Interview with ANC 8C02 Commissioner Dion Jordan. 8C02 is on the rise!
The Advocate had the pleasure of doing an interview with ANC 8C02 Commissioner Dion Jordan on the exciting progress being made in Advisory Neighborhood Commission Single Member District 8C02. Topics Discussed: the launch of the monthly 8C02 Single District meetings, the creation of the 8C02 website, http://anc8c02.blogspot.com/ and Facebook group as well as the next 8C02 Single Member District forum titled: "A New Era in Financial Responsibility for ANC 8C" which will be held Wed, April 29th and among others will include on the panel Councilmember Yvette Alexander (Ward 7).
Three months ago you started hosting 8C02 Single Member District meetings for your constituents on the last Wednesday of the month. So far you've had several Directors from city agencies speak at the meetings such as the Department for Public Works and Dr. Ghandi, the Chief Financial Office for DC. Why did you start hosting these Single District Meetings?
Foremost, I started holding Single Member District 8C02 Monthly Meetings for my constituency because it’s legal to do so and my constituents deserved a meeting specifically for them where the focus is not only on improving our community but also taking proactive steps that will encourage progress in our community.
Secondly (and I am going to speak plainly here because these are important issues that require straight talk), for far too long ANC 8C Monthly Meetings have been held illegally without the proper notice to residents, fellow ANC 8C Commissioners and without the approval and support of the full ANC 8C commission. We are almost 5 months into 2009 and we still have not had an executive meeting for the ANC board and thus we have not voted on a single meeting agenda, ANC 8C financial report or an initiative. We have failed our constituents by not holding our special election to finally elect a Chairperson and Vice Chair after the January election that resulted in a tie for those positions. In the January meeting we as Commissioners promised to hold an election within 30 days and that did not happen.
We have again failed to do what we said we were going to do. Therefore under the continued direction of Commissioner Cuthbert (who claims to be Chair) ANC 8C meetings continue to be held in a manner not deserving of the wonderful members of our community. Meetings are notoriously dysfunctional, disruptive and inefficient. ANC 8C is consistently being advised by the DC Auditor and the DC Attorney General’s office to “get our house in order” and it doesn’t happen. We need to make that happen.
Many of the same issues and concerns that impact 8C impact Single Member District 8C02 therefore by not holding legally compliant and productive ANC 8C meetings I am not able to service the needs of my constituents effectively. So by hosting our own monthly SMD 8C02 meetings we are able to address specific community issues and to foster a spirit of “togetherness” in our community. Not only have residents of Single Member District 8C02 attended our monthly single member district meetings, but residents from 8C, Ward 8 and the District of Columbia.
You recently launched a blog for Single Member District 8C02, http://anc8c02.blogspot.com/ and a Facebook group. Why did you feel it was important to create a website/blog for 8C02 and a Facebook group?
The goal for our website and Facebook Group is to reach out to those computer savvy residents who use modern technology on a daily basis and bring them into our cipher. Sending emails is a lot more efficient and effective than regular mail. You can get a confirmation that your message was received, when it was opened and the recipient can reply back immediately. Also it's a great way to inform residents about what was discussed at a meeting or what action was taken as it relates to a specific issue and/or concern. Residents can always reach me by sending an email to 8C02@ANC.DC.GOV. We must move forward or risk being left behind.
We are respectful of those residents without computer access or who are not comfortable sending emails so we will still address their needs by handing out fliers to notify them of meetings and will continue to have detailed meeting agendas but we are definitely going to incorporate the technology of today to communicate to a broader audience. We should always look forward and with our new website, Facebook Group and informative and action oriented Single Member District meetings we can look forward with a sense of purpose!
ANC 8C02 is now on the fast track!
Is your goal by incorporating these new resources that you will encourage not only an increase in participation by residents but by recruiting younger and perhaps new residents?
Absolutely! More residents need to get involved. "More Is Better". We can accomplish so much more if a greater number of residents attend meetings, get the information, join a committee and go to work! Politics decides who gets what, when and how much. There is a piece of pie already cut for ANC 8C02, but there is no waiter or waitress to bring it to us. ANC 8C02, we have to serve ourselves! I've been active in politics since the age of eight, younger residents need to attend and participate in ANC 8C02 Monthly Meetings as well as ANC 8C Monthly Meetings. The torch WILL be passed to them next. Unfortunately, some elected officials don't want to pass the torch but in SMD 8C02 new people, young people, life-long residents and visitors are always welcome!
On Wed, April 29th at 7pm at the Petey Greene Center you will be hosting a forum on: "A New Era in Financial Responsibility for ANC 8C". In attendance you will have Councilmember Yvette Alexander (Ward 7) the Chair of the Committee on Aging and Community Affairs; Deborah Nichols, District of Columbia Auditor; Charles Willoughby, District of Columbia Inspector General and Gottlieb Simon, Executive Director of the Advisory Neighborhood Commissions to discuss ANC 8C. Why was it important for you to assemble this group to host this forum?
It is important to have a forum on “A New Era of Financial Responsibility for ANC 8C” (and again I am going to speak directly) because of the lack of Leadership in ANC 8C. There are a lot of things that should have been done and are not getting done and thus we are failing the people we have been sworn to serve.
We have yet to hold a special election for Chair and Vice Chair and Commissioner Cuthbert (who continues to make claims that she is Chair) has proven time and time again that financial responsibility has not been an ANC 8C top priority. The past and current poor keeping of the books is a direct reflection of the lack of good, effective and transparent leadership of ANC 8C.
The required quarterly reports that result in ANC 8C receiving their quarterly stipend are consistently filed late (sometimes months or years) and has resulted in ANC 8C forfeiting thousands upon thousands of dollars that we desperately need for the improvement of our community. At one point, years ago the ANC 8C bank account was frozen until the missing reports were filed.
There is absolutely no excuse for not upholding our fiduciary responsibilities to our constituents. It is part of the job we were all sworn to perform and it is my intent that we perform it timely, consistently and in accordance with the law.
According to her April 1st 2009 testimony to the Committee on Aging and Community Affairs on ANC 8C Commissioner Cuthbert presented herself to the Committee as Chairperson and stated emphatically that “I will never award a grant {to a 501C3 Non Profit Organization}”. That was very disappointing.
All over the Nation’s Capital other Advisory Neighborhood Commissions have and continue to award grants to worthy community based nonprofit organizations that engage and challenge the minds of our youth and “Future Leaders of America”. Other ANCs spend their quarterly allotments wisely and effectively on improvements for their community. Who does not look at MLK Avenue or Shepherd Park and not think that there are improvements that could be made if we just had the money? Guess what? We have the money. According to Commissioner Cuthbert’s testimony in the April 1st hearing ANC 8C has approximately $25,000 in its account.
Why are we not spending it responsibly and for the benefit of our community?
Unfortunately, time and time again “Chairperson” Cuthbert sees to it that the only expense that has been paid by ANC 8C for many, many years is for “office rent” to the owner of a building (that also houses a barbershop) on MLK Ave SE that supposedly houses the ANC 8C office. It is common knowledge that ANC 8C does not meet in that office. Community meetings are held in the UPO Petey Green Center. ANC 8C has not held an Executive Meeting for 2009 and if we did we could easily meet somewhere else. No one has had access to that "office" for years except Commissioner Cuthbert and as such no one is truly sure what is in that “office”.
Several things are very clear. The office does NOT have a working telephone. The office does NOT have a working fax. The office does NOT have office hours. So why are public dollars (almost $100,000) being wasted to pay rent on a building that we don’t need when we have so many things that we do need? Perhaps Commissioner Cuthbert’s fiscal interests lie elsewhere? Either way it is time to put a stop to this quickly and get our financial house in order.
What are your hopes for ANC 8C?
I hope to accomplish new leadership within ANC 8C. But, we cannot do it alone. We need for residents to attend and participate in the forums in great numbers. We need constituents to write, email and call their elected officials on the DC Council, the ANC and at the DC Government Agency Director Level and hold them accountable. Remind them that they are Public Officials and NOT Private Officials.
A climate of change is in the air and "A New Era Of Financial Responsibility For ANC 8C" has been cultivated.