If you live in Advisory Neighborhood Commission 1A06 (see map above) then there’s a special election for you this Wednesday. The seat for that area is currently vacant after the previous commissioner resigned.
The special election for the seat is at the next ANC meeting, which will take place this Wednesday, January 10th and 7 pm at Tubman Elementary School, in the gym. The entrance for the meeting is on Kenyon.
There are three candidates: community development expert Jordan Pearlstein, corporate speaker and magician Charles Greene III and senior education policy analyst Angelica Castañon. From reading about them they all seem like they’d be good for the position, but I’m recommending that you vote for my friend Jordan.
You may have seen Ms. Pearlstein around, she’s been very active with local nonprofits and co-founded Georgia Avenue Thrive, which does a lot of great work in the area, like the First Friday events. She’s also an expert in community development, community building and fair housing (full disclosure, we worked together for a few years at USAID.)
The ANC, if you’re not familiar, has three main areas of responsibility: advise the city council and other government offices about local concerns and issues; to deal with liquor licenses, where the ANC can effectively change or alter the provisions of liquor licenses, such as hours of operation and what establishments can do (for example, live music or outdoor seating); and they also have a budget to fund community projects. The ANC is often the first place to go if you have a question or issue with city services or development issues.
If you live and are registered to vote in ANC 1A06, I hope you can make it to the election and hear from Jordan and the other candidates. Read on for more from Jordan: her platform and more info about her.
I’m excited to represent the SMD and ANC1A. I’ve dedicated both my personal and professional life to building inclusive, connected, equitable, and vibrant communities. And I want to make sure you and the larger community have the information you need and the representation you deserve to be informed and engaged advocates on the issues you care most about. The values and vision we build our community on are important.
It’s also vital that your representative understands how to navigate government bureaucracy and build trusting relationships to get things done. After years of working with the federal government, with cities around the country, and with communities here in ANC1A, I’m ready to do that for you. Come out on Wednesday to learn more and vote!
A little more about me: I’ve been involved in the ANC1A community for several years. I co-founded and serve as Vice President for Georgia Avenue Thrive, an all-volunteer nonprofit dedicated to building an inclusive, connected, and vibrant community. Georgia Avenue Thrive is also an implementing partner with District Bridges of the Lower Georgia Avenue Main Street, a national program, which is funded locally by DC’s Department of Small and Local Business Development.
I’ve consulted for District Bridges in support of its Columbia Heights/Mount Pleasant Main Street and serve on the board of another ANC1A-based nonprofit, Words, Beats & Life. I’m a participant in and volunteer with NeighborUp, an inclusive network of DC residents and leaders who are committed to improving communities in ways that help our neighbors live and thrive, together. I am also the Democratic Party Precinct Captain for Precinct 39. And, finally, I have a full-time, day job at a nationwide nonprofit focused on cultivating inclusive and equitable communities, where I focus on community engagement and fair housing.
UPDATE: Angelica has asked me repeatedly on Twitter to add her job title and more about her job. She is a Senior Policy Analyst with the National Education Association. She does community organizing around education issues. As before, her site, as well as Charles Greene’s, are linked above.
