Mount Pleasant DC Forum

[jn_zara]

My name is Jane Zara. I am an ANC candidate for 1D01. I have lived in the Mt. Pleasant area for over 10 years. My daughter attended Bancroft Elementary School, and I was a member of the Local School Restructuring Team there in 1999-2000. My community participation also includes tutoring and substitute teaching at Bell Multicultural High School, trial skills coaching at the Luke Moore Academy (for the Citywide Moot Court Competition), judging science fairs in DC, Prince Georges County, MD and Fairfax, VA. I am also a supporter of the DC Music Center, where my daughter took piano and drum lessons (located in All Soul’s Church). I have co-founded DC Metro Science for the People, a grass roots group of local scientists working to build science literacy skills and provide relevant scientific information for self-help in the community. I also participate in the DC Community Coalition for Peace & Justice and the Washington Peace Center. I have received both a doctorate in biochemistry and a law degree from Georgetown University and I am employed at the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office. My clinical experience in law school involved exploring various ways of providing affordable healthcare to the underserved.

As an Advisory Neighborhood Commissioner, I will work toward achieving cohesion among the diverse groups in our neighborhood, providing a voice (and resolutions) for my constituents regarding their various concerns, including but not limited to increasing neighborhood safety, dealing with inevitable increases in traffic in our community, maintaining diversity and nurturing small business opportunities in our neighborhood. I am also interested in increasing community involvement in planting trees in our community, setting up community gardens as learning laboratories for the school children, and becoming informed about the existence and enforcement of commercial vehicle idling laws to diminish air pollution in our community. After announcing my candidacy, some of my neighbors suggested that I set up a list serve or a community bulletin board to establish clear lines of communication with the community. I will provide this and, if enough interest exists, will also establish monthly or bi-weekly meetings so members of the community can come together and discuss their concerns and ideas.