Brian Flahaven

In today’s DC Register, the DC Board of Elections officially announced the vacancy for 6B09. Any 6B09 resident interested in filling the remainder of my term can pick up petitions beginning on Tues., Jan. 19. Petitions are due back to the Board of Elections by Mon., Feb. 8.

• View the official notice in the DC Register

If only one individual turns in petitions on Feb. 8, and those petitions are not deemed ineligible, then that individual will automatically fill the vacancy. If more that one individual turns in petitions, a special election will be held at a future ANC 6B meeting (likely in March).

Late last week, I sent the following message to my neighborhood list:

Dear Neighbor,

I’m writing to share some bittersweet news. I’ve informed the DC Board of Elections that I will resign my seat as Advisory Neighborhood Commissioner for ANC 6B09. My last day as a commissioner will be Friday, January 15.  

My decision to resign prior to the end of my term is due to some exciting personal news – my wife and I are expecting in April. While I’ve greatly enjoyed serving our neighborhood, it has been a significant time commitment with many evenings spent at meetings instead of with my family. As we prepare to grow, I’m looking forward to prioritizing family time over the coming months. 

It has truly been an honor and a privilege to represent you on ANC 6B these past five years. I’m proud of working with you to keep our neighborhood united in Ward 6, pressure the city to move forward with development plans for Reservation 13, advocate for a road diet and traffic calming along 17th Street SE (plans to narrow 17th Street to one-lane north of Potomac are on track to begin in mid-2016) and push for a neighborhood-centric vision for Barney Circle and the Southeast Boulevard. I’ve also done my best to keep you updated and informed of ANC 6B meetings and neighborhood developments on my website. 

While I’m certainly going to miss being a commissioner, I plan to continue being active on neighborhood issues, particularly Reservation 13 and the future of the RFK Stadium site. And I’m sure that I’ll continue to see many of you out and about in the neighborhood. 

Once the vacancy is officially declared, the Board of Elections will announce procedures for a special election to fill the seat for the remainder of my term (through Jan. 1, 2016). I’ll send out an e-mail next week with additional details about the special election. 

Again, thank you for your tremendous support,

Brian

ANC 6B’s Outreach & Constituent Services Task Force meeting on Thurs., Sept. 10 will feature Christina Henderson, director of the DC Council’s Committee on Education and deputy chief of staff for Councilmember David Grosso (I-At-Large). Ms. Henderson will discuss the committee’s upcoming agenda and answer task force and attendee questions.

In addition to the Q&A with Ms. Henderson, the task force will discuss ways to improve ANC 6B’s website (www.anc6b.org). The meeting will take place from 7-8:30 pm at the Hill Center (921 Pennsylvania Ave SE).

On Tues., Aug. 11, the Mayor’s Office of Community Relations, the Metropolitan Police Department, local ANC commissioners and Hill East residents will be holding a safety walk through the neighborhood. The walk will begin at 5:30 pm at Eastern High School (1700 East Capitol Street SE) and proceed south through Hill East, ending around 7 pm at Liberty Baptist Church (527 Kentucky Ave SE). In addition to the Mayor’s Office and MPD, representatives from the Office of the Deputy Mayor for Public Safety, Department of Human Services and Department of Behavioral Health will be in attendance.

I’ll post a final walk route if it is made available prior to the event. I’ll also attempt to live tweet the walk so residents can join in progress.

Immediately following the walk, MPD will host a rescheduled PSA 108 meeting at 7 pm at Liberty Baptist Church (a makeup for the cancelled meeting on Aug. 6). Please bring any questions or concerns you have to the walk and/or meeting.

Hope to see you on Tuesday!

We had another relatively short agenda and meeting this month. Here is a recap of major actions:

• The commission unanimously approved sending a letter (pdf) to the District Department of Transportation asking the agency how they determine whether an intersection warrants additional safety or traffic calming measures. The letter included a brief discussion of the problems with the 18th Street SE and Potomac Ave SE intersection.
• The commission voted unanimously to support a new liquor license application (pdf) for the Neighborhood Restaurant Group. NRG plans to open a new restaurant at 415 8th Street SE. Kudos to Commissioners Chander Jayaraman (6B08) and James Loots (6B03) for working with the applicant and neighbors to address potential trash and odor issues in a settlement agreement. The restaurant name is still to be determined.
• ANC 6B voted 7-0-2 to support rear additions to 1010-1012 Pennsylvania Ave SE (pdf), with a majority of commissioners finding the additions to be in keeping with the Capitol Hill Historic District. 1012 Pennsylvania Ave SE will include commercial space in the first floor.
• Jill McClanahan of DC Water provided an update on water main replacements throughout the commission area. The water main replacement on 17th Street is underway and should begin soon around 17th & C Streets SE. The replacement work will gradually proceed south to Potomac Ave SE. Once the water main replacement project is complete, DDOT will begin implementing the long-delayed 17th Street safety improvements.
• ANC 6B will not hold a full meeting in August. The next full commission meeting will be on Tues., Sept. 8, 7 pm at the Hill Center.