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Snow time in Petworth! I stopped by the Old Soldier's Home to deliver Stars and Stripes, and then got half my block shoveled. In 10 minutes you won't be able to tell I shoveled though, lol. Be safe, be dry and have a great day! from Petworth News http://on.fb.me/1BVZwus

It’s time for another “Better Know a Commissioner!” This ongoing series is about the ANC 4C & 4D commissioners that serve our Petworth neighborhoods, sometimes in anonymity, sometimes not. The ANCs can be helpful and they can be roadblocks — it’s up to the commissioners. I think we’re lucky to have very dedicated people serving our ANCs here in Petworth. That’s why I’m pleased to introduce my next interview with Joe Maloney, ANC 4C Commissioner for SMD 4C02 and all around good guy. Joe became a commissioner in 2014 after the unexpected death of the incumbent commissioner at the time. As Joe recalls, “I assumed the job at the very unfortunate passing of our previous commissioner, Janet Meyers. I decided to run in a special election when, 48 hours before the filing deadline, no one had yet stepped forward to run.” Joe barely made the filling deadline to get his petition into the Board of Elections. Since being seated in January 2014, he has spent his time trying to understand and promote the ANC's role in the community, and how, as he puts it, “to best pull the levers of the slow-churning DC government to the advantage of residents in my SMD.” Speaking of which, Joe describes SMD 4C02 as “home to many religious institutions, private schools and a DCPS school, West Education Campus.” The SMD is, as he puts it, “only slightly gerrymandered, but the easiest way to think of it, if it were a nice rectangle (which it nearly is), is Crittenden Street to the south, Ingraham to the North, and 16th Street to the west with Georgia Ave as the eastern border.” His Single Member District includes a very large portion of 16th Street Heights, and connects to the commercial corridor of 14th Street, “the side that bumps against the WMATA bus barn.” (No worries, check the map included with this article.) While serving his SMD is very important to Joe, his focus is on his family. "I am a husband to my amazing wife, a dad to an incredible 18 month old boy, and a working professional.” Born and raised in western Massachusetts, Joe moved to DC after college because “I watched so much of the West Wing that I figured living and working in Washington had to be like it was portrayed on that show. I wasn't far off. It has been an exhilarating journey in this city over the last 12 years.” Joe is now a partner in a public affairs firm he started with a good friend. His firm advises corporations, non-profits, and trade associations on leveraging their voice, members, employees, and relationships to impact immediate and long-term public policy objectives at every level of government. “I love my job," he said, "and feel fortunate to have the colleagues and clients that I am eager to work with every day.” As far as priorities on the ANC, Joe feels that so much of his job as commissioner is reacting to needs of residents. “We have crime and safety concerns throughout the SMD, which I am working with MPD and active neighbors on. I'm committed to working with our merchants and business leaders on sparking continued growth and investment on 14th St NW. Finally, I would like to see a more responsive DDOT to the bevy of transportation concerns in this SMD, considering we have two major north-south corridors." While Joe does not hold regularly scheduled SMD meetings, he said that ANC 4C is embarking on multiple SMD community forums on larger topics, so as to preserve more time at their public meetings for official business in the upcoming year. “As an example of this,” Joe said, “we’re working with fellow 4C and 4A commissioners to actively try to schedule a DDOT community meeting on the planned 16th Street improvements at the intersection of Military Road.” Joe is also working with WMATA to identify the appropriate time for a community meeting on the bus barn on 14th Street, what it does, who it serves, and how it acts as a partner in the community. “Stay tuned for more info,” he said. Joe attends local neighborhood association meetings, and while he hasn’t gone to an MPD PSA meeting yet, he is looking forward to participating in the future. “I have been fortunate to be involved with the Community Alliance for Upper 14th Street (CAUFS). They are a wonderful organization devoted to revitalizing Upper 14th Street. I am very impressed with their leadership and willingness to advocate on behalf of the corridor." When asked if he had anything to add, Joe said, ”I am very proud of our community. Across so much change in our neighborhoods, it has been wonderful to witness how both new and long-time residents have come together to address challenges and celebrate successes.” “Above all, I view this ANC post as being an advocate and an evangelist for the SMD and for our broader Petworth/16th Street Heights community. From our businesses, to our schools, to our community organizations, we are showcasing what makes us such a desirable place to raise a family. If I can ever be your advocate or evangelist (or problem-solver, too), please do not hesitate to reach out to me." You can reach Joe at 4c02@anc.dc.gov. (He is very responsive on email.) He says that while he might not always have immediate answers, "I can assure you that I will respond, acknowledge receipt, and get to work on your request.” You can also contact Joe via phone at (202) 600-9527. He’s pretty active on Twitter, so follow him at @joeymaloney. “I would also encourage all members of the community to access the ANC4C website www.anc4c.org.” ANC 4C meets the second Wednesday of every month, beginning at 6:30pm at the Petworth Library. Thanks Joe!

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Tonight's Grant Circle Social was great! A bunch of neighbors came out and braved the cold and a brief snow squall to drink hot chocolate and chat. ANC Commissioner John-Paul C. Hayworth attended, as did Ward 4 candidate Brandon Todd. It was nice to see some new faces and old friends!

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Wanna party with veterans? Friends of the Soldiers Home is seeking Volunteers for Happy Hour! Come out and help serve drinks and chat with veterans at Scott building on Tuesday, February 24, 2015 from 6-8 pm! It's a great opportunity to hob-nob with some heroes. To volunteer, email Lori Lincoln at volunteerfriendsofsoldiers@gmail.com. ~ Happy Hour: where differently-abled Veterans get together with music, food, drinks (some alcoholic*), bad/bawdy jokes*, trivia, and most importantly - Friends! Lori will send further details next week to those who volunteer. (*volunteers under age 21 not recommended)

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Interested in DC Public Schools? It looks like there's a new listserv created just for them. Email from DCPS below: Dear Petworth Community! We are delighted to announce the newly formed DC Public Schools Enrollment Yahoo Group. We represent the Enroll Team with DCPS and are here to serve as a platform to directly engage with families and community members, and answer any questions that arise regarding enrollment within one of our schools. Please feel free to join our group to get the latest news on the exciting things happening in DCPS! We are reachable by phone at 202-478-5738 or by email at enroll@dc.gov. Likewise, feel free to contact us directly through this platform as well. We are here to serve you! Best, The DCPS Enroll Team The Enrollment Team District of Columbia Public Schools 1200 First St, NE Washington, DC 20002 Phone: 202-478-5738 Email: enroll@dcps.dc.gov

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The ANC 4D meeting scheduled for tonight has been canceled / postponed because the school is closed today (Truesdell). The commission will send out info on make-up dates. (And since I'm rockin' a pretty strong cold, I'm just as happy to stay home and bundled up tonight, too.) ;)

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The federal government is closed tomorrow, as is Powell Elementary. I imagine the other public and charter schools are as well, but check your email or school websites. Happy snow day.

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The DRAFT agenda for ANC 4D Commission meeting has come out (posted below). The meeting is this Tuesday, 2/17 at 7pm at Truesdell Educational Center (800 Ingraham St. NW). Agenda for February 17 Public Meeting of ANC 4D 1. Call to Order 2. Roll Call, Determination of Quorum 3. Approval of Agenda, Addition/Deletion to Agenda 4. Approval of Previous Meeting Minutes 5. Treasurer’s Report 6. Guest Speakers: a. Sarah Fashbaugh, Community Resource Advisor Alcoholic Beverage Regulation Administration b. Jeremy Mauck, Mobile Market Manager Arcadia Center for Sustainable Food & Agriculture c. Lydia Vanderbilt, Development Associate Byte Back, “Training for Successful Futures” 7. Old Business: a. Georgia Line liquor license renewal b. Lucky Corner Store liquor license renewal c. ANC traffic study requests to DDOT 8. Community Comments (3 minutes) 9. New Business 10. Announcements 11. Adjournment At the end of the meeting, Commissioners are available to discuss additional community or neighborhood concerns that are specific to your Single Member District.

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Looking for something fun to do tomorrow on Prez Day? You can get crafty at Lincoln's Cottage at the Old Soldier's Home. Enjoy a free Presidents’ Family Day hosted by the National Portrait Gallery and President Lincoln’s Cottage. Get a taste of U.S. history through crafts, stories, patriotic music and surprise guests. When: Feb. 15, 11:30 am-3 pm Cost: Free

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Here's my notes from the Feb 11 ANC 4C Commission meeting. First, I have to give big props to Chair Vann-Di Galloway for an efficient meeting. This was the quickest ANC meeting I've ever been to: under an hour! Short TL;DR: Fastest ANC meeting ever, no real contentious agenda items. No MPD or DC Fire/EMS. Khalil Thompson from the mayor's office was there. I spoke, a bunch of community residents spoke, Uqdah had a teaching moment and the ANC passed a bunch of resolutions to support one various request or another. Longer Notes with my own editorial comments: Meeting kicked off with the usual, commissioner introductions, approval of agenda (a member of the audience actually seconded the motion to approve the minutes: ha ha, dry parlimentary humor). Regarding money, the ANC just received $5,600, its latest allotment from the city. Total money in checking is $13,029 and $16,732 in savings. (I'm curious the plans the commission has to spend this money in the upcoming year.) The ANC voted to have 801 Shepherd St NW remain the location of the official offices (books, records, etc.), and to keep Industrial Bank of DC as their bank. The ANC also voted to rescind a prior approved vote to spend $1,200 for refreshments at the ANC meetings. So no more noshes! (This is a good decision, having food at the ANC meeting never made much sense to me. Better to spend that money on community needs.) They also voted to approve the reduction in the small grant limit from $1,000 down to $500. (I don't think this was a good idea, unless they have concrete plans to spend their budget down all year. This reduction impacted the Upshur Street Arts & Crafts Fair, for example.) MPD didn't show up tonight, but Chair Galloway reminded people about the upcoming PSA 404/407 meeting, happening on 2/26 at 801 Shepherd Street NW. Khalil Thompson, the mayor's liaison for Ward 4 while we're missing a Councilmember, spoke briefly about the projects he was working on for the area, including: 16th Street Recreation project (meeting on 2/25 I believe), as well as an upcoming meeting next Thursday, 2/19, at Woodrow High School, to discuss community priorities for the mayor's DC budget. Commissioner Jeff Standish (4C03) asked Mr. Thompson to look into increasing the hours of operation at the area's public pools. Galloway (4C06) and John-Paul Hayworth (4C07) mentioned issues with stop signs. Mr Thompson also mentioned wanting to focus on the issue of pop-up conversions next month. Then came the community comments section. Not too many this time. Douglas Stallworth from Metro got up to talk about a Rider Survey happening tomorrow for the 60, 62, 63 & 64 bus lines. They'll be giving out surveys on the buses to riders to get feedback about improvements to those specific lines. Vercera Harvey-White, Program Director from the Family Reunification home (located at 519 Rock Creek) spoke about needing people to join their Community Advisory Board to help out with organizing community events and engaging with community issues. A representative from DCPS spoke about upcoming efforts talk about international content and perspective at Roosevelt High School. Speaking of Roosevelt High School, there was a class from the school attending the ANC meeting.The class, on DC History and Government, was there with four teachers: Ms. Jackson, Ms. Brown, Ms Brookes and Ms Johnson. They're trying to help the kids learn about local government issues and roles. I spoke about Petworth News and the Ward 4 Candidates website (you've totally checked the site, right? http://bit.ly/17jDEC2 Next up was Cassandra Sanchez from the DCPS office of community engagement. Apparently this is a new thing, and she's still feeling out what they do, but right now their goal is to engage with the community and get 2-way conversations happening. At this point Taalib-Din Uqdah got up and said he wanted to help the kids get a feel for local government, and kind of went on an interesting rant about how the DC Council basically folded to the US Congress regarding decriminalization of marijuana. He said he was disappointed about the cancellation of the decriminalization (even though he voted against it in any case), because he feels the Council just gave in to Congress and didn't represent the will of the people (decriminalization passed by something near 78-80% voter approval in November 2014). "It's an example of a failed government at work," he said, getting himself a bit revved up. He said the Council was showing "wishbones when they should be showing backbones." (Good line, by the way.) He blamed newly elected DC Attorney General Racine for telling the Council they were liable to be arrested if they approved the decriminalization. He said our rights, enshrined in the first 10 Amendments, were being squashed. Then he sort of went off on a tangent about how the constitution was written by "a bunch of rich white men... slave owners... they had to own at least 50 slaves." I really didn't get this point as it seemed very heavy handed, and I'm not going to comment further on it beyond saying I think he just started preaching a bit and got carried away. He finished with we "have the right to stand up like a man and a woman, and take what belongs to us!" The audience clapped for him, and I guess the students got a lesson in local government. Then the last four items on the agenda were presented. The first was a request for a letter supporting a variance exception from the Zoning Board for 119 Varnum St NW. Apparently, the owners hired an architect to design a complete refurb that brings the structure right up to the property lines on both sides. The request is to have the 8 foot setback requirement waived by BZA. The letter of support, proposed by Commissioner Crowley (4C10) was approved by the ANC. Then Commissioner Maloney (4C02) presented his proposal to have the ANC support the continued suspension of the liquor license of the DC Club House. This is the "night club" that has seen numerous violations, and was the scene for the January 18th incident where a "unruly mob spilled out onto Georgia Avenue after a fight broke out in the club." Maloney said that ABRA should not support an establishment that "uses MPD to control their patrons." The proposal passed. Ron Kartz from the Armed Forces Retirement Home (Old Soldier's Home) came out to ask for a letter of support from the ANC to ABRA about a liquor license for the Defender's Inn. (Kartz is a 25-year military veteran.) AFRH is working with Rehabilitation Services and the Randolph Sheppard Vending Facility Program to build a new tavern just for residents of the retirement home and their guests. It's not for the public. The rebuild of the Defender's Inn tavern has nothing to do with the redevelopment of public land that's ongoing. On a side note, this tavern refurb is a great idea. I volunteer at the AFRH with Friends of the Soldiers Home and it's immensely satisfying to meet and help the vets. The ANC voted to support the letter -- except Commissioner Timothy Jones (4C08) who voted against it. Jones thought the effort for a letter of support before an application has been submitted to ABRA was "bringing the donkey before the cart" and that the ANC should wait until the application is submitted. Considering it's just a letter of support, and that I've seen Timothy Jones volunteer with the vets, I found his position difficult to understand. But then, that's his right to vote no. Lastly, Lyman's on 14th Street is seeking a letter of support from the ANC to DDOT about their wish to build an outdoor patio for customers. Long story short, the commission voted to support Lyman's request to DDOT and to change their designation from a tavern to a restaurant. And believe it or not, all that was done in like 45 minutes. Sweet.

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At ANC 4C monthly meeting ... Notes coming after!

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Are you ready to park on the other side of the street again? Street sweeping is coming back on *March 2nd,* according to an email from DPW. If you forget to move your car, DPW will be happy to mail you a $45 fine as a reminder for next time.

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A resident reported seeing a SWAT team on Randolph St NW, near New Hampshire Avenue. According to 4D Commander Wil Manlapaz, the SWAT were executing a search warrant "in reference to an ongoing criminal investigation." I wonder why kind of warrant needs SWAT instead of MPD officers? Sketchy business to happen in your neighborhood.

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There's a new community bulletin board up at the 8th & Taylor St NW park. Courtesy of The Pitch (4015 Georgia Avenue NW), the board is for community announcements and information and is located on the north side of the rec center building, facing the spray park.

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