Neighborhood listserves can be interesting places. You can learn a lot and often get into silly arguments. However, ANC 1A10 commissioner Lenwood Johnson is taking it to new lows, including calling other commissioners “low-lifes” and constituents “bitchasses,” all while CCing lots of listerves for some reason. Maybe he thinks CCing everyone will get him more support. In fact, it seems to be having the opposite effect.
Here’s the recap: at a recent ANC meeting the folks from Room 11 were talking about expansion (more on that later). They hoped for a vote, but one didn’t take place. Owner Paul Ruppert emailed commissioners William Brown and Kent Boese to ask about it, and Boese responded to Ruppert and the other ANC commissioners:
Mr. Ruppert,
I apologize for not getting back to you sooner. I’ve been trying to track down various commissioners on this but have not been successful.
Here is what I know.
1) While we were able to add the amendment of your VA to the agenda of the last ANC meeting, but the time we got to that item Commissioner Lenwood Johnson had left the meeting reducing the number of commissioners present to five. We need at least six for a quorum. Because of this, we were not able to take a vote.
2) I have not seen the amended VA, nor am I familiar with the wording of the change. During this period I trust you, Commissioner
Sheldon Scott, and Commissioner Bill Brown can get together to make the necessary changes and have everything wrapped up as quickly as possible.
I appreciate your position and regret the hassle.
Regards, Kent
Lenwood Johnson of ANC 1A10 then replied to all and CCed the Columbia Heights listserve (which wasn’t on the previous emails) with this gem:
Commissioner Boese,
You’re a lowlife! I was under no obligation to stay until the very end of the meeting. Other commissioners left before the meeting’s end; why couldn’t I?
–Lenwood Johnson, ANC 1A10
Nice. After that, a number of other people responded aghast: “Wow. This is how our elected officials communicate with one another in a public forum?” and so on.
Another person emailed Johnson directly with:
I’m not sure which is more embarassing to me as a resident of the District: that our tax dollars are controlled by someone as petty and ridiculous as you, or that you’re too inept to use email without broadcasting to an entire list-serve.
To which Johnson replied, again CCing the Columbia Heights listserve AND the Ward One listserve:
If I were you, I wouldn’t be embarrassed. If you need something to be embarrassed about, be embarrassed by your own bitchassness, which you have demonstrated in your email. Selah.
Okay. Then there was this response on the listserve:
Good morning,
“Bitchassness” is indeed quite embarrassing, Mr. Johnson. Thank you for bringing that to our attention with such eloquence.
On an unrelated note (not really)… how does one go about recalling a member of the ANC? Seems like now might be a good time to review that process. I wonder if Mr. Johnson has any information on this that he would like to share with his under served constituents?
Mike Henry
The recall process is detailed here: basically you need to get signatures of 10% of his ANC SMD. That shouldn’t be too difficult. It also can’t be filed within the first or last 6 months days of the commissioner’s term. I’ll help whoever starts the effort.
If you recall, CCing listserves with whiny complaints and petty insults is common operating procedure for Johnson, who has done it at least twice before over similarly petty matters. It’s my belief that ANC commissioner Cliff Valenti resigned rather than have to deal with his shenanigans (though there may be other issues too.) Johnson was the only ANC commissioner I explicitly suggested you vote against in the last elections, too. Plus last year he claimed to have an unregistered firearm in his house.
Not exactly a paragon of good government here.
