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| Photo from TBD |
You may recall Gavin Holland, the popular local DJ who ran for ANC commissioner as a write-in after his neighbor Kat Skiles dropped out of the race. Holland got this blog’s endorsement. Holland actually got the most votes after Skiles, and was originally declared the winner. However, the Board of Elections reversed their decision, saying that because the top vote getter (Skiles) wasn’t an eligible candidate, the seat was vacant.
That means a special election, and this time Holland has some opposition: former school board member Dotti Love Wade, who lost to Patrick Mara in the election. Here’s Holland’s full statement, via TBD, with details on who can vote and where you can vote — only from 6-8 pm at the Columbia Heights Village, 2900 14th Street NW.
As some of you may know, I ran for Advisory Neighborhood Commissioner in my 1A11 district as a write-in candidate in the Nov. 2nd, 2010 general elections, and was certified as the winner in that election.Here is a link to my copy of the originally published certified result for the 1A ANC elections.
However, after a review, the DC Board of Elections and Ethics went on to declare my 1A11 district “vacant” with no winner, and removed my name from the PDF of the Nov. 2nd certified elections results published on their website. Their reasoning is that I was outvoted by a candidate who had officially withdrawn, my wonderful next-door neighbor Kat Skiles, and that therefore I never should have been declared the winner. I am now running for 1A11 ANC again, this time in a special election to be held on Monday, February 28th from 6-8pm at 2900 14th St. NW.
I cannot say that I am happy with the DCBOEE’s decision, and I found their method for revoking my win highly questionable — I can’t imagine that the decision in a mayoral election could be reversed in this city by merely editing a PDF document without an enormous public outcry. The document was not even re-certified (signed again) after it was edited – the signatures in the document which list “Gavin Holland” as the winner are completely identical to the ones in the currently published document which says “NO WINNER”. But that is the DCBOEE’s decision and I have to respect it.
I am no longer running for this position unopposed. My opponent is a career politician who embodies the “old way” of DC politics and has produced scant results in her time in office. I represent a new way of thinking and have the desire to actually work to make Columbia Heights even better. But there is no question that this is going to be a difficult race, and in order to win, I’m going to need every bit of support I can get.
In order to vote for me in this election, you must live between 11th St. and 14th St. NW, between Harvard St. and Irving St. NW, on the inward-facing side of the street if you live on the boundary, and be registered to vote at that current address. If you do not live in this area, I still need your help campaigning and directing people to the polls while the election is underway. I am also accepting donations to my campaign, which will help diffuse the cost of flyers, signs, and other campaign materials. There is a $25-per-person limit, and I greatly appreciate any contribution you can make.
So please, help me move Columbia Heights forward and come out to vote on Monday, February 28th from 6-8pm at Columbia Heights Village, 2900 14th St. NW, Washington, D.C. In the audience at last night’s ANC meeting, my opponent was the lone person voicing her opposition to the expansion of the wildly successful Columbia Heights Farmers Market. A vote for Gavin Holland is a vote to stop wasting time fighting the things that make Columbia Heights great.
