Hey, neighbor! Do you live east of 8th Street NE, south of Florida Avenue, and west of 19th Street NE (with a couple of notable exceptions)? Then you are most likely a resident of ANC 6A! You can find the ANC 6A website by clicking here. In the site, you will find an expandable version of the map above, as well as a list of commissioners, agendas, minutes and reports and other information that pertains to your Advisory Neighborhood Commission.
I sent a short set of questions to each ANC commissioner in 6A-6D, plus commissioners in 5D and 7D, and they were gracious enough to send in replies so you can get to know your part of the neighborhood better. I introduced this series back in this post.
We know our ANC commissioners are a busy bunch, so we’ll update this post as they send in their answers.
6A01
Name: Marie-Claire Brown
6A02
Name: Phil Toomajian
Years you’ve served as ANC commissioner: 4+
Most recognizable landmark(s) in your SMD: Sherwood Recreation Center, School Within School at Goding, H Street NE
Biggest issue(s) in your SMD: crime, pedestrian safety, safe routes to school
Strangest thing that you’ve encountered as an ANC commissioner: Folks who mistakenly believe that ANC Commissioner is a paying job with support rather than a full-time volunteer commitment
Something satisfying about being an ANC: Helping building community, connecting neighbors, and solving problems
Best way to get in touch with you: Email – PhilANC6A[at]gmail.com
6A03
Name: Mike Soderman
6A04
Name: Amber Gove (Chairperson)
Years you’ve served as ANC commissioner: Since September of 2017, so a little over 2.
Most recognizable landmark(s) in your SMD: Lincoln Park. I’m excited about the recent decision for NPS to share/co-manage parks like this. Friends of Lincoln Park deserves a shout out in terms of their beautification and efforts—will be great to see how that evolves going forward.
Biggest issue(s) in your SMD: Our biggest challenge [in general] is always balancing the views of current residents while bearing in mind the greater good. There is a cost benefit analysis to be done on just about every decision we weigh in on, from supporting a new development to petitioning for traffic calming measures.
We have also seen an increase in gun violence in our neighborhood—how can we work to prevent these crimes before they happen? Reducing crime and violence, encouraging smart and equitable growth, and supporting safe and effective transportation for all will continue to be challenging as we seek to balance competing views and interests.
Strangest thing that you’ve encountered as an ANC commissioner: This is not strange, but during my first swearing in at CM Allen’s office my then 9 year old decided to say the oath along with me—we had to start over or risk having an underage Commissioner.
Something satisfying about being an ANC: ANCs are charged with serving the 2000 or so residents of our single member districts—and many of those residents can be loud and persistent. But the ANC oath also commits us to serve the interests of the “District of Colombia as a whole.” To me this means we need to take into account the many voices that we don’t hear—because they can’t attend the meetings or haven’t even arrived yet—the future residents whose lives will be impacted by the decisions we make.
Best way to get in touch with you: Email me at amberanc6a [at] gmail.com
6A05
Name: Ruth Ann Hudson
6A06
Name: Stephanie Zimny
6A07
Name: Sondra Phillips-Gilbert
6A08
Name: Brian Alcorn