in the meeting.
Normally, we will ask for public comment on issues before the Commission
before any motion is offered for official action. Once a motion has been made and seconded,
comment and discussion is confined to Commissioners.
ü We ask that all those making
presentations, asking questions, or making comments speak loudly and clearly
for the benefit of our recording device.
Please state your name, residence address, and what organization you
represent. If you are representing
yourself as a resident, rather than an organization, please say so.
ü For the accuracy of our public
records, we ask that all those making presentations, asking questions, or
making comments complete the very brief speaker information form located on the
sign in table at the back of the room.
Please give the completed form to our Staff Director, Jim Irwin, either
before or after you speak to the Commission.
The purpose of this form is to assure correct spelling of your name in
the minutes, accurate address and accurate statement of representation.
Thank you for
your attendance, participation and cooperation.
.
Chairperson Anderson
Holness asked Commissioners to introduce themselves.
Presentation
Howard
University Deputy Police Chief Alonzo Joy said that Howard University’s
Homecoming will occur on Saturday, October 30th. The Homecoming Parade will start at 10:00 AM. He said that all permits have been
approved. All buses will be parked in
the university’s Sherman Avenue lot. All
D.C. laws will be followed. Buses will
not be allowed to idle. Security will be
present in the parking lot to protect the buses and make sure laws are
followed. The Special Operations
Division of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) will be providing
resources to augment the 120 officers of the Howard University Police
Department. The University has an
agreement with the city to make sure that streets are cleaned before and after
the event. There will be crowd control
along the parade route.
Commissioner
Nadeau asked if the university was working with MPD to monitor unofficial
Homecoming events organized by student groups or others.
Deputy Chief
Joy said that the university had provided a list of all known events to MPD,
and as they learned of others, these were being communicated to MPD as well.
Chairperson
Anderson Holness noted that she had just attended a meeting with Howard University
President Ribeau and he had assured everyone that Homecoming events would be
conducted in an orderly way as in the past.
Commissioner
Moss thanked Deputy Chief Joy for attending the LeDroit Park Civic Association
meeting and working with the community on Homecoming concerns, since it is very
much impacted by the route of the parade.
Officers Reports
Chairperson
Anderson Holness noted that Vice Chairperson Peter Raia was necessarily absent
due to another meeting.
Secretary’s Report – Minutes of September
2010 meeting
Commissioner
Moss submitted the draft minutes of the September 2010 meeting for approval.
Commissioner
Moss moved that the draft minutes of the September 2, 2010 meeting be approved.
Commissioner Lopez
seconded the motion.
The motion
was adopted unanimously, 8 yes 0 no.
Public Safety and Public Safety
Committee Report
Commissioner
Sedrick Muhammad submitted the Public Safety Committee Report for October:
|
Commissioner
Muhammad moved that the Public Safety Committee report be accepted and entered
into the record.
Commissioner
Ferrer seconded the motion.
The motion
was adopted unanimously, 8 yes, 0 no.
Design Review Applications and Design
Review Committee Report
Chairperson
Anderson Holness noted that Mr. Tony Norman, Committee Chairperson, was
necessarily absent. She briefly reviewed
the Committee’s recommendation, outlined in its report entered below, that ANC
1B support the application of Howard Theatre Restoration Inc. for a grant from
the D.C. Commission on the Arts and Humanities to finance the creation of a
statue, “The Jazz Man,” to be installed on the façade of the restored
theatre.
ADVISORY
NEIGHBORHOOD COMMISSION 1B
DESIGN
REVIEW COMMITTEE
Tony
Norman, Chairperson
Report
and Recommendations
October
7, 2010
SUMMARY
The
Design Committee met on October 5, 2010 to review the design for a statue to be
mounted on the façade of the restored
RECOMMENDATION
The
Committee recommends, by a vote of five yes, 1 no, that Advisory Neighborhood Commission 1B
support the application of Howard Theatre Restoration, Inc. for a grant from
the DC Council on the Arts and Humanities to finance the creation of the
proposed statue.
REPORT ON
RECOMMENDATION
Howard Theatre Restoration, Inc. has commissioned
artist Brower Hatcher to create a contemporary sculpture to be mounted on the
pedestal at the top of the theater façade.
Mr. Chip Ellis, Howard Theatre Restoration, Inc., told the committee:
- The
- The original façade was surmounted by a statue
of the god Apollo playing the lyre.
However, the original statue has been lost, and the organization
does not feel that a statue of Apollo says anything.
- The proposed statue is very modern in design
and depicts a jazz trumpet player.
The structure is an open metal framework, within which are
instruments and musical notes. The
structure will be illuminated by LED lights, so that it will glow
blue. (See attached drawings and
notes.)
- The intent of the statue is to create an
unusual and attractive visual feature which will draw people’s attention
to the theater.
- The restored 1910 façade of the theater will
evoke the historic character of the
- The statue is somewhere between 7 and 13 feet
tall and will stand about 30 feet above ground.
There were numerous questions and comments from
Committee members. These concerns could
be summarized as follows:
- There was concern about the size of the statue. Committee members concurred that it
might not be tall enough to stand out and be distinguished from the
building from a distance, even if illuminated at night.
- The design of the statue seemed somewhat
static. The figure should be
redesigned to be more dynamic and animated.
- There are two options for positioning the
statue as viewed from the front of the theater: profile or facing the viewer. Committee members expressed a preference
for the facing position.
- The Committee member who voted against the motion
to recommend support adamantly opposes the juxtaposition of a modern
sculpture against the traditional Italianate 1910 façade. He felt strongly that this made no
visual sense.
The result of the discussion was the adoption of a
motion to recommend that the Commission support the Howard Theatre Restoration,
Inc. application to the D.C. Commission on Arts and Humanities to fund the
proposed statue as presented. The vote
was five yes, 1 no, no abstentions.
Commissioner
Moss moved that ANC 1B adopt the recommendation of the Committee and express by
letter its support for the Howard Theatre Restoration Inc. grant application to
the D.C. Commission on the Arts and Humanities for funding for the “Jazz Man”
statue.
Commissioner
Lopez seconded the motion.
The motion
was adopted unanimously, 8 yes, 0 no.
Liquor Licenses and ABC Committee
Report
Chairperson
Anderson Holness noted that, due to Commissioner Raia’s absence, there was no
committee report. A new liquor license
on the agenda was in Commissioner Thomas’s single member district and Chairperson
Anderson Holness called on her to present the application.
Commissioner
Thomas said that La Fonda Restaurant, 2100 14th Street N.W., was
applying for a new liquor license. She
asked the owner, Mr. Michael Askarinam and his attorney, Mr. Stephen O’Brien,
to discuss their application.
Mr. O’Brien
said the application was for a Class C Restaurant license for a new restaurant
to replace the carry-out on the corner of 14th and V Streets
N.W. He said Mr. Askarinam and his
brother have operated the Dupont Italian Kitchen restaurant on 17th
Street N.W. for over 20 years. They
purchased the building on 14th Street three years ago and have
waited out the expiration of the lease.
They intend to very substantially rehabilitate the building, including
the construction of a new façade, and open a restaurant with a Tex-Mex
theme. As owners of the building, they
have a stake in the neighborhood and keeping their operation compatible. Their proposed operation is a marked
improvement over what has been experienced and should discourage the
congregation and loitering that has been constantly taking place there.
Commissioner
Thomas noted that she had talked with the owner just today. She had also received phone calls and e-mails
from neighbors and noted that he had met with the President of Martha’s Table,
Lindsey Buss, who was present at the meeting.
She said she had also talked with Mr. Askarinam about his proposed
design for the building, which had to be reviewed by the Historic Preservation
Review Board, and she expected them to come back to the Commission for review
of their plans. Regarding neighborhood
concerns, she said she hoped Mr. Askarinam would meet with the Meridian Hill
Neighborhood Association and residents of Union Row, across 14th
Street. There is a lot of interest and
concern with what goes on on that corner because there is a daycare center
right next to the building, St. Augustin School on the opposite side, and many
residences. Issues include noise,
parking and operating hours.
Commissioner
Nadeau asked what kind of soundproofing measures would Mr. Askarinam take when
renovating the building and what was his vision for entertainment.
Mr. Askarinam
said they would be serving dinner, so they would not be having loud music. The windows and walls would be soundproofed,
especially the walls because of the daycare center next door. They also plan to serve lunch, but will not
have loud music then either. At dinner
time, the doors will be closed. They
have a restaurant and bar on the corner of 17th and R Streets NW,
and when the doors are closed, no one has ever complained about noise.
Commissioner
Moss asked if Mr. Askarinam would consider hiring qualified persons from the
community.
Mr. Askarinam
said yes, it was in their interest to hire people from the immediate
neighborhood. He said he was able to
keep Dupont Italian Kitchen open during the major snowstorms of the past winter
because many of the staff lived in the immediate neighborhood and could get to
the restaurant, while other businesses were closed because their employees
could not get to work.
Commissioner
Thomas said that was one of the questions she had asked. She said one of her concerns was that some of
the businesses coming into the area already had their employees hired and she
had discussed notifying the community about employment opportunities before
hiring staff.
Commissioner
Moss asked about the hours of alcohol consumption starting at 8:00 AM and
continuing until 2:00 AM.
Mr. Askarinam
said that the 8 AM hour was a typographical error and he did not intend to
start serving that early.
Chairperson
Anderson Holness asked if there were questions from the community.
Ms. Renee
Barry, 2125 14th Street N.W., said she was a resident of Union
Row. She asked Mr. Askarinam what his
target market would be.
Mr. Askarinam
said they did not want people to come to the restaurant and get drunk. They wanted to serve people who came to eat
dinner, have a glass of wine or beer, have a good experience, then leave. He said they wanted to serve as many people
as possible.
Ms. Barry
asked if the primary business model was food and alcohol was a secondary part.
Mr. Askarinam
said yes.
Ms. Barry
asked what provisions were being made for parking.
Mr. Askarinam
said he expected that most of his customers would live in the neighborhood and
would walk or take Metro. He said most
restaurants on 14th Street did not have parking, and there was no
parking on the street, so people would have to Metro to get to his restaurant.
Ms. Barry
asked what the peak hours of operation would be.
Mr. Askarinam
said that, for dinner, it would probably be between 7 PM and 10 PM, but the
kitchen would be open as long as the restaurant is open.
Mr. Lindsey
Buss, President of Martha’s Table, said that he and Mr. Askarinam had met and
discussed some of his concerns, including those mentioned by Commissioner
Thomas and others specific to the presence of 250 children at the daycare
center every day, outdoor seating, drinking outdoors, and the possible blocking
of evacuation routes from the daycare center by outdoor seating. He said that Mr. Askarinam had been open to
not having outdoor seating, and to entering into a voluntary agreement. He said parents of children at the daycare
have a general concern about people arriving at the restaurant for happy hour
just when parents are picking up their children. He said that he and Mr. Askarinam had had
good conversations and would continue to talk.
Commissioner
Thomas again suggested that Mr. Askarinam should meet with the Meridian Hill
Neighborhood Association and the residents of Union Row.
Commissioner
Thomas moved that ANC 1B protest the application of La Fonda Restaurant for a
Class C Restaurant liquor license on the basis of peace, order, quiet and
parking.
Commissioner
Akinmboni seconded the motion.
The motion
was adopted unanimously, 8 yes, 0 no.
Mr. O’Brien
asked the Chairperson if there was a particular Commissioner designated to
negotiate a voluntary agreement with La Fonda.
Chairperson
Anderson Holness said that Commissioner Thomas was designated to represent the
Commission.
Grant Applications and Grants
Committee Report
Commissioner
Akinmboni presented the Grants Committee report. She said there was a recommendation regarding
the WeR4U grant and a recommendation on the grant application of the Emergence
Community Arts Collective on which the Commission should act. Commissioner Nadeau noted there was a third
recommendation regarding grant policies that could be acted on when the 2011
budget was discussed.
GRANTS
COMMITTEE REPORT
September
28, 2010
Commissioner Rosemary Akinmboni, Chairperson
The Committee met at 7:00 PM on
September 28, 2010 in the Commission office, 2000 14th Street N.W.,
Suite 100B.
Committee members present: Commissioner Rosemary Akinmboni, Chairperson,
Commissioner BrianneNadeau, and Ms. Halima Roebuck.
Others attending: Zarinah
Shakir, Perspectives of Interfaith Television, Sylvia Robinson with the
Emergence Community Arts Collective, Darren Jones with the Georgia Avenue
Community Development Taskforce, Jamal Mohammed with WeR4U, Bob Maffin, Logan
Circle Resident, Mr. Tony Norman
Grants
and Grant Applications
The committee heard from Mr.
Jamal Mohammed, WeR4U. He reported that
they have not spent any money yet, and are requesting an extension. He
delivered a letter to the committee formally requesting the extension. He plans
to do a series of seminars between now and by the end of October as originally
described in his grant application.
The committee heard from Sylvia
Robinson about the work of her organization and the efforts they have made thus
far seeking community input for the development of the Georgia Avenue corridor,
task force meetings twice per month, and many opportunities for community
input. They are moving into a more formal aspect of the project in the near
future. They are looking for ways to reach even further in the community input
process, especially to those who have not had access to electronic forms of
outreach. They are asking for grant funds to cover the costs of printing for
meeting announcements, flyers, posters, and the panorama, which will be posted
for community comment opportunities. The funds requested in the amount of
$2,579 would be issued to the Emergence Community Arts Collective, which would
work with the other groups collaborating on this project to execute the
outreach program. The committee discussed its appreciation for the opportunity
to award funds to a project that will enhance the Georgia Avenue corridor and
asked a few questions about the budget. The committee voted unanimously to
support the grant in the amount of $2,000.
The committee heard from Ms. Zarinah
Shakir of Perspectives of Interfaith Television who is requesting funding to
screen the movie Moozlum at the Cramton theatre on the Howard University campus. They are based and tape out of Arlington, but
they air in Washington, DC. Ms. Shakir
is a resident of Ward 5. The total
amount requested is to be determined. The hope is to have as broad a showing as
possible, not just Howard students, but the whole community (reaching also out
as far as College Park and George Mason) and will be doing outreach to local
high schools, neighborhood churches and mosques, social justice organizations that
are a part of 1B. They are partnering
with Brothers and Sisters International, Inc., which is a local
organization. WPFW will offer some
in-kind contributions as media sponsors. The applicant did not provide an
itemized budget but estimates the cost of the event at $10,000 which will
include the cost of the venue ($5,000 - $15,000), security, travel, food, and
promotional items (palm cards, ads, mailings), some of which will be in-kind
contributions. They are hoping to
partner with student groups so that the cost of the venue will be reduced. The committee asked that Ms. Shakir resubmit
the request with an itemized budget that indicated what the ANC would be asked
to fund, which perhaps would result in a lower request, based on what is
allowable. The committee could not make a recommendation at this time.
Revision
of Grant Policies
The committee continued the
discussion on guidelines for grants.
In addition to rules set out by
the auditor, the committee recommends:
·
Applicants
should be serving 1B directly, whether they are based in 1B or focus their
efforts on 1B residents primarily with this project.
·
Applicants
and organizations should not be profiting from the project being awarded.
·
Applicants
must demonstrate other sources of income whether it be financial sponsorship,
in-kind contributions, ticket sales, or similar.
·
Grant
requested shall not equal more than 15% of the entire budget of the project, or
$2,000, whichever is greater.
·
If
an applicant has not fulfilled prior grant filing requirements, then it will
not be eligible to apply for funds for 3 years.
WeR4U grant extension
Commissioner
Nadeau moved that the WeR4U grant be extended to November 30, 2010, and that
WeR4U be required to submit a final statement of use of funds and supporting receipts
for all expenditures within 30 days after November 30, 2010.
Commissioner
Moss seconded the motion.
Commissioner
Lopez asked if a letter would be sent to the D.C. Auditor advising them of the
Commission’s approval of an extension.
Commissioner
Nadeau said yes.
The motion
was adopted unanimously, 8 yes, 0 no.
Emergence Community Arts Collective
grant application
Commissioner
Nadeau said that ECAC is planning an extensive community outreach project which
gives the Commission a great opportunity to fund a project on Georgia
Avenue. It can be fully funded for
$2,000.00.
Commissioner
Nadeau moved that ANC 1B approve the application of the Emergence Community
Arts Collective for a $2,000.00 grant.
Commissioner
Ferrer seconded the motion.
The motion
was adopted unanimously, 8 yes, 0 no.
Amendment to Greater U Street
Historical Foundation Grant
Commissioner
Ferrer said that the D.C. Auditor required the approval of the Commission for a
change in expenditure of grant funds by the Greater U Street Historical
Foundation. The change in expenditures
was $500.00 for permit fees instead of maintenance of Harrison Park.
Commissioner
Ferrer moved that ANC 1B approve the change in expenditures by the Greater U
Street Foundation from $500.00 for Harrison Park maintenance as proposed in
their grant application to $500.00 for permit fees for the Greater U Street
Festival.
Commissioner
Moss seconded the motion.
The motion
was adopted, 8 yes, 0 no.
Treasurer’s Report
Commissioner
Ferrer presented the Treasurer’s Report for October, 2010.ANC 1B
Treasurers
Report – October, 2010
Overview
The
September, 2010 Industrial Bank Statement is attached to this report. The current balance is $38,747.33.
The following
checks were written at the September 2, 2010 meeting:
|
Name |
Check # |
Amount |
Purpose |
|
Col. Hgts Shaw Family Support Collaborative |
1775 |
$5,000.00 |
Grant
#10-02 |
|
James Irwin |
1776 |
$1,834.16 |
Staff
wages |
|
James Irwin |
1777 |
$11.88 |
Reimbursement
for postage |
|
UPS Store |
1778 |
$306.00 |
Printing:
brochures, flyers, business cards |
|
Capital Services & Supplies |
1779 |
$380.24 |
Office
supplies/equipment: safe, shredder |
The following
checks were cashed last month:
|
Date
Cashed |
Name |
Check # |
Amount |
Purpose |
Meeting
Approval Date |
|
9/1/10 |
Best Buy |
1770 |
$2,861.68 |
Computer equipment and installation |
Budget approved
10/1/09 |
|
9/9/10 |
Col. Hgts. Shaw Family
Support Collaborative |
1775 |
$5,000.00 |
Grant 10-02 |
1/7/10 |
|
9/7/10 |
James Irwin |
1776 |
$1,834.16 |
Staff wages |
Budget approved
10/1/09 |
|
9/7/10 |
James Irwin. |
1777 |
$11.88 |
Reimbursement for postage |
9/2/10 |
|
9/30/10 |
UPS Store |
1778 |
$306.00 |
Printing |
9/2/10 |
|
9/23/10 |
Capital Services &
Supplies |
1779 |
380.24 |
Office supplies/equipment: safe, shredder |
9/2/10 |
Expenses to be approved
|
Name |
Amount |
Purpose |
|
James Irwin |
$1,405.92 |
Staff
wages-net pay (Gross: $1,740.00) |
|
James Irwin |
$8.80 |
Postage |
|
UPS Store |
$108.75 |
Printing:
Staff Director business cards, meeting announcement flyers |
|
Best Buy |
298.84 |
Purchase
of audio speakers, IT services to relocate printer |
Commissioner
Ferrer moved that the expenses listed in the October Treasurer’s Report be
approved.
Commissioner
Nadeau seconded the motion.
The motion
was adopted unanimously, 8 yes, 0 no.
Commissioner
Ferrer moved that the October 2010 Treasurer’s Report be approved.
Commissioner
Moss seconded the motion.
The motion
was adopted unanimously, 8 yes, 0 no.
Proposed FY 2011 budget
Commissioner
Ferrer presented the proposed FY 2011 budget, which had been reviewed and
adjusted by the Executive Committee.
Revisions took into account revenue and expense projections for the next
five years, and an updated estimate of the ending balance for FY 2010, taking
into account expenses and checks written but not yet cashed. Key changes in the budget include:
- Net salary at $19,200 per year or 80 hours per
month.
- Purchase of audio equipment to more efficiently
record and transcribe meeting minutes, including a public address system
to better amplify the meetings.
- Reduction in the grant budget from $30,000 to
$10,000.
Commissioner
Ferrer noted that one of the primary reasons for these changes was the
projection of expenses versus income through FY 2015. The Commission’s allotment from the D.C.
government amounted to about $28,000, but rent, staff costs, and operating
expense at present levels would result in a deficit. While the Commission now has a financial
cushion, it will be gone in 2014.
Commissioner Ferrer suggested that the Commission during the next fiscal
year would have to make plans to adjust for this shortfall.
Commissioner
Nadeau commended Commissioner Ferrer and the Executive Committee for their hard
work in producing a very responsible budget.
Commissioner
Ferrer moved that ANC 1B approve the FY 2011 budget as presented.
Commissioner
Moss seconded the motion.
The motion
was adopted unanimously, 8 yes, 0 no.
Revisions to Grant Policies and
Procedures
Commissioner
Nadeau listed the revisions to grant policies and procedures recommended by the
Grants Committee:
·
Applicants
should be serving 1B directly, whether they are based in 1B or focus their
efforts on 1B residents primarily with this project.
·
Applicants
and organizations should not be profiting from the project being awarded.
·
Applicants
must demonstrate other sources of income whether it be financial sponsorship,
in-kind contributions, ticket sales, or similar.
·
If
an applicant has not fulfilled prior grant filing requirements, then it will
not be eligible to apply for funds for 3 years from the original date of issue
of the prior grant check.
Commissioner
Nadeau said the Committee had originally recommended a cap of 15% of the total
project budget or $2,000, whichever was greater, but they now believed the cap
should be lower.
Chairperson
Anderson Holness said the Executive Committee had recommended a cap of $500.00
per grant.
Commissioner
Nadeau moved that the recommended revisions in grant policies, including
limiting grants to 15% of the applicant’s total project budget or $500.00,
whichever is less, be adopted by the Commission.
Commissioner
Lopez seconded the motion.
The
motion was adopted unanimously, 8 yes, 0 no.
Purchase of Audio Equipment for
Commission meetings
Commissioner
Ferrer moved that the Commission approve the purchase of audio recording and
amplification equipment for Commission meetings as provided in the FY 2011
budget.
Commissioner
Moss seconded the motion.
The
motion was adopted unanimously, 8 yes, 0 no.
Proposed change in form of meeting
minutes
Commissioner
Ferrer noted that the Staff Director spent an inordinate amount of time
preparing a journal of the monthly meeting.
Commissioner
Ferrer moved that the minutes of future meetings be maintained in a more
bare-bones form, recording attendance, motions and votes on motions, and a
brief synopsis of presentations and comments, and, to provide a journal of the
meeting for public information, audio recordings of the meetings be posted on
the Commission website, and the Staff Director shall list time stamps for each
order of business, so that people interested in specific items can go directly
to that point in the recording.
Commissioner
Moss seconded the motion.
Commissioner
Nadeau expressed her concern and opposition to not preparing the minutes in a
fully detailed form.
Commissioner
Lopez said he thought the Commission should wait to find out how the audio
equipment works, if it works. He thought
the Commission should hear how the equipment works and then consider the
motion.
Commissioner
Ferrer said he thought that was a good suggestion and withdrew his motion.
Presentations
Chairperson
Anderson Holness introduced Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton to talk with
the Commission and the public.
Congresswoman
Norton said that she had been having conversations with residents all around
the District of Columbia. They started
in the early summer, when she had to make a horrific decision. After struggling for years to achieve voting
rights for the District, they received an offer they had to refuse. Confronted with the choice between full
voting rights in the House of Representatives and the public safety of the
District, she had to refuse the offer of voting rights in return for the
revocation of the District’s gun laws.
She thought
it was important to review what the options are.
Congresswoman
Norton made the following points:
- She referred to packets that she had distributed to
attendees and the Commissioners illustrating the many issues that she had
to deal with as well as statehood and voting rights. She sits on the Homeland Security
Committee because the District is a prime target for terrorists. She is a member of the Transportation
and Infrastructure Committee and chairs a subcommittee which directly
impacts the District’s economy because it keeps federal jobs in the
District and supervises federal building construction. She works with the District government,
the presumptive mayor and residents on issues raised by the federal
government’s role and impact.
- She cannot vote on the House floor, but can vote in
committee meetings and she can vote in the full House of Representatives
when it meets as the Committee of the Whole, so that she can vote on some
House business on the House floor.
When the House voted to give her that vote, the Republicans
sued. When they lost in the
District Court, they went to the Court of Appeals and lost there too, then
just gave up. She said this is an
object lesson that in the Congress you get everything you can. You cannot get the whole ball of wax,
but you get whatever you can for the District. The Speaker can’t get all that she
wants. By its nature, by the way it is structured, Congress is an
incremental place. You have to get
too many people to agree to make it the kind of revolutionary place she
would like it to be. She has had to
learn to operate in the arena she has been given, and to get as much out
of that arena as she can.
- She said she had gotten the D.C. budget out of
Congress. This is an important
matter. Why was the D.C. budget
considered by Congress at all? This
is not federal money. It is the
money from the residents of the District, in a budget approved by their
elected representatives on the City Council. After they approve it, it must go to
Congress to be considered by people on subcommittees of the House and
Senate who know nothing of it. The
Congress can overturn laws of the District, but it would be difficult to
do without the leverage of DC budget approval. People in Congress use the DC budget to
attach riders to get the district to do what they want to do, not what the
people of the District want to do. Budget autonomy is an issue second in
importance only to statehood. Only
after the Democrats took over, could she get the budget away from
Congress.
- She said people could talk about D.C. matters and
issues, but she is the federal official for the District and there is a
home rule government. That government
knows about the kinds of issues that the ANC deals with, and the Mayor and
City Council work on. Her office
does get calls from people about problems with the D.C. government. They always work to get that caller
together with someone in the D.C. government who can help resolve the problem;
her office does not try to solve the problem because it is a local issue.
- She has worked with the Secret Service, at the
request of constituents, to reduce the impact and inconvenience of the
Secret Service presence and security measures when there is an event or
visit by a protected Federal official.
This is an example of how she works to address issues caused by the
Federal government and its activities in local neighborhoods.
- With regard to statehood and voting rights, she said
they have to decide how to proceed next time. No decision can be made until she has
some sense of what the next Congress will look like.
- The statehood issue is a major struggle. The Senate is very unwilling to admit
any new states, especially the District of Columbia. It is a very political process with
tradeoffs and compromises. Major
efforts to achieve statehood have been rejected in the past because of the
Senate, even when there was a large Democratic Party majority in both
Houses of Congress. When the D.C.
government went insolvent in the 1990s and the Republicans took control of
the Congress, the prospects of statehood basically disappeared.
- The next question, then, was what to do if statehood
was not immediately achievable. The
option of voting representation in the House was the most achievable
option. The most recent bill to
give the District a vote, in exchange for an additional House seat for
Utah, was not her idea, but she gives Representative Tom Davis a great deal
of credit for developing the proposal.
This bill was overwhelmingly supported in the House and got 57
votes of the 60 votes needed in the Senate in 2007. The second time around, the National
Rifle Association got the gun rights amendment attached. Conservative Democrats would not vote
for the bill a second time unless the gun rights amendment was
included. She spent the summer not
working on voting rights, but trying to keep this bill with a gun rights
amendment from passing. We could
end up without voting rights and with D.C. gun laws wiped out. We have to be strategic, but principled
at the same time. She did not think
she would do anyone a favor by accepting the abolition of DC gun laws as
the price for voting rights in the Congress. This was an impossible choice.
Congresswoman
Norton invited questions.
Mr. Jason
Berry, 700 block, Hobart Place, NW, asked if conservative Democrats lose in the
midterm elections, would there be a chance to get something more positive out
of the lame-duck session of Congress because they might be more open to
supporting a good bill.
Congresswoman
Norton said they were considering that possibility. The NRA has a real choke-hold on these
people. It will have a lot to do with
what they want to do in the future. But
she said that this was a very important possibility.
Mr. Wallace
Dixon, 1707 Columbia Road N.W., said he was on the board of the Chatham Court
Tenants Association, and they wanted to thank Congresswoman Norton for her hard
work over the years and her diligent service to the people of the city. He said he was also one of the organizers of
D.C. Statehood Now Campaign. He said he
understood that she would be introducing a statehood bill in early 2011.
Congresswoman
Norton said she was planning to introduce a statehood bill, a voting rights
bill, and a House and Senate voting rights bill because she has heard from her
constituents about all of these very valid ways of getting to statehood.
Mr.
Dixon said he was finding widespread support for D.C. statehood not only in
D.C. but across the country. He hoped
that if this support could be encouraged and organized, it would give her
greater support.
Congresswoman
Norton said that when people learn that D.C. pays the second highest per capita
federal income taxes, but do not have voting representation in Congress, they
are appalled. However, recent polling
indicates that the idea of statehood does not hold up well nationally, while
voting does. She said that she thought
when statehood was discussed and people understood that it included two seats
in the Senate, it became a greater uphill fight. She said she was undaunted by that. Coming out of the civil rights movement, if
she was told something could not be done, that only meant that you have to
struggle harder and work step by step to achieve it. However, she did not think it would be fair
for her to tell D.C. residents that statehood is around the corner.
Mr.
Dixon said the opposition had been to an amendment to the constitution, but he
understood that was not necessary, that Congress could grant statehood to D.C.
just as they had to Alaska and Hawaii.
Congresswoman
Norton said she took that position, but did not want to get into the weeks of a
constitutional argument. There were
those who argued that because the District’s status is specified in the
constitution, the only way to change it is by amendment. She said that if Congress were to act, the
action would be challenged in court, but if Congress grants voting rights to
the District, it will be sued for that.
We have to struggle for what we want.
She thanked Mr. Dixon for helping to revive the statehood movement and
for his support.
Mr.
Nikolas Schiller, 942 Westminster St. N.W., commented that only a
constitutional amendment could assure statehood and voting rights for D.C. The other alternatives Congresswoman Norton
was discussing would be subject to legal challenges or political manipulation
like the gun rights amendment. He
thought the Home Rule Act needs to be updated.
It is 35 years old. That is one
of the things they could work on. He
suggested that DC statehood be balanced by admitting Puerto Rico, which is
spending $20 million on lobbying. He
commented that statehood would give DC the power to impose a commuter tax,
which in turn would improve the revenue base.
Congresswoman
Norton said that it has nothing to do with the revenue or tax base. There is plenty of tax base. She said she did not want to bore everyone by
getting into the weeds of a constitutional argument. With regard to what is constitutional, she
said that you do not struggle for your rights based on what you personally believe
is constitutional. You struggle for your
rights because you are entitled to your rights.
She thought that Mr. Schiller’s view or her view of the constitution
could not be more irrelevant. It was the
constitutional view that women were not included in the 14th
Amendment until 1976. What were women
supposed to do? It was the
constitutional view that Black people were not entitled to go to the same
schools as white people. What were they
supposed to do? If she raised a
constitutional argument and said she’s a constitutional scholar, she hoped that
no one took that seriously as to what residents of the District should do. It is part of her job to tell you what the
opposition will be, but not to put up as a barrier anything involving
somebody’s view of the constitution. If
you live in the District of Columbia, there will be barriers, and if they can
find a way to sue you out of your rights, they will do it.
With
regard to Puerto Rico, Congresswoman Norton said that with Utah, you would get
one representative for one from D.C.
With Puerto Rico, you would get six representatives for one from
D.C. It would be easier for D.C. to become
a state than Puerto Rico. The bigots in
the Congress, who are keeping us from doing any immigration reform, already
have an amendment up that says Puerto Rico can come in if they all speak
English. You are talking about a
Congress that is as close to being straight-out bigoted and racist as it is
possible to be. Puerto Rico is very
divided. The Puerto Rico delegates, who
are her good friends, help her and co-sponsor her bill to become a state, but
they do not ask to get the vote for Puerto Rico because they do not pay any
income taxes. The moment they become a
state, they will have to pay income taxes.
Our fate is our own. Utah made
sense in classic American terms and it is still out there.
Regarding
the commuter tax base, you have plenty of tax base, at least $6 billion. Nobody has ever said we did not have the tax
base to support the state. The commuter
tax really has to do with the unfairness of coming into the District, using the
roads, and paying nothing for it. That
is something D.C. will never get. The
entire Maryland and Virginia delegations would never let that happen. If we want to be a state and a commuter tax
is part of it, D.C. will never be a state.
The possibility of a commuter tax is one reason why the Maryland and
Virginia senators are opposed to it.
Congresswoman
Norton said she did not want to get into what the obstacles are. Right now, the obstacles just to a vote in
the House are so great that to argue what they would do or not do is quite
beside the point. We have to be for statehood,
we have to struggle for it every step of the way, we cannot say, once we get
the House vote, that’s OK, that’s all we want.
We have to be clear what we want and we have to struggle to get as much
of what we want as we possibly can.
Mr.
John Clennard asked Congresswoman Norton for her views on the lack of support
from the White House.
She
said that someone at the White House was not minding the store, was doing a
disservice to the President. She could
not expect, with all the President had to deal with, that he would have the
District on his checklist. But someone
on his staff should be making sure that the District’s issues are
addressed. She has communicated this and
has met with someone from the White House.
She has made some recommendations and should not say what they are, but
she communicated the complaints that she had heard. Some are from the press, some from
constituents who express disappointment.
It is a disservice, because the President was one of the first to sign
on to the voting rights legislation in the Senate.
New
Business
There was no
new business.
Community Events & Announcements
Ms. Nimita
Shah, representing the Deputy Mayor’s Office for Planning and Economic
Development, announced that they were soliciting comments and community input
on the development of a vacant lot at 965 Florida Avenue N.W., at the corner of
Sherman Avenue N.W. This question is
being considered by the Georgia Avenue Task Force. Comments can be e-mails to Nimita.Shay@dc.gov or Sybongile.Cook@dc.gov.
Ms. Julie
Meyer, Executive Director of the Next Step Public Charter School, 1419 Columbia
Road N.W., said that her school provides a GED program for some of the most
at-risk youth in the city, working to prepare them for college and vocational
education. They are applying to lease
the Harrison School property, which is becoming vacant, at 13th and
V Streets N.W. She asked for the
Commission’s support.
Mr. Steve Glazerman,
co-founder and trustee of Washington Yu-Ying Public Charter School, noted that
he had introduced his school at the September Commission meeting. At that time he described their hope to
relocate to ANC 1B. It has since become
apparent that the only way of realizing that dream is to successfully apply for
the Harrison School property, so he is competing with Ms Meyer’s charter
school. He wanted to thank all the
neighbors they have been meeting with over the past few months. They continue to seek the Commission’s
support and are available to answer any questions.
Commissioner
Muhammad announced that the ANC 1B Public Safety Committee would be meeting
next Wednesday, October 13th, at 7:00 PM in the Second Floor
Conference Room of the Reeves Center.
Commissioner
Muhammad announced that the South Columbia Heights Neighborhood Association, of
which he is the president, would be meeting on Wednesday, October 20th at
7:00 PM, at the Josephine Butler Parks Center, 2437 15th Street
N.W. This will be a joint meeting with
Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) PSA 304.
The guest speaker this month will be Robin-Eve Jasper, Director of the
Department of Real Estate Services.
Commissioner
Moss announced that LeDroit Park Community Day would be on Saturday, October 23rd
between 10 AM and 5 PM. They will be
collaborating with Howard University planting trees and doing other community
projects. They will be meeting at the
Anna Cooper Circle, 3rd and T Streets N.W.
Ms. Heather
Ferris, 1910 8th Street N.W., requested that the Commission publish
the protocol for participating in the meetings.
She observed that people did not understand the procedure for asking
questions or making comments about action items before a motion was made. She also asked if the minutes could be posted
on line more promptly.
Chairperson
Anderson Holness said that a written protocol would be prepared and made
available at the meetings. She also said
that the Commission was working on making the minutes more efficient and more
quickly available by purchasing audio recording equipment for the meetings.
Commissioner
Ferrer encouraged everyone to get involved with the Georgia Avenue Community
Development Task Force, which is doing great work on the revitalization of the
Georgia Avenue Corridor. People can get
more information and learn how to be involved by going to their website: georgiaave.org
There being
no further business, Commissioner Moss moved that the October 2010 meeting of
ANC 1B be adjourned.
Commissioner
Ferrer seconded the motion.
The motion
was adopted unanimously and the meeting was adjourned at 9:25 PM.