As you fill out your ballot, you may want to know more about our most important yet most underrated local races: the Single Member District ANC commissionership! These brave and generous souls volunteer their time to make sure we can have good governance at the most local level. Meet your ANC candidates and let us know if you have any questions! The candidates’ answers have been lightly edited for clarity. Don’t know YOUR Single Member District? Click here and find it! ––María Helena Carey
Your name
Markita Bryant
Your ANC single member district
ANC 6/8F02
What is a landmark people may know your SMD from?
Navy Yard/Nats Park
Why are you running for ANC?
As a dedicated Mom, Homeowner, Community Advocate, born and raised in Ward 8, I have devoted my journey to understanding and addressing the unique needs of our city and community. I understand the unique needs that are critical to the community such as the following: Affordable Housing/Safe Housing Conditions, Public Safety, Safer Streets/Parking, Environmental Standards, and a Playground for Children as more families are starting to call 6/8F02 home. The decision to run for the Advisory Neighborhood Commission is one that I have approached with thoughtful consideration and deep personal reflection. I am motivated by a profound commitment to our community and a genuine desire to serve as a catalyst for positive change. I am inspired by the belief that through dedicated public service and community engagement, we can create a more inclusive, safe, equitable, and vibrant neighborhood. My passion for advocacy and my dedication to public service compel me to step forward and offer my skills and experience to ensure that the voices of our community are heard and respected at all levels of governance.
Why do you believe ANC is an important office?
I believe that the Advisory Neighborhood Commission is an important office because it is the means to the soul of the community. In a world of governance, where immediate communities are sometimes not heard, the position of the Advisory Neighborhood Commission ensures that all residents are heard and represented by way of advising the various levels of government officials and/or agencies. This is very critical to ensure that the voices of our youngest residents to our seniors are heard and represented vigorously in the District of Columbia. My candidacy is driven by a belief that effective representation in local government is essential for addressing the needs and aspirations of our community.
Why should your neighbors vote for you?
The truth is that our city is vastly evolving and we need to ensure that there is proper representation, continuing the collaborative fight, on behalf of the residents in 6/8F02. As one who faced homelessness during my adolescent years, I know what it feels like to have been on the side of loss, to evolving to the side of fighting for greater. I believe that I have what it takes because I have been a resident who remains constant and active in our 8F ANC meetings following along, engaging in community walks with our city’s leaders to ensure change, and one who attends the PSA-106 public safety meetings to directly address issues on crime — all while vigorously addressing the issue of proper lighting in the hotspots of 6/8F02 that now have results. Long before my candidacy, I have always shown up to do the work, even when times were rough or hard. That is because my heart is fully in it. I have been fighting for the betterment of our city since the young age of fourteen. DC to me is home. I know just how important representation is in these current times because the story of my journey has resembled that of many. I believe that every neighbor who reside in 6/8F02 has a story, whether big or small, and I would like to represent each of those stories to make our community better, together.
Why should we all keep an eye on Advisory Neighborhood Commissions as a whole?
I believe that we should all keep an eye on Advisory Neighborhood Commissions as a whole because they are the baseline to every community. The advising that reaches various levels of governance becomes the key catalyst for change. The bottom line is that ANCs are equipped with those acting in their official capacity vowing to make the decisions necessary for the success of the community. Again, the city is evolving, and the important key to any element of change will always be the Commissions acting in the best interest of the direct communities that they serve.