Washington DC ANC Commissioner filing deadline is today

Washington DC has a form of grassroots government called Advisory Neighborhood Commissions, which are non-partisan, elected community boards. Each Ward is divided into ANCs. Each ANC is divided into Single Member Districts, representing about 2,000 residents. The people elected are called ANC Commissioners.

In DC law, ANCs are afforded the opportunity to weigh in or comment on all matters that come before government. ANCs can also submit legislation to the City Council, although this is rarely done.

I am of two minds about ANCs. When I first learned about the concept 20+ years ago in Columbus, Ohio, where they include business owners and students on their equivalent ANC, in a kind of political corporatist fashion (representing interest groups more than citizens generally) I thought they were a great idea in terms of engaging citizens and bringing people together.

On the other hand, in DC, I think too often ANCs "governmentalize" thinking at the most grassroots and micro levels. Converting all issues and problems into one of government, and putting responsibility for addressing any and all issues on the government. Plus, I think that in communities with weak social and organizational capacity, ANCs can scoop up all the quality leadership (and bad leadership too...) stunting the development and growth of independent community organizations.

This is exacerbated by the fact that little support and training is provided to ANC commissioners (and community organizations for that matter) on the variety of issues that come before the bodies (land use, transportation, zoning, business licensing, etc.) so the ability of an ANC to be effective is fully dependent on the quality of people elected.

ANCs get a little bit of money, more than $1 and less than $2 per person living in the ANC, which is used to fund community activities and groups, and other matters. The DC Government doesn't have a policy for providing ANCs offices and meeting places, so some ANCs have such spaces in public buildings and others don't. One of the Ward 8 ANCs has an office on Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard, but I know not how that came about.

Because Councilmembers at the time were afraid of ANCs becoming training grounds for potential opponents, the ANC Assembly, which was supposed to be an all-city body bringing all the ANCs together, was not created. There is an ANC Assembly of sorts today. Who knows what it does?

Also, some ANCs have citizen members on committees. Apparently most don't. For the ANCs that don't further involve citizens, it's one more way to stint on the development of knowledge and capacity within the organization. Most ANCs have so many committees, that if they don't involve citizens, there is no real way that they can be successfully deliberative.

Some ANCs are amazing. Some ANCs think they are amazing. And others are terrible. And there are some great Commissioners on every ANC in the city--people committed to their neighborhoods and to the greater good of the city as a whole.

(However, fisticuffs and embezzlement are not uncommon. Maybe I should be looking more at the UK Parliamentary model where if not fisticuffs, at least yelling etc. when others speak is acceptable...)

I know that there are some great ANCs in the NW quadrant. I myself am a big fan of ANC6A in the northeast quadrant of Ward 6, and Commissioners such as Joe Fengler, Cody Rice, and Nick Alberti. I sure hope they are running again. It takes a toll on people, especially in neighborhoods that face a lot of issues over revitalization and changing demographics.

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I meant to write about this earlier, but I forgot. This comes from RobbyCU via a local e-list:

You have until Friday to File. Pick up a Petition today, collect 25 signatures from your SMD and File tomorrow by 5:00 PM. Easy as 1,2,3...

Board of Elections and Ethics
441 4th Street, NW, Suite 250 North
Washington, DC 20001
(202) 727-2525
(On the red line Judiciary Square stop - 4th Street Exit)

Advisory Neighborhood Commissioners

An Advisory Neighborhood Commission (ANC) is a boundaried area of the city subdivided into smaller areas (with populations of approximately 2,000 residents) called Single Member Districts (SMDs).

The term for an ANC Commissioner is two (2) years. The office is nonpartisan. Each ANC Commissioner is nominated and elected by the registered voters who reside in the same Single Member District as the candidate. The ANC Commissioner is an unsalaried official who represents his or her neighborhood community (single member district) on the Advisory Neighborhood Commission.

The Commission represents the neighborhood and advises the District government on issues relating to zoning, social service programs, health, police protection, sanitation, and recreation.

Establishment of the Advisory Neighborhood Commissions was made possible under the provisions of the District of Columbia Self Government and Governmental Reorganization Act (Section 738) and the Advisory Neighborhood Commission Act of 1975 (DC Law No. 121).

In order to hold the office of Advisory Neighborhood Commissioner, an individual must meet the following qualifications:

-- Be a registered voter in the District, as defined by DC Code Section 1-1001.02;
-- Have resided in the Single Member District from which nominated continuously for the 60 day period immediately preceding the day on which the nominating petition is filed; and
-- Hold no other public office.

The Board will provide each candidate who obtains petition forms with a list of the registered voters in his or her Single Member District. We urge that the petition be checked against the list to ensure that it meets or exceeds the minimum signature requirement.

Index Keywords: civic-engagement