Brian Flahaven

After a contentious hearing, the DC Council Subcommittee on Redistricting voted 3-0 yesterday to support their proposed new ward boundaries. In addition to Councilmembers Michael Brown, Jack Evans and Phil Mendelson, Councilmembers Tommy Wells (Ward 6), Marion Barry (Ward 8), Harry Thomas, Jr. (Ward 5), Yvette Alexander (Ward 6) and Muriel Bowser (Ward 4) attended. Plenty of media attended the hearing, including NBC 4.  Here are the highlights:

• Councilmember Michael Brown, one of the co-chairs of the committee, read a significant portion of the committee’s report. He and Councilmember Phil Mendelson dismissed concerns of Hill East, claiming that all of our arguments could be made by other neighborhoods.
• Councilmember Mendelson once again said that Hill East would not be divided by the plan, that ward boundaries do not divide neighborhoods. He also said that Ward 7 would have 12% of its population west of the river, a large enough percentage (in his mind) to ensure that the area could not be ignored.
• After receiving an e-mail from one of his key constituents on Tuesday night, Councilmember Jack Evans introduced an amendment to slightly shift the new ward boundaries between Ward 2 & 6. Councilmember Wells noted that Evans was willing to shift boundaries after hearing from one of his constituents but was unwilling to listen to the thousands of calls and e-mails from Capitol Hill. Wells also questioned the integrity of a process that allowed a Ward Councilmember affected by redistricting to sit on the redistricting subcommittee. The subcommittee voted to support the Evans amendment.
• Councilmember Wells also blasted the redistricting subcommittee for allowing Councilmember Evans to gerrymander the new ward boundary between Wards 2 and 6. Wells pointed to a carve out for the convention center in particular. Evans responded that no one worked harder for the convention center than he did so it should be in his ward. I guess he gets the convention center but Hill East residents who have worked hard for more than a decade on Reservation 13 lose out. Unbelievable.
• Wells also noted that the subcommittee report did not specifically address resolutions passed by the four Ward 6 ANCs, as is required by DC law. He questioned the committee’s legal counsel as to whether the report could be voted on without this requirement. Ultimately, the committee decided to approve the plan anyway with the expectation that responses to the ANC resolutions would be added to the report at a later date.
• Ward 8 Councilmember Marion Barry said he was disappointed that the subcommittee did not extend Ward 8 into near Southeast. He threatened to file a lawsuit, citing that the plan continued the “segregation of Ward 8.”
• Ward 5 Councilmember Harry Thomas defended Councilmember Evans and the rest of the subcommittee and indirectly alluded to the fact that he believes that Ward 6’s redistricting concerns are related to race. Of course, Ward 5 was not asked to give up any area in the plan despite the fact it shares boundaries with two of the three wards that had to change.
• Ward 7 Councilmember Yvette Alexander also thanked the committee for its work and said that sometimes you have to “force people to do what they don’t want to do.” She also said that she would be reaching out to all of her new constituents under the plan.
• Ward 4 Councilmember Muriel Bowser thanked the committee for their work and noted that ten years ago the Chevy Chase neighborhood was divided between Wards 3 & 4 and everything is great now. Swell. Ward 4 was not touched in the plan.
• The hearing ended with a shouting match between Councilmembers Michael Brown and Marion Barry. At one point, Councilmember Mendelson turned off Barry’s microphone and ultimately, the subcommittee voted 3-0 to support the plan while Barry continued to talk.

Thanks to everyone who turned out for yesterday’s hearing – it was great to have a large number of Hill East residents in the audience. The next redistricting hearing will be Wed., June 1, 6:00 pm in Room 500 of the Wilson Building (1350 Pennsylvania Avenue NW). If you would like to testify…and I encourage as many of you as possible to do so…e-mail Carol Sadler at csadler@dccouncil.us.

Councilmember Michael Brown, co-chair of the Subcommittee on Redistricting, just released the subcommittee’s proposed new ward boundaries. You can view the maps and report at:

• http://www.scribd.com/dmeadows9139 

All of the area east of 17th Street NE and SE between Benning Road and Barney Circle is in Ward 7 under the plan…with the exception of the blocks that include Eastern High School and Eliot-Hine Middle School. Reservation 13, Congressional Cemetery, Rosedale all move to Ward 7. Apparently, we are supposed to be grateful for this “compromise.” I find it totally unacceptable, and I believe Capitol Hill and the rest of Ward 6 will find it unacceptable as well.

Now that we know where Councilmembers Michael Brown, Phil Mendelson and Jack Evans stand, we need to continue to fight for our neighborhood. If you can, join us at tomorrow’s (Thurs., May 26) Subcommittee on Redistricting hearing when they will vote on the proposed plan. The hearing will be at 1:00 pm in Room 123 of the Wilson Building (1350 Pennsylvania Avenue NW). Also, continue to call the redistricting subcommittee members.

• Michael Brown (I-At-Large), Co-Chair; Phone: 202-724-8105; Email: mbrown@dccouncil.us
• Jack Evans (D-Ward 2), Co-Chair; Phone: 202-724-8058; Email: jackevans@dccouncil.us
• Phil Mendelson (D-At-Large); Phone: 202-724-8064; Email: pmendelson@dccouncil.us

Also, make sure you contact the three other At-Large Councilmembers and urge them to oppose this plan:

• Chairman Kwame Brown (D); Phone: 202-724-8032; Email: kbrown@dccouncil.us
• Councilmember David Catania (I-At-Large); Phone: 202-724-7772; Email: dcatania@dccouncil.us
• Councilmember Vincent Orange (D-At-Large); Phone: 202-724-8174; Email: vorange@dccouncil.us

Finally, contact Ward 7 Councilmember Yvette Alexander (D) and let her know that she will be receiving thousands of unhappy new constituents if she supports this plan:

• Councilmember Yvette Alexander (D-Ward 7); Phone: 202-724-8068; Email: yalexander@dccouncil.us

Thanks for all of your efforts – the phone calls, e-mails, meetings, etc. Let’s keep fighting for our neighborhood!

Thanks to all who came out for last night’s Rally to Keep Capitol Hill Together. We had a fantastic turnout and some great coverage from Fox 5 News at 6 pm and 10 pm.

Numerous media outlets, including the Washington Post, are now reporting that 17th Street as the boundary between Wards 6 & 7 is a done deal. It is critical that members of the redistricting subcommittee understand that dividing our neighborhood is unacceptable.

Please call the redistricting subcommittee members today and keep calling:

• Michael Brown (I-At-Large), Co-Chair; Phone: 202-724-8105; Email: mbrown@dccouncil.us
• Jack Evans (D-Ward 2), Co-Chair; Phone: 202-724-8058; Email: jackevans@dccouncil.us
• Phil Mendelson (D-At-Large); Phone: 202-724-8064; Email: pmendelson@dccouncil.us

Also, make sure you contact the three other At-Large Councilmembers and urge them to oppose any plan that divides our neighborhood:

• Chairman Kwame Brown (D); Phone: 202-724-8032; Email: kbrown@dccouncil.us
• Councilmember David Catania (I-At-Large); Phone: 202-724-7772; Email: dcatania@dccouncil.us
• Councilmember Vincent Orange (D-At-Large); Phone: 202-724-8174; Email: vorange@dccouncil.us

Finally, contact Ward 7 Councilmember Yvette Alexander (D) and let her know that she will be receiving thousands of unhappy new constituents if she supports a plan that divides our neighborhood:

• Councilmember Yvette Alexander (D-Ward 7); Phone: 202-724-8068; Email: yalexander@dccouncil.us

Also,  join us this Thursday, May 26, 1:00 pm in Room 123 at the Wilson Building (1350 Pennsylvania Avenue NW) for the Redistricting Subcommittee’s vote on the proposed map.

Please keep the pressure on!

Please join us this Tuesday, May 24 for the Rally to Keep Capitol Hill Together. We’re meeting at Lincoln Park, 13th & East Capitol, at 5:45 pm and will march a few blocks down East Cap toward RFK for the rally (will begin at roughly 6:20-6:30 pm).

For many years, our Capitol Hill community has united in an effort to grow, and has succeeded – developing from a few blocks in the shadow of the Capitol into a vibrant, productive neighborhood. Today, the Hill not only encompasses the foundation of our nation’s history, but also includes Eastern Market, many bustling restaurants and businesses, successful schools and beautiful parks…stretching all the way to the Hill East Waterfront.  

 Now, the DC Council Redistricting Subcommittee is threatening to erase all of this hard work – by moving a signifcant portion of Hill East and its waterfront into Ward 7. Over the last several days, signs have been pointing to the fact that the redistricting map that will be released this Wednesday may split our neighborhood in half, placing residents east of 17th St. SE in Ward 7 and residents west of 17th St. SE in Ward 6. Please join Tuesday’s Rally and encourage your friends and neighbors to do the same. Bring signs! The stronger our voice, the better our chances.

Also, continue to call or email the councilmembers below – your 10 minutes now can help save our neighborhood’s collective voice.

• Michael Brown (I-At-Large), Co-Chair; Phone: 202-724-8105; Email: mbrown@dccouncil.us
• Jack Evans (D-Ward 2), Co-Chair; Phone: 202-724-8058; Email: jackevans@dccouncil.us
• Phil Mendelson (D-At-Large); Phone: 202-724-8064; Email: pmendelson@dccouncil.us

 To learn more about the redistricting process, view my previous post on the topic or visit the DC Council’s redistricting website.

Help us Keep Capitol Hill Together!

Around 150 people attended last night’s packed Hill East Community Meeting on Redistricting with Councilmember Michael Brown (I-At Large), co-chair of the DC Council’s redistricting subcommittee. Councilmember Brown was joined by Ward 6 Councilmember Tommy Wells and, about halfway through the meeting, by fellow redistricting subcommittee member Councilmember Phil Mendelson (D-At Large).

Since I had microphone duties, I didn’t have an opportunity to take notes. However, here are my takeaways from last night’s meeting:

• Hill East residents showed up and made their voices heard. Given the short notice for the meeting, it was fantastic to see such a large turnout. Councilmembers Brown and Mendelson were asked tough questions and heard a pretty clear message: Keep all of Hill East united in Ward 6. Thanks to everyone who took time out of their busy schedules to join us last night!
• 17th St. SE as a boundary between Wards 6 & 7 is clearly “in play.” Councilmember Michael Brown stated that the subcommittee is considering 17th Street SE from Benning Road NE to Barney Circle SE as the potential boundary between Wards 6 & 7 – residents west of 17th St. SE would be in Ward 6 while residents east of 17th St. SE would be in Ward 7. Just this morning, Councilmember Wells tweeted that a redistricting subcommittee member has confirmed that Eastern High School will likely be moved to Ward 7. This is a terrible idea for a number of reasons. First, it would divide Hill East in half between two wards, severely limiting our neighborhood’s collective voice. Second, roughly 6,000-10,000 Ward 6 residents would be placed in Ward 7 – a massive change for a subcommittee supposedly trying to minimize any disruption caused by redistricting. Third, and most importantly, the change would still create a situation where an overwhelming majority of Ward 7 residents live on the eastern side of the Anacostia River. At best, 16% of the newly drawn ward’s population would be west of the river and would clearly be an afterthought to any Councilmember representing Ward 7.
• Subcommittee members seem to be giving Ward 5 a pass. Every time Ward 5 was mentioned as an alternative to dividing Hill East, Councilmembers Brown and Mendelson responded by citing geographical concerns (the Arboretum and river) and the potential of splitting up neighborhoods in Ward 5. Yet there are clearly options north of Benning Road, such as the entire Carver/Langston neighborhood, that would satisfy the population requirements of Ward 7 while keeping Hill East intact. One attendee questioned why Hill East is being targeted once again in redistricting (Kingman Park, in the northeast section of Hill East, was drawn into Ward 7 after the 2000 census). She said it is unfair of the subcommittee to solely target Hill East and spare other neighborhoods and wards. I completely agree. The city has already broken promises to the residents of Hill East and made Reservation 13 the social services hub of DC. Hasn’t our neighborhood sacrificed enough?
• Councilmembers Brown and Mendelson do not view leaving the wards unchanged as an option.  Attendees urged the subcommittee to take advantage of language in the DC Code that specifically allows wards to remain unchanged due to “neighborhood cohesiveness” and the “natural geography of the District.” Both Councilmembers said that DC would be sued if the city does not make sure that each ward is within 5 percent of 75,000. I’m not sure that is true, particularly since the exception is in the DC Code. Nonetheless, it seems the subcommittee is not inclined to go in that direction.
• While school boundaries won’t change, schools will be affected by a ward change. A number of residents voiced concern about the effect that redistricting would have on schools. Councilmembers Brown and Mendelson said that redistricting would not affect school boundaries. However, a number of people, including Councilmember Wells, noted that schools and PTSAs do work together with their ward counterparts and that there are a number of Ward 6 schools initiatives, such as the Ward 6 Middle Schools plan.
• We need to do more! While last night’s meeting combined with the petitions and the hundreds of call and e-mails are making a difference, we really need everyone to weigh in this week. The subcommittee will release its proposed map next Wed., May 25. Once the map is out, it is going to be extremely difficult for us to convince Councilmembers to make major changes. We need to weigh in now!

Please continue to call and e-mail Councilmembers Michael Brown, Jack Evans and Phil Mendelson and urge them to keep Hill East united in Ward 6. If you’ve already called and e-mailed, call again! Here is their contact information:

• Councilmember Michael Brown (I-At-Large) – mbrown@dccouncil.us, 202-724-8105
• Councilmember Jack Evans (D-Ward 2) – jackevans@dccouncil.us, 202-724-8058
• Councilmember Phil Mendelson (D-At-Large) – pmendelson@dccouncil.us, 202-724-8064

Note that calls are more effective than e-mails.

We will also continue to gather petition signatures through the weekend. We will have a copy of the petition at the PeterBug Day Parade and Festival on Saturday, May 21. The parade forms at 9:00 am at 19th and E Streets SE and begins at 9:30 am. The festival runs from 12:00 pm – 7:00 pm at 13th and E Street SE (PeterBug Matthews Way). Please take a few moments to come out and sign the petition.

Thanks for your help and continued support!