Another month another Advisory Neighborhood Commission 8C meeting. While it is almost guaranteed to be another fruitless disaster packed with irrelevant speakers, lack of focus, harassment by Commissioner Cuthbert and discouraged community input and participation The Advoc8te still encourages residents and non residents to attend. Increased community involvement has resulted in some progress (at least 3 missing quarterly reports were finally approved last meeting) and there is much more to do -possibly resulting in electing new SMD Commissioners in the next term.

We need to hold our ANC representatives responsible and if they can not or will not honor their commitments fully then it is time for some new commissioners who can. Already potential replacements are being identified.

If you can make this meeting please attend - if nothing else it will definitely be entertaining. Bring popcorn!

Re: Community Concerns

Per the DC Attorney General (and contrary to the claims by most of the Commissioners at last months meeting) ANCs MUST set aside time during each monthly meeting for residents to present their Community Concerns. This is another example of the majority of our ANC 8C Commissioners (Cuthbert, Shelton, Ellis and Lockridge) not knowing what the hell they are talking about. Click HERE for a written opinion by the DC Attorney General's office (which in total irony is in response to a complaint by Commissioner Mary Cuthbert that at the time Chairperson Lockridge was not allowing the community to air their concerns).

If ANC 8C continues to limit, discourage or censor community concerns or comments we as a community once again need to contact the powers that be. We are not going to stand for this anymore. This is OUR community and we don't have to ask for permission from anyone to make it better. We should be able to work together to make our community great but we are not going to wait for permission to join the game. We love our community and will do whatever it takes to make it great.