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After seven years of service to Advisory Neighborhood Commission 6A, Chair Joe Fengler stepped down – not just as chair, but as a commissioner. He recently bought a new house and is now a resident of ANC 6B.
Fengler turned the ANC from a commission known for funny business with the checkbooks to one of the best-run ANCs in the District. Fengler also was instrumental in opening up ANC committees to being chaired by non-commissioners – the first in the area to do so – and he says it’s made all the difference. “We added 35 more people to the ANC to get things done,” he says. “Everything else flows from that.”
Fengler made an appearance at the January ANC meeting, but he sat in the audience this time. He made a brief statement, trying to stick to his own two-minute rule.
“Seventy-five meetings and a few hundred letters later,” he said, “we changed zoning codes, addressed longstanding public space violations, banned single sales of beer, ruled with many organizations to secure the renovation of H Street and, in that process, became an effective voice of change.”
One commissioner after another spoke of Fengler’s outstanding leadership.
Fengler had affectionately referred to Commissioner Nick Alberti as “a barking dog,” a keeper of truth and as Fengler’s own conscience. But this barking dog was all whimpers at Fengler’s last ANC 6A meeting.
Alberti choked up immediately and delivered an emotional farewell. “Joe, I know I’m hard to listen to,” he said. “Thank you for your patience.” He remarked that the whole neighborhood would miss him and that he was “really sorry to see you go. … You know I mean it.”
Still, Fengler sees a lot of work left undone. He’s proud of his work bringing the streetcar to H Street but says, “While the city is laying the tracks, a lot of community involvement will be needed to make that a reality.” He also says H Street needs a new round of development, “beyond the restaurants and taverns,” which are “the first phase of any development.” He says parking will continue to be a challenge, “not just on H Street but in other parts of the city as density increases.” And he says the ANC’s Public Safety Committee will be key in working with police to address a spike in carjackings and other street crimes.
Don’t expect Fengler to dazzle ANC 6B with his talents just yet – he says he’s planning to “enjoy spending time with my wife, who has shown a tremendous amount of patience and perseverance over the last seven years to indulge me,” and he wants to make up for lost time.
Elections Reveal Rift in ANC
The election confirmed a rift between two factions of the commission. There were two nominees for the chairmanship: David Holmes, who was supported by Bill Schultheiss and Nick Alberti; and Kelvin Robinson, a relative newcomer to the commission, but one with a long history of service to the city – and if unconfirmed rumors are true, a potential contender for the Ward 6 Councilmember seat in the not-too-distant future. Robinson prevailed in the election for ANC chair with the support of Commissioners Raphael Marshall, Gladys Mack and Mary Beatty.
The commission has split in the same way on two previous issues. One was the location of a charter school in the neighborhood. In that instance, though the ANC had repeatedly taken a position against the location of the school, Robinson and one other commissioner spoke publicly in support of it. Some community members worried that an ANC commissioner who defied the majority vote of his commission would continue to do so as chair. Another time the commission split down the same lines was a very confusing fight over an application by the Rosedale Citizens’ Alliance and the Rosedale Youth Institute to be a “Friends of” park partner to the Rosedale Recreation Center.
In other election news, Alberti began another term as treasurer, and Beatty was easily elected vice-chair. Beatty nominated Holmes to be secretary, but Holmes declined the nomination. This set off a chain of refusals: Marshall and Mack both declined to serve as well, when nominated by Holmes. However, when Robinson asked Marshall to be secretary, his opposition was a little less decisive. Marshall refused to give any statement in support of his own candidacy, and he was the only commissioner who didn’t vote yea. But he didn’t vote no, either.
All committees kept their chairs, except that Robinson will no longer co-chair the Public Safety Committee with Rebecca Sibilia – Sibilia will chair the committee alone.
As for the election to replace Joe Fengler as the representative of 6A-02, two candidates will face off in a special election at the next ANC meeting. Robert Pittman is co-coordinator of PSA 102 and served on an ANC in Adams Morgan. Drew Ronneberg chairs the ANC 6A Economic Development and Zoning Committee and attends every ANC meeting. Fengler has endorsed Ronneberg, saying he has a “great record of volunteering and working with the ANC over the last five years.” He says Ronneberg filling his seat would be a “seamless transition.”
Both candidates will speak at the meeting before the vote, which will take place Feb. 11 at Miner Elementary School, 601 15th St. NE. Voting will run from 7:10 p.m. to 8:10 p.m. and is open only to residents of 6A-02. |
