Meet the Candidates: Laura McSorley ANC 6B08

I’m Laura McSorley, a DC teacher and candidate for ANC 6B08.  I began my teaching career in Head Start at DCPS before moving to a classroom of three and four-year-olds at a charter school here in the District. I live on A St. SE with my husband, Tom.  I know how important a safe, supportive, flourishing neighborhood is for child development, and how equally important it is for all of us. We love our Hill community and I’m looking forward to contributing my enthusiasm and fresh perspective to the ANC.

The ANC is our first voice as a neighborhood on issues that affect us block-to-block, throughout 6B08, the Hill, and the city. Walking my students to and from our neighborhood playground every day, I am very aware of how simple issues – a stop sign, a construction site blocking the sidewalk, an overgrown lot – can have a big effect on neighborhood life. Below are my goals for making the ANC more responsive and our neighborhood an even better place to live.

Community

Whether we are longtime residents of this neighborhood, families, young people, or grandparents, what makes living here great is the chance to be part of a community. As ANC commissioner, I will facilitate community by, of course, taking part in the planning and support of neighborhood events. However, I will also be proactive in looking for opportunities to create new community spaces and to provide resources for children and adults alike to enjoy our neighborhood.

And our community is strongest when all of us feel safe. As your ANC commissioner, I won’t shy away from holding our elected officials and our police leadership accountable. I’ll vote to enforce sensible licensing and business policies designed not only to keep our neighborhoods safe, but also vibrant.  I know how important it is that residents and families can enjoy our green spaces, our sidewalks, and our streets without worrying about safety. The solution is not to point fingers but to ensure that every avenue available to us in preventing trouble is utilized. This includes community policing, innovative approaches to juvenile issues, open lines of communication between officials and the community, and honest reporting of patterns of crime in our neighborhoods.

Modernization

While communicating your concerns will be my central role as ANC commissioner, I certainly plan to aggressively advocate for improvements to our district here in 6B08 and throughout the Hill. I will ensure that 6B08 has a voice in commercial developments across 6B, including Eastern Market and Barracks Row. I will also advocate for appropriate development of city space, including the land east of the Hill along the waterfront. For our district in particular, there is a lot we can improve on a smaller scale: from bus stops to bike sharing, and improving access to existing public space.

Communication

The most important job – indeed the role – of an ANC commissioner is to keep our neighborhood informed and to be our voice. This includes making the ANC and ANC meetings more responsive to community needs. Among the improvements I plan to implement are changing the way the ANC operates and opening lines of communication to our neighborhood, including:

• Making all ANC meetings – whether committee meetings, meetings of the whole, or informal strategy meetings – truly open. This goes beyond simply posting a date and time somewhere and expecting busy folks to attend every one. For (literally) a few dollars, all meetings can be digitally recorded, edited, posted, and podcast. Surely, basic principles of open government must apply to our ANC. The current ANC operates with technology that is far outdated.
• Along the same lines, digital communication can be vastly improved within our district and the ANC. I plan to use every avenue of digital communication to keep you informed about fellow neighbors’ concerns as well as developments within the ANC.
• At the same time, I pledge to include the entire neighborhood in our discussions. That means not relying entirely on digital tools or word of mouth to keep everyone informed.