Meet the Candidates: Brian Flahaven, ANC 6B09

Photo courtesy of Brian Flahaven.

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.

My name is Brian Flahaven, and I’m running for ANC because I want to improve the quality of life of residents in Hill East and Capitol Hill.

It is easy for ANC commissioners to get caught up in the little things – planning and zoning cases, liquor license requests and public space permits. While these issues are certainly important, I’m motivated by the big issues, the issues that will ultimately have a major impact on our neighborhood.  While ANCs are advisory, commissions can use their “great weight” to highlight major issues and pressure the city to address them.

During my first term representing ANC 6B09, I’ve worked with my colleagues to tackle a number of big issues. During the ward redistricting debate, my Hill East colleagues and I successfully mobilized our constituents to keep all of Hill East united in one ward. When the city considered putting a Redskins training facility on the Hill East Waterfront (Reservation 13), I joined with ANC colleagues and residents in Wards 6 & 7 to urge Mayor Gray to forget the facility and pursue mixed-use development on the site. And I’ve proactively urged the District Department of Transportation to improve safety along the 17^th Street, S.E. “speedway” and 19^th Street, S.E. corridor.

I’ve engaged residents these past two years by keeping them informed through my blog, www.flahaven6b.com, holding periodic community meetings, distributing flyers in my district with information on key meetings and events, and organizing groups of residents to contact and/or visit with DC Councilmembers.

I’ve also led efforts to improve how ANC 6B operates by introducing a consent agenda, leading the successful effort to revise ANC 6B’s bylaws, creating and chairing the Hill East Task Force and recruiting resident members to serve on ANC 6B committees and task forces.

If I’m elected to a second term, I’ll continue advocating on the major issues facing Hill East and Capitol Hill, including:

• Pushing the city to keep its promise and pursue mixed-use development at the Hill East Waterfront (Reservation 13)
• Ensuring that recommendations from the 17^th & 19^th Streets Safety Improvement Project are implemented in a timely fashion
• Strengthening the partnership between residents and MPD to improve public safety
• Increasing neighborhood engagement with, and ANC support for, our DC Public Schools
• Working with the city to find a future use for the Eastern Branch Building that is supported by the neighborhood
• Supporting  efforts to bring more retail and residential development to the eastern end of Pennsylvania Avenue, S.E.
• Engaging DDOT and residents on key transportation projects, including the Barney Circle and Pennsylvania Avenue-Potomac Avenue projects

Hill East has a wonderful history of community activism. I’ve done my best to continue this tradition through my work on ANC 6B. It has been an absolute privilege to represent my neighbors.

You can learn more about me and the issues I care about at www.flahaven6b.com. Please e-mail any comments, suggestions, questions or concerns to flahaven4anc@gmail.com.

Thank you for your interest in our neighborhood and for your support.