Monthly Archives: September 2011

Councilmember Wells Addresses 50 ANC6B Residents on Redistricting Wednesday Night

Residents Direct Anger At Tommy Wells Over Redistricting Report – Boundaries In Councilmembers’ Home District At Issue

by Larry Janezich

Fifty unhappy residents and ANC6B commissioners turned out at St. Peter’s Church Tuesday night to tell Councilmember Tommy Wells just how unhappy they were with the redistricting proposal that would move 1275 6B residents into ANC6C.  The meeting was called by ANC Commissioner Ivan Frishberg, who is coordinating a response by concerned citizens to the proposed realignment of boundaries in ANC6B.  The history of how that came about has been reported previously on emmcablog.

Residents argued first, the area to be excised from 6B has more in common with neighborhoods to the east and south than to the north; second, residents want to vote for commissioners who have a voice in the neighborhood issues which concern them most – especially Eastern Market, Hine Development, and Eastern Market Metro Plaza – and these issues currently fall under the exclusive purview of ANC 6B.

In response, Councilmember Wells defended the process which the Taskforce followed in reaching its conclusions, and stated he will have to start with the presumption in favor of the Task Force Report.  Wells said there would have to be reasons for overturning aspects of the report, and he did not see anything nefarious or any evidence of racial or demographic gerrymandering.  Acknowledging that he had not yet seen the Task Force Report, Wells also said that he was not in a position to defend it and would meet with Task Force members to hear their rationale.

Wells admitted that the “presumption is you guys [in 6B] are my neighbors and I’m going to defer to your wishes.  I have to show I can bring impartiality, because the presumption is that I won’t.”  He went on to say that he had already “probably inappropriately tried to influence the vote of the Task Force” by asking them prior to the vote on the boundary change: “do you really want to do this?”

During the meeting, ANC 6B commissioners added to the objections of the gathered residents by pointing out that the boundary shift would have enormous consequences in their single member district (SMD) boundaries, pitting six commissioners against each other and creating four new SMDs with no incumbents.  They also objected to the stated motives of ANC6C, saying the real motive behind the boundary change was to be more involved in Eastern Market and the Hine development.  They faulted the Task Force for a flawed process (reported earlier on emmcablog), and Task Force Chair Joe Fengler with having an “overriding zeal” for creating equal sized ANCs when there is no requirement for that in the DC Charter.

Wells acknowledged that the Redistricting Task Force Report was “problematic in so far as it broke up ANC6B” and admitted that SMD boundaries requiring six sitting commissioners to vie for three seats was “a little unnerving.”  One resident, Wally Mylniec, noted that Wells was accepting a false binary in giving preference to a Task Force recommendation in favor of the move that was adopted on a 5-4 vote.  He said that this was not the Supreme Court, but an advisory committee, and a “recommendation based on a 5-4 vote deserves consideration, but not preference.”  That view was also backed by Task Force member Ken Jarboe, who dissented from the majority position of the Task Force on the 6eB question, along with fellow Task Force member Donna Scheeder, (both positions will be available shortly on http://w6tf.blogspot.com/, along with the Task Force’s final report).

Late in the meeting, Wells raised an issue which many ANC6B commissioners feel lies at the heart of ANC6C’s effort to acquire another SMD at 6B’s expense, and the willingness of other ANCs to support that move.  Wells said that “there is a presumption that 6B is more powerful, has more people, more commissioners, and that their influence is greater than other ANCs,” implying that this was driving the Task Force in prioritizing the principle that ANCs should be closer in size.  Wells went on to suggest the validity of more parity among the ANCs, though he acknowledged that, since he comes from 6B, he might be misreading this as a motivation behind the Taskforce Report.

Councilmember Wells said the timeline for redistricting was as follows:  he will officially receive the report Wednesday night and will forward it to the City Council on Friday.  Wells said he would continue to refine the boundaries but stated that he was not saying he was going to rewrite the boundaries at this time.  He promised to “continue talk with members of the community and members of the Taskforce” before he made a final recommendation to his colleagues on the council.

Wells added that his overall consideration in reviewing the work of the Taskforce Report would be, what is the greater good for Ward 6?  What ward 6 gains from the Task Force Report, Wells noted, is apportionment in Ward 6: each ANC gets no less than six commissioners.  “We have to look at what’s in the whole Ward’s interest,” Wells argued, and “see what the greater good is, and give the Task Force a chance.  That’s where I’m at.”

The City Council will hold a hearing devoted to Ward 6 redistricting, and the ANC’s will apparently have an opportunity to present their case to the council before it finalizes the redistricting plan.  Frishberg told the group that the process is not going to be decided in the next two days, and advised the group to “let the process work and try to bring Tommy around to our position.”

Task Force Member Ken Jarboe Opposes ANC6B Boundary Change at Monday Night Meeting. At Left, Task Force Chair Joe Fengler.

SMD Boundary Changes for ANC6B Approved by Ward Six Redistricting Task Force

Neighbors Organize to Overturn ANC6B Boundary Change – Councilmember Wells To Make Final Decision This Week

by Larry Janezich and Barbara Riehle

A group of 17 concerned Capitol Hill residents attended an “emergency meeting” called by ANC6B Vice Chair Ivan Frishberg on Saturday morning at South East Library.  The purpose was to discuss ways to stop the change in ANC6B’s boundary proposed by neighboring ANC6C and endorsed on a narrow 5-4 vote by the Ward Six Task Force on Redistricting.  The change would move 1275 residents from ANC6B to ANC6C in the area bounded by East Capitol and Independence and 3^rd Street and 7^th Street, SE.

Those attending the meeting were strongly opposed to the move.  Especially outspoken was former ANC6B Chair Peter Waldron who stated that under the DC Home Rule Act, the preservation of neighborhoods is a critical factor when ANC boundaries are being redrawn.  “This neighborhood is being ripped away,” he went on, “and pulled into an ANC with its own NoMA (north of Massachusetts Avene) issues.”  In addition, he said residents would lose effective representation on neighborhood issues affecting them most, including Eastern Market and the Hine Development.  Finally, “[t]his neighborhood is facing substantial change and the residents have a right to cohesive representation.”

The Redistricting Task Force will present its report to Councilmember Tommy Wells on Monday, September 26.  Wells will have the final say on boundary changes, and the neighbors hope to persuade him to reject the proposed extension of ANC 6C into what is currently ANC6B territory.  On Friday, September 30, Wells is scheduled to submit Ward 6 Redistricting recommendations to DC City Council.

The Redistricting Task Force move to reaffirm its endorsement of the boundary change came on Wednesday night at a contentious six hour meeting.  The Task Force position is that the move is necessary because ANC6C has given up three single member ANC districts (SMDs) to the newly formed ANC6E in Shaw.  The Task Force wants to make the ANCs in Ward Six as near the same size as possible, and sees granting 6C’s request for an additional single member district at 6B’s expense as moving toward that goal.  Commissioners on ANC6C have also noted that an additional SMD will give them a more desirable seven member commission.

Wednesday night’s ratification of the Task Force’s earlier position came despite the presentation by 6B Commissioner Frishberg of a petition opposing the move signed by more than 200 residents.  When the Task Force addressed the new boundaries for SMDs within 6B, Frishberg called the plan drawn by Task Force member Cody Rice an “abomination.”  Frishberg offered an alternative which had been informally endorsed by a majority of 6B commissioners.  His proposal was rebuffed by the Task Force with little discussion of the details.

In the end, the Task Force approved an SMD plan proffered by Task Force member Ken Jarboe which divides the new 6B into ten smaller single member districts.  That plan was also strongly opposed by 6B Commissioners, who noted that it would create three new single member districts with no incumbents and pit two sitting commissioners against each other in two of the other single member districts.

The group of protesting neighbors agreed to gather support and mobilize their neighbors.  They will to meet again on Tuesday night at 8:00pm at a place to be determined.

Task Force Chair Joe Fengler Calls for Vote on Moving ANC6B Residents

Closely Divided Redistricting Task Force Votes to Move 1275 ANC6B Residents to ANC6C – Final Decision Up to Councilmember Wells

by Larry Janezich

Monday night, a closely divided Ward Six Task Force on Redistricting voted 5 – 4 with 1 abstention to move 1275 ANC6B residents into ANC6C.  The vote moved the 6C boundary from East Capitol – a boundary existing for some 35 years, according to Task Force member Ken Jarboe – to Independence Avenue, encompassing the blocks from 3^rd Street to 7^th Street.  Prior to the vote, the Task Force exempted the nonresidential areas – the southeast quadrant of the Capitol Grounds, the Library of Congress’ Jefferson and Madison Buildings, and the Folger Library – from the move.

Those voting for the motion were Chair Joe Fengler, Cody Rice, Antonette Russell, Marge Francese, and Skip Coburn.

Those opposed:  Ken Jarboe, Donna Scheeder, Tyler Merkeley, and Gene Fisher.

Raphael Marshall abstained.  Had he voted against the motion it would have failed on a tie vote.  Asked about the vote afterward, Marshall said, “I didn’t feel comfortable voting on that issue.”

The motion was strongly opposed by Task Force members Donna Scheeder and Ken Jarboe.  Scheeder said the Task Force was proceeding on the basis of a faulty presumption that ANCs should be equal in size – an assumption not in keeping with the Capital Charter.  “It’s tearing a neighborhood apart, when the most important thing is keeping a neighborhood together,” she said before casting her vote.  Jarboe agreed, saying the Task Force recommendation to transfer the blocks to ANC6C was not creating neighborhood cohesiveness, but destroying it.  In addition, Jarboe said, reorienting a neighborhood which looks south and taking away their vote on neighborhood liquor licenses on 7^th Street was a “grievous violation of Task Force guidelines.”

It seems procedurally possible for the Task Force to reverse the vote on moving the residents.  In reality, it is likely that such a change could only be brought about by Councilmember Tommy Wells, who will have the final say on the boundaries before they go to the City Council for enactment.

Following the meeting, ANC6B Vice Chair Ivan Frishberg said, “This decision by the Task Force strips the residents who look at Eastern Market and are just a few hundred feet from the Hine School site from ANC representation on those issues and instead puts them in an ANC that is focused on the issues around Union Station and NoMa.  The task force replaced a plan they adopted unanimously with a highly controversial plan that was adopted on a very split vote.  This is bad process and bad policy.”

In other business, the Task Force also denied ANC6A’s recommendation that it be allowed to retain all of Lincoln Park, which the Task Force had recommended splitting between ANC6A and ANC6B in its map released at the end of August.  As a result, ANC 6B will now preside over governance of half of Lincoln Park, a move that received support from 6B Commissioner Brian Pate.

In all, the Task Force was able to consider only half the items on its agenda Monday night, agreeing to postpone consideration of recommendations for single member districts until Thursday night.  This meeting will include consideration of the proposal to split Eastern Market Metro Plaza among four different ANC Commissioners.

The schedule for the work of the Task Force is as follows:

September 22, Thursday, 6:30pm.  PUBLIC MEETING #10 – Final Task Force Meeting to approve final draft of ANC/SMD boundaries (100 Fourth Street, SW, DCRA Hearing Room 2nd floor, E200)

September 26, Monday.  Forward final draft to Ward 6 Councilmember Tommy Wells

September 30, Friday.  Ward 6 Councilmember submits Ward 6 Redistricting recommendations to DC Council on September 30