I Am Ready To Keep Serving You
Dear Neighbor,
Columbia Heights is one of the District's most vibrant, diverse, and hardworking neighborhoods—and it turned 145 this year! I'm proud to represent our neighborhood, which has changed so much over the last 20 years, and it will keep changing. The question before us is who will shape that change over the next 20 years, and who will ensure the District government responds to our communities' needs. Our neighborhood needs representation that listens, leads, fights, and delivers, and I'm ready to keep doing just that for you as your Commissioner for Single-Member District 1A06.
Nearly four years ago, I asked you to send me to Advisory Neighborhood Commission 1A and trust me to fight and deliver for our district and neighborhood. I am writing to ask for that trust again and, more importantly, to give you an honest accounting of what I've done and what I will do if re-elected. I am asking for your vote on Tuesday, November 3, to keep serving and representing our district.
You may know my story, but I grew up in Chicago and attended the Chicago Military Academy, where service meant one thing: show up and finish the mission. This principle has guided my entire career serving people and communities. I built my career fighting for voting rights, criminal justice reform, and national security at the Brennan Center for Justice and for policing and prosecutor reform at the NAACP Legal Defense Fund. I have served the people of DC as a legislative policy advisor at the Council of the District of Columbia, and since 2023, I have shown up time and time again to fight for our neighborhood as your Commissioner. On Tuesday, November 3, I'm asking for your vote to continue the work we've started to build a stronger, brighter future for Columbia Heights.
Over the last several years, I have fought unrelentingly for our district and neighborhood, and I’ve made sure Columbia Heights is heard when it matters. I've shown up for you and your neighbors every time, and not just when it counts or when people are watching. I've committed to ensuring Columbia Heights has a fighter who will champion cleaner, safer blocks and streets, drive growth for our small businesses and neighborhood economy, advocate for better government service delivery, and focus on a whole-of-government and community approach to solving some of our toughest challenges, including behavioral health and substance abuse. My record has been clear about the priorities of you and your neighbors:
I have fought for cleaner, better-maintained blocks, shepherded a neighborhood cleanup and beautification strategy to unanimous passage by ANC 1A, built civic tech tools to map 311 request data for Columbia Heights to hold agencies accountable for service-delivery failures, and pushed for public-realm improvements to transform the 14th Street commercial corridor for greater economic growth.
I have fought for our parks and public spaces, better groundskeeping and maintenance, a finished 11th & Bark (slated for July 2027 completion), and a better Community Center with more hours and services for youth and teens.
I have fought to grow our neighborhood economy to support our small businesses, regularly engaging with the Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development and other agencies to develop and drive strategy to meet the evolving demands of the post-pandemic operating environment and unique neighborhood challenges.
I have cleaned up the Columbia Heights Civic Plaza and the surrounding public realm on my own, tidying it as best I can in support of the Ward 1 Clean Team (while also fighting for more funding for the organization given its large service area).
I have fought for basic city services to keep pace with our dense neighborhood, calling on the District to improve service delivery and overhaul service-level agreements to better meet Columbia Heights' specific demands and needs.
I've fought for better housing conditions and worked to hold bad landlords accountable so residents can live in safe, dignified housing wherever they call home.
As chair of the Permanent Special Committee on Public Life & Neighborhood Planning, I have ensured our neighborhood continues to reflect the planning priorities of neighbors, including in the recent Public Life Study, and have a meaningful role in informing the DC 2050 Comprehensive Plan, both key documents that will shape our neighborhood for the next two decades.
No one person can do this alone. The best ideas I have brought to the Commission started as a conversation on a sidewalk, at a community meeting, or in my inbox. I want to keep that conversation going for the next two years. That's why I want to keep hearing from you about your priorities and what you want me to keep fighting for over the next two years. I am ready to keep building a future for our neighborhood that you, your family, and your neighbors can be proud of, and importantly, always see yourselves in as you grow and thrive here.
I've shown up for Columbia Heights literally since I moved here; I dove right in, saw issues I wanted to solve for you, and ran for this seat after a months-long vacancy when no one else stepped forward. Since then, I've poured much time, energy, and experience into problem-solving, building relationships across the neighborhood and government, and leveraging those contacts to get things done for our district and neighborhood.
So I'm asking for two things—first, your vote on November 3 (or if you're voting early, before then). Find me on the ballot; ANC races appear near the end — look for ANC 1A06. Second, if you share this vision, talk to at least one neighbor about it before Election Day. If you've already voted, I hope I earned your support. Feel free to contact me anytime at 202-855-8550 to talk more about how we can work together for the purposeful progress we want for Columbia Heights.
See you around the neighborhood,
Anthony
