We have offered to post brief statements from all of the ANC candidates running for seats on Capitol Hill and the surrounding neighborhoods that we cover here on The Hill is Home. These statements are not endorsements and have been posted exactly as submitted by the candidates.
Larry Janezich ANC 6B04
I’m Larry Janezich and I’m a candidate for commissioner in ANC 6B04. I have been a Capitol Hill resident since 1966. Recently I retired from nearly forty years of service as a U.S. Senate staffer. My community activities and involvement include: former President and current member, Capitol Hill Garden Club; former newsletter editor and current member of the Capitol Hill Restoration Society; current member Friends of Southeast Library; current secretary and member, Eastern Market Metro Community Association.
A Better Way
I’m running for ANC6b commissioner because I think there is a better way for our ANC to run. The current ANC 6B has made a practice of holding closed meetings. This violates the spirit of the so-called “sunshine laws”—and may violate them in fact. We need a transparent and open ANC. The only reason for a closed meeting should be in the rare instance of a personnel deliberation.
The current ANC 6B has also failed to adequately document the record of its meetings and to make these accessible in a timely way. Meeting summaries are sparse, with no context given and no summary of the substance and character of the discussion. Other ANC’s do better; so should we.
I pledge to support fuller meeting summaries and easier access to them, and to conduct ANC business in a transparent and inclusive fashion.
A Smarter Way
I think there is a smarter way for ANC 6B to operate. The current ANC spends far too much time in its monthly meeting on historic preservation issues. I believe in historic preservation. Preserving the character of our neighborhood is essential, but there are many more aspects to it than inspecting remodeling designs. We need an ANC that will prioritize the quality of our public and community life. Our ANC should increase awareness on important issues of public safety and work with Police Service Areas (PSAs) to expedite possible resolution. Our ANC should partner with our neighborhood school advocates and provide another venue to support their efforts. Most of all, our ANC should catalyze residents’ involvement and engagement with the city.
Change is Happening Now
The next ANC will be extremely important; it will participate in several major development projects or issues concerning our neighborhood: the Hine Development PUD process, the proposed Eastern Market Metro Plaza redesign, 8th Street streetcar plan, the Old Naval Hospital/Hill Center development, and the disposition of Marine Barracks Building 20 and the construction of a replacement. Since I’ve been on Capitol Hill, I can’t remember a time when so many significant projects were unfolding at once. All of them have the potential to change the neighborhood. They should change the neighborhood for the better. There has never been a greater need for a strong voice for the residents.
I lived on Capitol Hill long before Capitol Hill became a destination. I support development and the evolution of our neighborhood. I see a role for neighbors to work with developers and Barracks Row merchants to ensure that our neighborhood retains its residential character and livability. Our neighborhood is changing. We should welcome that change, look to include newer voices, and expand the circle of consultation in order to facilitate the best result for our neighborhood.
For more information on where I stand and why I’m running, please visit my website at: http://janezich-anc6b.com/. There, you will also find links to local resources and other issues, including the DC recycler blog and Save Virginia Avenue Park.
I am frustrated with ANC6B’s unwillingness to even hold public hearings on important issues.
The developer of Hine is ready to meet and discuss plans. The ANC’s mysterious and secretive “executive committee” rules “NO hearings.” At least, no hearings before the election, right?
Just today the chairman of ANC-6B testified about disposition of the Hill Center site without having held a hearing or even alerting residents or fellow commissioners of his intention to do so. (Chairman Kwame Brown asked if the ANC intended to take a position on the Hill Center disposition. Amazingly, the ANC Chairman Dave Garrison told Kwame Brown, “It would not be a good use of the ANC’s time to do so.”)
The residents have been begging the ANC to hold hearings on these oppressively ridiculous plans to reroute Pennsylvania Avenue SE. One commissioner casts a secret ballot in favor of a $38 million dollar re-routing plan, then says he was never for it. Hold a hearing! Vote in public!
I like the better approach and smarter approach Larry Janezich has for the ANC, and I especially welcome contested races in our ANC, which gives voters the option to vote in a new ANC.
My Irish mother and aunt, as their highest praise, would call someone “Nature’s Nobleman.” When I look at Larry, that’s what comes to mind.
I met Larry two years ago when he came to a residents meeting with another neighbor. Here’s what I know about Larry:
He is the kind of person who can be counted on to volunteer for the tough jobs.
He hears and weighs all sides of an issue.
He cares about and participates in a wide variety of community groups.
He is a straight shooter and a terrific negotiator.
Our neighborhood would be lucky to have Larry Janezich, one of Nature’s Noblemen, as an ANC6B Commissioner.
Vote for Larry on November 2.
bsr