Championing Transparency for ANC 5F, Including Hybrid Meetings and Public Posting of All Documents

One reason I ran for Commissioner was frustration with our predecessor commission, ANC 5E, which held hours-long meetings multiple times a month, sometimes secret ones without the public present, and went months without posting what actions it had taken. Neighbors seeking a business license, zoning relief, or just to get an answer to a question often had to appear multiple months in a row and even then heard back nothing. (The DC Auditor later documented ANC 5E's problems, and ANC 5E forfeited $37,580 in funds as a result.)

I wanted ANC 5F to go in a very different direction and be a model for transparency. I reviewed the rules for all existing ANCs to collect the best ideas and avoid the worst pitfalls. My colleagues elected me ANC 5F's inaugural Chair in 2023 and we adopted bylaws, procedures, and practices that made it happen:

• Public posting of all action items to the ANC 5F website, www.anc5f.com. Agendas are posted a week in advance of the meeting, which include the text of items that will be considered and presentations that will be given. Actions, once taken, are also uploaded to the website. The website also includes clear information on all scheduled meetings for the year.

• Transparency and accountability. Roll call votes are required for all non-procedural actions, amendments are circulated in advance or in writing, and items with unanimous support are adopted on a consent calendar. The Chair is directed to prepare a draft agenda from all items submitted on time by any commissioner, eliminating the need for extra "planning" or "committee of the whole" meetings where public matters used to be effectively decided outside of public view. With items circulated in advance, meetings can be focused on hearing from you and actions that are taken, rather than minutiae. Most monthly ANC 5F meetings are now around 2 hours, a sharp reduction from the past.

• All meetings to be held in hybrid form, both in-person and over Zoom, making participation accessible to Eckington residents even if they are at home with the kids. I am especially grateful to ANC 5F02 Commissioner Aru Sahni who made the technological arrangements to make this happen. Each meeting includes a public comment period and a response to public comment by Commissioners (and if at the meeting, representatives of the Mayor and the Council). Meetings can be closed to the public only for legal and personnel matters. The ability to do virtual or hybrid meetings was allowed temporarily starting in 2020, and I was part of the effort to make that change permanent.

• Strong financial controls that require Commission votes to approve expenses, grants, and reimbursements, documented in writing, and regular approval of Quarterly Financial Reports (QFRs).

• Involving neighbors in new advisory committees on alcohol/cannabis licensing, zoning/development, transportation/public space, and public safety and health. These advisory groups meet monthly and forward concerns and ideas for Commission or Council action. (Apply to join one here!)

• Clear non-overlapping duties for the officers of ANC 5F (Chair, Vice Chair, Secretary, and Treasurer). Resolution sponsors are responsible for communicating with public agencies, allowing advocates to advocate without waiting for an officer to do something first.

• Common-sense provisions to deter corruption. Clarify, from OAG Letter 2022-07, that the Commission’s authority is exercised by the ANC as a body, not by any single Commissioner. No Commissioner shall have exclusive control over activities that take place within that Commissioner’s Single Member District (SMD). Additionally, a clear standard for recusal: No Commissioner shall substantially participate in a Commission matter that the Commissioner knows or should know is likely to have a direct and predictable effect on their financial interest or the interests of a person closely affiliated with the Commissioner. Commissioners shall notify the Chair of potential conflicts of interest. 

• Clear procedures for grant applications and awards. I am especially grateful to ANC 5F05 Commissioner Jennifer Anderson for spearheading these, enabling us to use the tax dollars we receive as intended, to benefit the community.

Additionally, I try to respond to questions, emails, or texts promptly. (Being a Commissioner is not my full-time job, so I do ask for some patience.) If you've reached out to me and I haven't gotten back to you in a day or so, please reach out again.