Hill East’s Ward 7 ANC Election – The List of Candidates

Map showing the new west of the river Ward 7 Hill East Single Member District boundaries post 2022 redistricting. The new ANC and SMD boundaries will take effect on January 1, 2023 

Map showing current ANC6A and ANC6B Hill East Single Member District boundaries 6.  

Hill East’s Ward 7 ANC Election – The List of Candidates

by Larry Janezich

Posted November 3, 2022

DC’s 2022 redistricting process extended the Ward 7 boundary across the Anacostia River west to 19^th Street, SE, moving that Hill East area (along with the Rosedale neighborhood to the north) into Ward 7. 

This leaves the new Ward ANC7D Single Member Districts (SMDs) west of the river with something of an identity crisis.  These SMDs fought long and hard to remain a cohesive and independent Ward 7 ANC west of the river, first making the case for a new Ward 7 ANC including Reservation 13, and then falling back to a Ward 7 ANC which did not include Reservation 13.  Neither proposal garnered enough support to become a reality.  This ultimately left an ANC7D comprised of 5 Single Member District which were formerly part of Ward 6, plus the Ward 7D01 SMD (Kingman Park) on the west side of the river, and four ANC7D Single Member Districts on the east side of the river.  Some critics of the cross river division say such a large ANC separated by such a distinct geographic boundary can’t work effectively to serve its residents – which is why how ANC7D responds to this inherent challenge will be so important and so interesting to watch.   

Among the five SMDs formerly in Ward 6, two seats are being contested:  7D07 (two declared write in candidates) and 7D09 (two candidates listed on ballot); two seats have only one candidate – 7D06 and 7D08, and one seat is up for grabs by any undeclared write in candidate – 7D10.  Among all of the five current commissioners for these SMDs, only Brian Alcorn in 7D08 (formerly 6A08) is seeking re-election. 

Here’s the lineup of the new SMDs formerly in Ward 6:

• 7D06 (formerly SMD 6A07) – current Commissioner Sondra Phillips-Gilbert
• 7D07 (a new SMD created between the former ANC6A07 and ANC 6A08)
• 7D08 (formerly 6A08) – current Commissioner Brian Alcorn
• 7D09 (formerly 6B10) – current Commissioner Denise Krepp
• 7D10 (former SMD 6B09) – current Commissioner Alison Horn [resigned – relocated]

 (If you are not sure if redistricting changed which single member district you’re in, go here:  https://bit.ly/3V3002Z )

Here are the candidate profiles for the SMDs formerly in Ward 6:

7D06 MARC FRIEND.  My name is Marc Friend and I would like to be your Advisory Neighborhood Commissioner for 7D06.  My wife and I have lived in the Rosedale Community since 2017 and recently welcomed a new baby to our family.  My priorities serving as your Commissioner are to be an advocate for the community to the District Government, to advocate and support more youth programming, and to organize more community events to bring us together.  I have been a community member of ANC 6A (our ANC prior to redistricting) Community Outreach Committee, where I organized a number of forums including one that highlighted local non-profits and one looking at the root causes of gun-violence.  I also am the treasurer of the Rosedale Library Friends group and volunteer with a few local non-profits including Serve Your City.  Overall, I am here to listen to you – especially our community members who have been here for decades, if not for generations.  I hope to learn from this strong community and lift up my neighbors voices.  What makes the Rosedale community so special is the history, the vibrancy, and the people – and I hope to be your voice on the ANC.

7D07 No one filed to run for the seat.  Two Write-In candidates have emerged, as follows: 

7D07 BRETT ASTMANN.  Neighbors – ANC7D07 does not have a candidate on the ballot.   As our neighborhood transitions to Ward 7 there will be challenges and opportunities.  I want to ensure that our ANC/SMD has a strong voice advocating for the important issues and projects that will affect us over the next several years.  I’m running as a write-in candidate on November 8th.  I’ll prioritize maximizing lines of communication with the residents, ensuring transparency and opportunities for engagement.  My top Priorities:  public safety, street and sidewalk safety, and land use.  About me:  A career civil servant and although new to local government I’ve been active in the community through the schools, Sports on the Hill (SOTH) and with non-profit organizations.  My two children, “almost” 11 and “almost” 13, attended Maury Elementary and now Eliot-Hine and Washington Latin.  I’ve been a Capitol Hill resident for the past 18+ years, and I love everything about this community and Capitol Hill.  I’m excited about the opportunity to give back. 

7D07 MICHAEL LEDERMAN:  Michael Lederman has been a resident of ANC7D, specifically, for the past 8+ years.  He is a parent of two, a former DCPS teacher, and now owns a local real estate team focused specifically on serving Rosedale, Kingman Park, and Hill East.  As such, he is intimately familiar with the issues facing 7D07 on a block-to-block basis, brings expertise in navigating land use challenges, and cares deeply about the people living here.  Michael’s priorities include traffic safety (particularly speed bumps and monitoring the impact the C Street, NE, Implementation Project will have on adjacent and cross streets), clean and well-maintained public spaces, and building a sense of community through opportunities to come together and engage: block parties, joint yard sales, neighborhood clean-ups, community gardens, etc. Michael’s business requires him to communicate constantly and solve problems quickly, and he intends to carry over these habits and skills as an ANC representative. 

7D08 BRIAN ALCORN. As a two-term ANC Commissioner in ANC 6A and a longtime Capitol Hill resident, I have seen the neighborhood benefits that can come from active community participation in outreach in the unique micro-governments that are DC’s Advisory Neighborhood Commissions.  I have been pleased to contribute to and support efforts that have improved our neighborhood transportation infrastructure and safety, encouraged development and brought our municipal government closer to citizens.  I am running for a new Single Member District created in the redistricting from the 2020 Census that is the far western end of a much expanded ANC 7D.  While I will continue to focus my day to day efforts on supporting my immediate community in Hill East I also look forward to collaborating and problem solving with all Commissioners in the new ANC7D.  As the new 7D roughly covers a geographical area equal to the size of all of Ward 1 and includes the nonresidential Fields at RFK, Kingman Island, the Pepco service yard, the Anacostia River trail and Anacostia park, and Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens, the community will have a lot to focus on!  But I also plan to maintain close ties with the other, much smaller adjacent Capitol Hill ANCs such as 6A and 6B as the 7D Hill East community will also need to work on common issues closer to home.  

7D09 ASHLEY SCHAPITL. I have lived and worked on Capitol Hill – in the Senate and House – for 14 years.  This is my home, and I want to make it an even better place to live.  My top priorities would be improving public safety and combating gun violence, building more housing, improving city services, increasing pedestrian safety, restoring the reliability of public transportation, and ensuring the redevelopment of Reservation 13 meets the needs of our community.  As I have knocked on hundreds of doors in the district, the number one issue neighbors have raised with me is concerns about public safety.  As an ANC Commissioner, I think it’s critically important to focus on where I could make a tangible difference for my neighbors.  My top priorities related to public safety are to:  facilitate better communication between law enforcement and constituents;  track the status of cases in our neighborhood and write community impact statements in coordination with neighbors who are victims of crime; advocate for a more permanent MPD presence at hot spots like 15th and Independence, SE, where there were multiple shootings in October; push for additional CCTV cameras; and increase awareness of the District’s security camera rebate program.  Learn more at www.ashleyschapitl.com  

7D09 SHANE SEGER.  My passion for local government started as an LGBTQ advocate and member of the city council in Ithaca, New York.  Since then, I’ve held a number of positions in constituent service and communications.  I currently work at the George Washington University where I support communications for the university’s research community.  Prior to moving to Hill East, I served as a resident-member of the ANC 2F Alcohol Policy Committee (Logan Circle).  And I have been a longtime volunteer tax preparer with the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program.  I want to create opportunities for the Hill East community to come together, share ideas, and collaborate to improve the quality of life in our neighborhood.  I am committed to safer streets and sidewalks, improving public transportation, enhanced greenspaces and neighborhood amenities, and making sure Hill East residents have a voice in the development at Reservation 13 and the RFK campus.  I am proud to have the support of former ANC 6B Commissioners Alison Horn and Francis Campbell, and neighbors Nkosi Bradley and Andria Thomas, among others.  I have also been endorsed by DC Voters for Animals and the LGBTQ Victory Fund. For more, visit www.ShaneSeger.com.

7D10 No one filed to run for the seat.  Write in if any.  (CHC has not heard of a declared write in candidate.)  See below:

From DC Board of Elections:  “Write-In Candidate is someone whose printed name does not appear on the ballot, but whose name was written in by voters. Write-In votes are counted equally as if the person was formally listed on the ballot.  If a Write-In Candidate wishes to declare their candidacy, similar to a Candidate’s Declaration of Candidacy, a Write-in Candidate must file an Affirmation of Write-In Candidacy.  This form must be filed with the Board on or before the third day after a Primary Election, or on or before the seventh day after a General or Special Election.”

Early voting began on October 31 and will continue through November 6, 2022.  Here’s a link to early voting sites:  https://earlyvoting.dcboe.org/