Photo courtesy of Ramin Taheri
The Hill is Home is sharing the statements of ANC candidates in our general region. Although the main focus of our blog is Capitol Hill –served by ANCs 6A through 6C– we feel that a community is made stronger by the neighbors with whom we share a close geographical area. We are honored to share candidate statements from neighbors from Ivy City to Navy Yard, with minor style edits. To all of you who are running: Thank you. –Maria Helena Carey and Kate McFadden
Who am I? I’m a Capitol Hill resident, a husband, a father, a neighbor, a volunteer, a coach, and a policy professional. I’ve lived on the Hill for nearly eight years, have two kids in our public schools, and cherish and want to serve our community.
Why am I running? As a father of two young children, I’m acutely aware of the dangers posed to pedestrians by traffic congestion and speeding cars. Traffic safety is the most important issue within my SMD, where we have seen multiple vehicle collisions, and where pedestrians and cyclists are constantly in danger because of both the volume and the speed of vehicular traffic. Last year, I led the fight to get traffic-calming measures installed on 10th St., NE: I went door-to-door to gather my neighbors’ signatures for a petition, presented our case to the ANC’s transportation and public space committee, and spoke directly to the ANC about the need for action. And I’m happy to say that the speed humps were installed this month! The process underscored the importance of having an ANC commissioner who would be visible, responsive, and effective. I realized then that the best way to get the sort of commissioner I wanted would be to run myself, so I did.
Why am I the best candidate? My candidacy is focused on changing the nature of our relationship with our ANC commissioner. We deserve and should expect to have a commissioner who is communicative and present in the neighborhood. Commissioners are vital to ensuring that citizens are heard, and I want my commissioner to be visible, responsive, and effective. Visible means being seen in the neighborhood, knocking on doors just to say hello, sending updates about developments, holding office hours, and engage with the whole community, not simply with those same neighbors who come to every ANC meeting. Responsive means getting back to people, acknowledging their concerns, and letting them know you care and are working on a solution. And effective means getting results, making every effort to find a solution, and accurately and meaningfully representing the views of your neighborhood.
I’m also proud to have the endorsement of Greater Greater Washington. As GGW stated, “we were won over by Taheri’s urbanist policies and vision, and encourage voters in the neighborhood to give him your vote.” I encourage you to read more about the GGW survey, and my responses, here. I encourage people to contact me at rjtaheri@gmail.com.