Mount Pleasant DC Forum

[Guest]

I am getting increasingly frustrated by the difficulty of getting accurate information about ANC events, ANC representatives, etc. I was disappointed to learn of the forum on MtP open space today (a day too late) which was only posted yesterday--I assume/hope it was posted elsewhere, but I didn't see it, and I look at the forum every few days.

A major problem, as I see it, is the continuing lack of an ANC website (www.anc1d.org) with accurate information. This has been a problem for too long and should have been resolved by now. Please make this your number one priority and let citizens know what you are doing and how your plans are progressing.

I have also volunteered my time to help the ANC improve its communications/outreach with no response at all--very disappointing. The ANC should have a regular program of inviting/activating local volunteers--if only to post flyers and take them down in a timely fashion.

Finally, I would like to know the contact information for my new representative in ANC1d06--this is one of the pieces of info. I shouldn't have to ask for.

R. Lana

[Guest]

[Dear R. Lana,

Your complaint is right on. So, I will work harder.

Please attend for a moment to the excuses of an unpaid volunteer working, at least so far, without funding for expenses.

I spend several hours a day trying to obtain information so that ANC 1D can function even minimally on the cases that continually land in our laps with very little time before legal action is required. DC agencies don't really want to obey the Charter and DC law and give the ANCs good info in a timely fashion. Research on a thousand other cities found that this practice is true almost everywhere. Your complaint is not only true, but almost universal in local politics.

The transfer of passwords and other secret information for our domain registration and old web-site was garbled, and I just got the needed info a few days ago. My first action was to pull the plug on the old site with five month outdated info that misled many. The ANC has asked the programmer who was paid for the last site to send another copy of the code. Apparently, the last session of commissioners did not contain anyone who knew much about programming, and so the code was lost. I take this as meaning that I will need to set up a new site from scratch.

The bank also held up access to funds; I've heard the ANC might access some funds in a few weeks. The several hundred dollars I advanced to keep the old site going is about my limit of credit, so I found a free trial site that I'll start working on soon. The commissioners told me that the Special Election (with its historic first of non-citizen voting) and the Focus Forum last night were higher priorities; the two tasks both took more time than a full-time job.

Volunteers took down the twenty-odd posters on the Focus Forum in 04 and half of 06 this morning so that today I could prepare for and attend a half-day meeting of the resident council at one of our largest apartment buildings, a place with many troubles, some life-threatening. There were confrontations, and hopefully the paid staff will pay more attention. Some matters that came up today will likely boil over into nastiness in this forum.

The next ANC meeting is about three weeks off. I sure hope to have a new anc1d.org website up in some functional form a week and days before that meeting.

As I recall, R. Luna, you reported that you might help the ANC with turnout in the next election. Immediately after the election, I wrote for other volunteers a brief report analyzing what happened: Where did the seven votes come from -- of the six interviewed, five came from contacts and social networks that had been maintained by AMP; one came from a friend of Dominic K. Sale; most were also influenced by the pervasive publicity from Spanish radio, four prominent articles in the Spanish press, and the broad-scale leafletting of Latino-dominant apartment buildings.

Before the next Special Election, I want to assemble a meeting of the almost forty volunteers who lent aid this last time, plus others who expressed an interest and might be more active next time. Write me ( g[AT]ge1.org ) and I will put you on that list. If you want to help us in other ways, let's talk. For a while, I don't have the time to work on new projects, so the volunteers I most value are those who will work on current tasks in ways already set.

As for the phone number of the new commissioner for anc1d06, DC code does not require publishing of that information. If you email me with your phone number and full name, I will pass it along to Pastor AD Scott. I think she will be quite active, even though she has a handicap.

Active is good. ANC1D has yet another commissioner who -- even after over three months -- has not bothered to be installed much less attend any of the public meetings. ANC commissioner is a volunteer job, and there is a huge variation in time and attention actually volunteered. I assure you that complaints and anything other than sweet encouragements are mostly counterproductive.

The recourse is recall, but only during a short period in the middle of the term, and generally requiring 10% of the electorate, or about 90 signatures. In a recall election, the target commissioner can campaign, and often is so energized as to be returned. Pride is a powerful force.

AMP has threatened many commissioners supposedly serving the apartment buildings with recall, and when handled with both carrot (more support or volunteer time) and cudgel (recall), has usually won a major upgrade in their behavior. Recognize that recalls normally take the concerted effort of a well established civic association to pull off.

Recalls have possible negative side-effects: In the last session (2002-4), three commissioners were "warned" about recall before their vote on a red-meat issue, I hear with one having to face a large group associated with one of the active civic associations. That group's pressure barely won the vote --some say only because one commissioner was out of town. I think that the result was a broken ANC with little interest in much of anything other than feel-good resolutions and giving grants to personal pet causes. Some continued to work more on their own powers than with leverage as an office-holder

The red-meat vote? I think it was ignored and has little to no effect. After all, ANCs are only advisory, not legislative. It is true that on some constituent issues, concerted politicking in conjunction with ANC Advisories can make some changes. My sense, after 30 years of observing the system, is that power personalities overestimate their impacts. I worked for two council-members who hated to be pressured, but took it with smiles, and then guiled their way out.

The real power of an ANC, and I read much the same in research on others elsewhere in the US and world, comes when the neighborhood has an issue down cold, with good ideas, solid evidence (not anecdotage) and clutter-busting creativity. In that situation, a large portion of the neighborhood is usually convinced as well as the executive and legislative decision makers.

Jack McKay is an exception, and would be even as a US Senator. DC does not afford you with a long line of Jacks waiting to work 60-80 hours a week for free in a brickbatted job. Personally, I think Jim Graham is also exceptional; I would not have run for office if he were not our councilmember -- and that's not because he supported my campaign; he didn't.

Essentially, this long argument is to present an alternative view, somewhat opposed to that usually voiced in this forum.

Despite having had some pretty dastardly things done to me over the years by neighborhood politicians, I earnestly believe that we can work together better by positive energies, and yes, private critiques.

About a third of the people at last night's Focus Forum commented to me later: in all the many years they have been attending ANC related meetings, it was the first where the atmosphere was positive -- fun and constructive. If such meetings were more often that way, they could recommend more of their friends to attend.

It is possible.

Respectively,
Gregg Edwards

[Guest]

Thank you, Gregg Edwards, for your reply to my comment about frustrations. I was very glad to hear that you have numerous volunteers working, and I would love to join up. I will email you privately on that account. I would also encourage you to include a regular "notice board" or some such on the new anc website with volunteer opportunities as you develop the site.

May I suggest as you are thinking about your new site about utilizing a service/program that would make it easy to add info. to the site. I personally know of one inexpensive software called ActiveSite that makes it easy for anyone (not just a programmer) to update information. In other words, the website need not be the entire responsibility of someone who knows how to design websites. In my opinion, the development of a good site is a major value to the ANC and should be a focus of all ANC members and should draw an appopriately "serious" amount of funds. In the long run, it will pay off.

Finally, I would never dream of requesting the phone number of my new ANC member---instead I was hoping that an email list would be available.

Cordially,
R. Lana

[jack]