Redistricting meeting with Jack Evans tonight

With the 2010 census figures in, the District is currently going through the redistricting process--that is, determining which areas and neighborhoods in the city will belong to which ward. One of the most interesting discussions relates to the residents of and near the so-called "Ballpark District" in southeast, who may move from under the auspices of Tommy Wells and Ward 6 to Marion Barry's Ward 8. However, some movement may also be afoot for neighborhoods in and adjacent to Ward 2, which includes Logan Circle, Dupont Circle and sizeable chunks of Shaw.

To learn more about the current state of negotiations, and to take an opportunity to ask questions about the process, plan to attend this evening's redistricting briefing at the Wilson Building, hosted by Ward 2 councilman Jack Evans. See the information below, which was distributed by the Ward 2 Democrats:

WHEN:
Monday, May 16, 2010
6:00 pm

WHERE:
Wilson Building - Room 120
1350 Penn. Ave. NW

DESCRIPTION:
At the meeting Jack Evans will give us a briefing on the status of the re-districting as a result of the 2010 census and will take your questions and comment on the process. Re-districting will affect the boundaries of Ward 2 and the ANCs and is of interest to all of us involved in politics, so it should be an interesting and lively meeting.

Community Happenings: Ward 2 townhall with Mayor Gray; Book Event with U Street Historian; DC Scores art gala

A few community notes of interest to pass along:

This Monday, May 9, DC Councilmember Jack Evans and all Ward 2 ANCs will co-host a town hall meeting with DC mayor Vince Gray to discuss the mayor's 2012 budget proposal. The event will take place Monday, May 9 at 7 PM at the Immaculate Conception Church at 1315 8th Street NW in Shaw.

An email distributed by ANC2F had this to say abot the event:

This coming Monday, May 9, 2011, our Mayor is holding a town hall meeting to present and discuss his 2012 budget for the District. Your Advisory Neighborhood Commission 2F is co-hosting this meeting and urges your attendance. This will be an opportunity to show our concern over the budget and to give the Mayor our thoughts on it.

I believe it holds several serious defects:

1. Our police chief, Kathy Lanier, whom we generally hold in high regard, has chosen to make cuts in prostitution enforcement throughout the City. As you know, our area is a center for prostitution in D.C. Far from being a victimless crime, prostitution plagues our community with its associated crime and health problems. MPD has already abolished the central prostitution unit, which had become increasingly effective. Despite MPD assurances to the contrary, enforcement efforts will decline, particularly when we move into the prostitution spike which comes each summer.

2. The education budget includes funds to reinstall most of the middle management personnel who in fact do very little in the school system. Education in our community is a number one priority; we want to see the money go for front line facilities, good teachers and refurbishing of the decaying structures of the schools in our area.

3. The income tax increase is insupportable. DC Residents already bear one of the highest tax burdens in the nation. Increasing taxes in D.C. adds injury to the insult already visited on us by a Congress which will not even permit us to vote.

Whether or not one agrees with the points raised by ANC2F above, this is a unique opportunity to express your opinions on these and other important issues facing the District. For more information, please contact Kenyon Churchwell at 202.727.2822 or kenyon.churchwell@dc.gov.

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Can't get enough Jack Evans and DC politics? Congratulations--you're in luck! Next Monday, May 16, the Ward 2 Democrats will be hosting a meeting with Councilman Evans to discuss the District's upcoming redistricting plan. Every ten years, like other jurisdictions, the District examines census data in each of the city's eight wards and sets ward district boundaries accordingly. Although, as with most politically sensitive issues, things are rarely that simple.

According to the Ward 2 Dems statements about the event:

At the meeting Jack Evans will give us a briefing on the status of the re-districting as a result of the 2010 census and will take your questions and comment on the process. Re-districting will affect the boundaries of Ward 2 and the ANCs and is of interest to all of us involved in politics, so it should be an interesting and lively meeting.

(Note: "Lively" meeting is codespeak for "expect the expression of more strong opinions than at an ANC liquor license protest.")

The Dems are asking for comments or questions in advance of the meeting for issues that residents would like to discuss. You are encouraged to contact Chairman Patrick Allen (pallen39@verizon.net) with your ideas.

* * * * *

Those of you who are curious about the history of our neighborhood--particularly U Street--would be well-advised to seek out local historian Blair Ruble's book, "Washington's U Street: A Biography," an intensely fascinating and thorough examination of the history of our neighborhood.

Mr. Ruble will be in attendance at this week's U Street Neighborhood Association meeting to talk about his book. The discussion will take place from 7:00 to 7:30 PM, after which time the USNA will hold their regular meeting. Meetings are free (although donations are accepted) and held at the Thurgood Marsahll Center at 1816 12th Street NW.

More information can be found at the USNA's website.

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Finally, next Wednesday, May 18, local nonprofit DC Scores! will host their Inspired Art Gallery at the Corcoran. The event will feature the works of local and national artists, including U Street's Isabelle Spicer.

More details can be found below, and at DC Scores website.

WHAT: Join DC SCORES for an evening of student voice and artistic vision at the second annual Inspired Art Gala, featuring a silent auction and showcasing the talents of DC SCORES youth and area professionals through spoken word performances. More than 200 guests are expected to attend the gala in support of DC SCORES' unique focus on creative expression and poetry for students across the District.

WHEN: Wednesday, May 18, 2011, 7-10 p.m.

WHERE: Corcoran Gallery of Art, 500 17th St., NW Washington, DC 20006

TICKETS: $200. See the event website for ticket and sponsorship information

DETAILS: The Inspired Art Gala provides artists with the unique opportunity to support the instruction and cultivation of creative expression through poetry among DC SCORES poet-athletes. The unique silent auction features works of art created by local and national artists inspired by the poetry of DC SCORES poet-athlete. Poetry readings by DC SCORES’ most outstanding students cap off the night.

The event will honor Beverly Perry, Vice-President of Pepco Holdings, Inc., and Congresswoman Mary Fudge as the recipients of the evening’s Inspiration Award recognizing individuals whose leadership in the Washington, DC community directly or indirectly inspires creative, athletic, and/or civic growth of Washington, DC youth.

TONIGHT: Mayoral Straw Poll for Ward 2 Democrats

For our readers in the Logan/Shaw/Dupont area (which is probably most of you), there is an opportunity to participate in the Ward 2 Democrats mayoral straw poll this evening at the Washington Plaza Hotel in Thomas Circle.

Both Vincent Gray and Adrian Fenty have been invited to attend, but neither have been confirmed. The event runs from 7 PM - 9:15PM. Full details are included below. For more information, visit the Ward 2 Democrats website.

*****

TONIGHT: Ward 2 Mayoral Candidates Forum & Straw Poll!

July 21, 2010 7:30pm - Wash. Plaza Hotel (10 Thomas Cir. NW)

The Logan Circle Community Association (LCCA) and the Ward 2 Democrats are hosting a Mayoral straw poll Wednesday, July 21st at the Washington Plaza Hotel, 10 Thomas Circle. All of the candidates who filed papers to run have been invited, including current Mayor Adrian Fenty and current Council Chair Vincent Gray.

Everyone is invited to attend, but only registered Democrats will be able to participate in the straw poll. Registration begins at 7pm, and guests will have the opportunity to talk to any candidates who are present at that time. The presentations will begin at 7:30, and voting will close by 9:15. (Times subject to change if needed.)

Each candidate will be asked to speak on several topics. Following the presentation, registered Democrats will have the opportunity to vote. For more information, please contact Ward 2 Democrats President Pat Allen at 202-296-0720 or LCCA President Bob Maffin 202-301-2125.

UPDATE: Please stay tuned this summer for additional candidate fora - including a forum for Council Chair candidates in collaboration with the Dupont Circle ANC!

What are the key issues you'd like to discuss in 2010?

Let us know your hot-button Ward 2 & District issues!

The 2010 elections offer lots of exciting opportunities for Ward 2 Democrats to discuss and weigh in on the candidates and issues that affect our streets, homes, work, families, schools, and neighborhoods here in the District.

The Ward 2 Democrats officers would like to hear from you about what key issues and topics you'd like to debate, discuss, learn about, and weigh in on as Ward 2 Democrats. Affordable housing ... city services ... public safety... parking ... development ... others?

Please contact Chairman Patrick Allen (pallen39@verizon.net) with your ideas.

Loco Politico: LCCA to Host Candidates Forum

Tomorrow evening at their October meeting, the Logan Circle Community Association will be hosting a candidates forum for the upcoming election. Ward 2 Council candidates, many of the at-large council candidates, and all ANC2f candidates will be in attendance. According to the LCCA's website:

Please join the Logan Circle Community Association for its October meeting and candidates forum on October 15, 2008 from 7-10 p.m. at the Washington Plaza Hotel. We will host candidates for At-Large and Ward council positions, as well as ANC2F candidates. Candidates who have already confirmed include Ward 2 Candidates Jack Evans and Christina Culver, At-Large Candidates Carol Schwartz, Patrick Mara, Kwame Brown, and David Schwartzman, and nearly all of the ANC2F candidates. We are very excited for this event and hopeful for a great turnout. The format will allow each candidate to provide an opening statement followed by a question and answer period. To ensure we are as efficient as possible, we are encouraging you to email us questions in advance.

This will be your last chance to learn about the at-large candidates in the race, and could feature some interesting discourse between Mara and Schwartz--who is running as a write-in candidate after losing the Republican primary election to Mara in September. It's nice of Evans to show up, even if his Republican challenger is as likely to beat him as I am. Perhaps Cary Silverman's hard fought campaign against Jack this summer has led to an increased attention by Jack on the Ward 2 neighborhoods east of 16th street?

Noticeably absent is independent at-large challenger Dee Hunter, although his prospects for winning one of the two at-large seats were dim to begin with. Brown likely has one of the seats locked up, and with the District's arcane law about one Council seat going to a non-Democrat, it's difficult to envision Hunter unseating Schwartz or knocking off Mara.

The event will take place at the Washington Plaza Hotel in Thomas Circle at 7:00 PM. Loads of political fun will no doubt ensue.

Reminder: Voter Registration Deadline is TODAY

Over here at 14thandYou, we've consciously avoided getting too political with our posts or offering up endorsements of DC elected officials. However, one aspect of DC politics that we believe is important enough to post here is that today is the deadline for voter registration in order to vote in the upcoming primaries and fall election.

In case you missed it, DC Ward 2 Councilman Jack Evans and challenger Cary Silverman faced off in their first (and, as far as I can determine, only) public debate prior to the September 9 primary this past Thursday at the Phillips Collection in Dupont Circle. The 14thandYous were unable to attend the proceedings, but several area blogs did a fine job of providing a detailed wrap-up of the debate.

If you're at all concerned about the ongoing growth, development and direction of our neighborhood (and, if you're reading this post, it's a safe bet that you are) the election of our City Council representative is one of the most important decisions the neighborhood will have to make. If you've not already done so, head over to the DC Board of Elections and Ethics website and complete their online voter registration (it takes about five minutes). Then, more importantly, spend some time educating yourself about the candidates, the issues they stand for (or oppose), their differences and their similarities. Send them an email, give them a phone call, or speak to them personally at any one of the numerous community meetings that each one attends. Then, on September 9, vote for the one you believe is best suited to represent our neighborhoods and improve the quality of life for everyone living here.