Jan. 27 update: The DCBOE has certified the ANC 3F01 vacancy and is accepting candidate petitions through February 18th. Read on to learn more about this, the 3F07 vacancy, and how residents of each district can run for these positions.
Residents of Van Ness, North Cleveland Park and south Forest Hills need representatives to serve them at the most local level of DC government: the advisory neighborhood commission.
Because David Dickinson’s work has taken him overseas, he has resigned his seat on ANC 3F. The vacancy is not official until the DC Board of Elections (DCBOE) says so, and when it does, it will start a special election process for residents of single member district 3F01, which encompasses North Cleveland Park and part of Van Ness.
ANC 3F01 includes single family homes, coops and apartments, UDC, Whittle School & Studios, Hearst Elementary, Sidwell Friends, Melvin C Hazen Park West and several embassies.
That process should be getting under way soon. But there is another special election process under way right now for another vacant seat on ANC 3F. 3F07 is the SMD directly to the east of 3F01. This single member district covers the southernmost part of Forest Hills and dips into Cleveland Park.
ANC 3F07’s territory includes the Burke School, Levine Music, Hillwood Museum, a handful of embassies, Melvin C Hazen Park East, and single family homes, apartments and condos.
The seat has been vacant since Pat Jakopchek, the previous officeholder, moved out of the neighborhood in late 2018. No one ran for the seat in a subsequent special election. But DCBOE has started the process anew.
In DC, the ANCs are government at the neighborhood level. The commissioners serve two-year terms and work on a number of local issues. If you live within 3F01 or 3F07’s borders (check this map if you’re not sure) and are interested joining this dedicated group of commissioners, this article explains the role of an advisory neighborhood commissioner.
Once you have made the decision to run, you go in person to the Board of Elections (1015 Half Street Southeast, Suite 750, 202-727-2525) to pick up a nominating petition, and then return it with the signatures of 25 other registered voters within your district. If two or more candidates do so, the ANC will announce at a subsequent meeting that it will hold a special election at its following meeting. If only one candidate completes this process, that person will automatically fill the seat. If no one does it, the DCBOE will announce the vacancy again and the process will start over.
The DCBOE is giving out and accepting nominating petitions for 3F07 from January 21 through Monday, February 10th. We’ll let you know when the 3F01 process begins.
So think about it, talk to your neighbors about signing on, and contact the current commissioners with your questions.