Meet the Candidates: Courtney Carlson, ANC 3F06

Welcome to the final installment of our “Meet the Candidates” series about the people running to represent Advisory Neighborhood Commission 3F.

Places of note in ANC 3F06 include the rehabilitated Linnean and Broad Branch streams, Forest Hills of DC Inclusive Senior Living and Sunrise Senior Living, the Engine 31 firehouse, and the Connecticut Avenue commercial district between Fessenden Street and Nebraska Avenue. The diverse housing stock includes detached single-family homes, duplexes, triplexes, and multi-family apartment buildings and condos. (And you can confirm you are a resident of this or any other single-member district by visiting OpenANC.org.)

ANC 3F06

Courtney Carlson, elected in a three-way race in 2022, is running for re-election, and she is the only candidate on the ballot in 3F06. Here is her statement:

When our family moved back to DC in 2007, we fell in love with this neighborhood because it had – and has – the best of both worlds: city life in a community of tree-lined streets with great schools, shops and restaurants. What I didn’t fully appreciate during my first years here is how vital the DC government and the ANC are to maintaining both the peaceful quality of life and the success of our small businesses on Connecticut Avenue where we gather. Now, two years into my term as ANC Commissioner, I understand that these things which we take for granted are sustained by our government and that the ANC has an important role to play in ensuring that the District departments prioritize our community and provide it with the services it needs to remain so uniquely wonderful.

ANC Commissioner is a volunteer role and as such, we all have limited time to dedicate to this work. This is a good thing, as it forces all of us to focus on our neighbors’ priorities. After listening to neighbors, I have been focusing on these important issues: overcrowding at Murch, supporting small businesses on Connecticut Avenue, pedestrian safety, maintaining Forest Hills Park as a place where our kids can safely play, and ensuring that well intentioned District policies around housing vouchers and cannabis stores are thoughtfully implemented in our neighborhood so they don’t hurt our quality of life. I want to continue fighting the good fight here, and bringing forward issues that should be addressed by our government and connecting residents with city services.

My advocacy in the neighborhood started when my now teen- and college-aged kids were barely past toddlerhood at Murch Elementary; so when I was elected I immediately tried to engage Murch parents and connect them with the advocacy of their ANC. Our vibrant community has its foundation in those nearly 500 families that move to this neighborhood and stay in this neighborhood because we have a wonderful elementary school. Our advocacy helped Murch gain needed funding for new classroom teachers in 2023.

My working life in the neighborhood started as a 16-year-old at the counter at Marvelous Market (founded by Bread Furst’s Mark Furstenberg in the current Call Your Mother space) so I also understand that our commercial strip, filled with independent small businesses, is fundamentally important to the feel of this neighborhood. I have worked closely with Van Ness Main Street to support our small businesses. I’ve been proactive about contacting business owners to make sure they have the support they need from the ANC on permitting, safety issues and Alcoholic Beverage and Cannabis Administration (ABCA) licensing. Our advocacy has helped to shutter an illegal cannabis business, and placed needed security and operation restrictions on a medical cannabis establishment.

Because of the vibrant commercial corridor in 3F06, most of us can walk from our homes to get a bite, grab a book, or have a coffee; and students can walk to Murch, Deal and Jackson-Reed. This neighborhood is blissfully walkable, so one of my priorities since long before I was a Commissioner has been to improve pedestrian safety. Our advocacy led to 6 new sidewalk segments in 3F that will be constructed in 2025.

During my term I have been elected by my fellow Commissioners to serve as Chair of 3F, chairing our monthly and executive meetings; and elected by my fellow Commissioners to serve as our Commissioner representative on the Citizens Advisory Committee for the Connecticut Avenue Multi-Modal Project. I’m looking forward to building on what I’ve learned over these past two years to continue to serve our neighborhood.

You can contact Courtney Carlson at [email protected].