Ward 6 Update from Charles Allen

We are lucky to have a friend as well as a Councilmember in Charles Allen. He and his team periodically send a Ward 6 update. We are sharing the latest one, in case you missed it. 

Does it feel a bit like summer is winding down? Schools are getting back in session and Labor Day is right around the corner. I hope you’ve been having a great summer. We’ve had a great month welcoming Everett into our family and are looking forward to Cora starting PreK-4 this week! And I’m very grateful for the Ward 6 team in the office being hard at work all summer.

Shakespeare Free For All

I think it’s safe to say Ward 6 loves free Shakespeare tickets. Each year, the Shakespeare Theatre hosts a special performance of their summer series and gives 100 free tickets to distribute in each Ward. We put the call out for RSVPs on a first come, first served basis and within an hour, we already had over 250 ticket requests. Within another few days, that number jumped to 949 ticket requests. Jamaal Jordan on my staff is working to confirm each of the first 100 requests, and then working through the wait list as tickets free up. Thank you for your patience, and thank you to everyone who signed up so quickly! I’ll keep looking for more and more opportunities to host Ward 6 Days at venues around the city!

Changes at Metropolitan Police Department

By now, you’ve likely seen the news that MPD Chief Cathy Lanier is retiring from the service and taking a new role as Head of Security for the NFL. She’s been a hard-working, visible, and effective Chief. She’s also lasted through three mayors and served probably twice as long as most big city chiefs, which says a lot about the respect she’s earned. It’ll be hard to see her go but I wish her the very best. I’ll work with the Mayor and my colleagues at the Council to ensure we continue to have strong leadership for MPD’s future.

Even closer to Ward 6, it was also announced that 1st District Commander Robert Contee has been promoted to Assistant Chief of MPD. While he’s been the commander of 1D just a short time, I’ve enjoyed working closely with him and am proud of the work he and his officers have put into our communities. While we are still working to improve public safety, I think he brought some new energy to the job and made effective changes that make our neighborhoods safer. With a focus on stopping robberies, improving community policing, and getting guns off our streets, he made a positive impact for the 1st District and I’ll look forward to working with him in his new role. Taking over the 1st District leadership will be Commander Morgan Kane. I’m looking forward to working with her and continuing the partnership with MPD. Commander Kane has a background in the 1st District — she served as both an officer and Sergeant in 1D previously. Please welcome her aboard! The Commanders for the 5th and 3rd Districts (also in Ward 6) remain the same.

It’s Back to School Time!
For most, school is back in session on Monday, August 22nd! Families are getting ready to start the new school year off right. I’ve taken tours around the schools where some of the most intensive summer modernization work has taken place to check on progress and push to make sure they’re ready for opening day. For example, at Ludlow-Taylor and JO Wilson Elementary Schools, students will return to find exciting new outdoor classroom spaces! At Van Ness Elementary School, work will continue on the outside of the school into the fall, but the interior will feature a brand new kitchen, multi-purpose room, library, music and art rooms, all filled with natural light. There are other improvements taking place at schools across Ward 6, including Payne Elementary School, Jefferson Middle School, Capitol Hill Montessori at Logan, and many more!

One of the biggest changes this school year will be for Watkins Elementary and Eliot-Hine Middle schools. While Watkins undergoes a full modernization over the coming year, the school will be temporarily relocated to swing space at Eliot-Hine MS. I walked through both the elementary and middle school spaces at Eliot-Hine a few days ago with DCPS and DGS leadership to see the positive work taking place there as well as the challenges that each school will have this year. I will remain engaged with our school communities to keep working on each and every school improvement.
For our students and families, no matter which school you call your home, have a great first day!

Thanks,
Charles Allen