In response to Greater Greater Washington’s questionnaire, candidates for Advisory Neighborhood Commissioner (ANC) seats across the District indicated where they stand on housing, transportation, and land use, and elaborated on those topics in their own words. As of this writing, GGWash’s Endorsements Committee has reviewed all the ANC questionnaires submitted by September 5, 2022, for the 2022 election, and has made its endorsement decisions for ANC races. These are the endorsements for Ward 5.

Are you a Ward 5 resident, but unsure of what commission or single member district you live in? Search your address in our interactive tool.

Looking for more information about GGWash’s endorsements? Our 2022 Elections Hub is your one-stop shop for questionnaires, candidate forum recordings, endorsements process details, and our endorsements themselves. Access the hub anytime from the “2022 Elections” link in the upper right corner of our homepage.

A few notes on process

Our ANC endorsement process is based on the same values and guidelines as our other endorsements this year, which you can read here. But ANC races are different in a few important ways.

ANCs serve, as the name suggests, in an advisory capacity, with almost no legal power over policy. Candidates for these roles can be newer to local politics and policy matters. At the same time, once in office, motivated, good-faith commissioners will learn a great deal about how change happens, and can quickly become effective advocates for the neighborhoods in which they live.

The role is also unpaid and can be demanding. This year, as in years past, there are a very high number of uncontested races or races with no candidate at all, particularly after the redistricting process this year added more single member districts. For most candidates, if you’d like to be an ANC, getting yourself on the ballot is enough to make it happen.

In light of these patterns, our Endorsements Committee took the following approach to endorsements decision-making:

• As in our previous endorsement processes, only candidates who submitted questionnaires were eligible for endorsement.
• As housing, transportation, and land use issues can vary from neighborhood to neighborhood, we took into mind the particulars and patterns of the parts of the District each candidate would represent, and the commissions on which they would serve, to help evaluate what we would consider indicative of constructive progress there. There’s no strict GGWash-endorsement formula or litmus test.
• Even candidates who are not perfectly aligned with all of GGWash’s issue areas can still be great commissioners with whom we look forward to working in good faith. The fact that such candidates responded to our questionnaire in pursuit of our endorsement is itself, in our view, an indication of openness to partnership. As such, in uncontested races in particular, we looked for opportunities for alignment and growth.
• We prioritized endorsing in contested ANC races—reflecting our commitment to endorsing in other contested races this cycle—in order to help voters with the real choices they have to make among the candidates available to them. In some instances, unfortunately, only one candidate in a contested race responded to our questionnaire. If we did not endorse the sole candidate in a contested race who responded to our questionnaire, it was because the candidate proclaimed significantly distinct views from those of GGWash.

With that framing in mind, let’s get to the endorsements!

Ward 5 ANC Endorsements

Key:✅ = endorsement; ❌ = no endorsement

ANC 5A

✅ 5A03: Emily Singer Lucio

Questionnaire, no known contribution link
Contested? No, ⛵

We cannot recommend Lucio, who we didn’t endorse in 2020, on the basis of her stances on housing—she’s opposed to legalizing apartments District-wide, and wrote, straight up, that “We do not need more density”—but, in ANC 5A, her support for bus priority and protected bike lanes (and removing parking or travel lanes for them) will go a long way.

✅ 5A09: Zach Ammerman

Questionnaire, Twitter, no known contribution link
Contested? No, ⛵

Ammerman was, literally, the first ANC candidate to submit a questionnaire to GGWash in this year’s endorsement process, and breezed through it, demonstrating clear and reasonable support for more housing, more affordable housing, and frequent and reliable transportation.

ANC 5B

✅ 5B01: Edward Borrego

Questionnaire, Twitter, website
Contested? No, ⛵

In response to our questionnaire, Borrego poses the sorts of deliberations that commissioners face, such as, “Is an historic district or landmark beneficial? Is it promoting values and priorities or is it actually an impediment? These conversations are timely to have, as maintaining the ‘status quo’ is also a choice. Without any action, the status quo choice is increasingly heading toward 5+ bedroom luxury single family homes selling for over $1 million in our neighborhood. Is that aligned with our values and priorities?” We’re glad to endorse him for a position wherein he might find constructive ways to answer those questions.

✅ 5B02: Nandini Sen

Questionnaire, Twitter, no known contribution link
Contested? No, ⛵

Sen writes, in response to our questionnaire, “I pick density over one large million $ house which is what is going on with far too many renovations. Change zoning, make the city affordable for those who work here - teachers, wait staff, city bus drivers, nurses.” What more could we ask for?

✅ 5B05: Colleen Costello

Questionnaire, Twitter, website, donate
Contested? Yes, 🥊 (John J. Feeley, Jr.)

Costello is solid on housing, but most emphatic on transportation, writing in response to our questionnaire that, “The Taylor Street bike lane segment…should not terminate after the Taylor St. bridge but should instead be built out to at least 12th or 13th Streets so the protected bike lane doesn’t end right before some of the most crash-prone intersections on Taylor Street.” We’re glad to endorse a candidate with this sort of attention to detail. Contribute to Costello’s campaign here.

✅ 5B06: Sukhprita “Prita” Piekara

Questionnaire, Twitter, no known contribution link
Contested? No, ⛵

Piekara’s well-considered responses to our questionnaire include a meditation on both the attractiveness of biking her daughter to daycare, and the very real concerns of doing so: “I would be lying if I said the idea of riding a bike in our neighborhood doesn’t terrify me (especially with my daughter on the back) as we all witness aggressive and dangerous drivers speeding through our community on a daily basis - it simply feels too unsafe. If there were protected bike lanes throughout our community (especially on major arterials), I would absolutely be relying on biking as my primary means of transportation.” It’s a big lift, but we’re confident that Piekara, an incumbent with a clear set of actions to tackle “safety from traffic violence, safety from gun violence and safe and sanitary housing for all,” will do good work in making ANC 5B a place where she might, someday, confidently bike with her kid.

✅ 5B07: Justine Perkowski

Questionnaire, Twitter, website, donate
Contested? Yes, 🥊 (Gail Brevard)

Despite finding it limiting, Perkowski gamely responded to our questionnaire, noting a particular concern with preventing fatal and injurious crashes in her ANC. Though we understand her inclination to seek feedback from her constituents, we are confident that, when she’s inevitably faced with conflicting input, she’ll lean toward the preferences she identifies in her responses, such as supporting the removal of parking and travel lanes to enable bus-priority projects. Contribute to Perkowski’s campaign here.

ANC 5C

✅ 5C04: Shawn Nelson

Questionnaire, Twitter, website, donate
Contested? Yes, 🥊 (Jacqueline Manning)

Nelson gets at the complexity inherent in change—“There is a great need for more housing, and we do have the space to create choice housing. Bladensburg Road NE has improved with the new housing but there is space for more. The development of New DC City sounds promising but there has to be, there must be, affordable housing included. All that said, pedestrian safety has to be a priority, especially when there is a great interest and need to connect the neighborhoods along the Bladensburg Road and New York Ave corridors”—while still supporting the actions needed to build more housing, and safer streets. Contribute to Nelson’s campaign here.

✅ 5C07: VJ Kapur

Questionnaire, Twitter, website, no known contribution link
Contested? No, ⛵

Kapur wrote, in response to our questionnaire, an essay on land use—and it’s a good essay. We’re endorsing him, with pleasure (and with anticipation of future essays).

ANC 5D

✅ 5D01: Rebecca Ryan

Questionnaire, Twitter, website, no known contribution link
Contested? No, ⛵

Ryan has a practical, yet optimistic proposal—very GGWashy!—for where density should be increased in ANC 5D, writing, in response to our questionnaire, “Given the great need for more housing in DC, specifically affordable housing, we need to work with all the neighborhoods in the ANC to identify places for up-zoning, particularly those close to public transit options. While this will look different within each SMD, there are many ways we can add new housing to increase density while maintaining the spirit and community of each neighborhood. This may include two and four-unit buildings and larger mixed-use developments in specific locations.”

✅ 5D03: Anna Roblin

Questionnaire, no known contribution link
Contested? No, ⛵

We cannot recommend Roblin, who would prefer to limit the height and density of planned unit developments, on the basis of her stances on housing, but she’s a bus rider who’s fluent in the lines within ANC 5D, and her support for removing parking or travel lanes to enable bus-priority projects there will be worthwhile.

✅ 5D04: Stephen Cobb

Questionnaire, Twitter, website, donate
Contested? No, ⛵

Cobb, who we endorsed in 2020, has smart takes on what’s happening in his ANC, supporting greater density not just on corridors, but into residential blocks, and pledging to “do whatever [he] can to maximize the potential of the H Street NE bus priority project.” Contribute to Cobb’s campaign here.

✅ 5D06: Carrie Dellesky

Questionnaire, Twitter, website, donate
Contested? Yes, 🥊 (Kathy Henderson)

Dellesky assesses her neighborhood as “a beautiful mix of neighbors who have resided here for decades and newer residents that have made DC their chosen home…interrupted by high-speed, high-traffic roads,” and, to resolve this, is committed to working “with the other ANC 5D commissioners and committees (transit, zoning) to advise District agencies on priority traffic and safety issues in my neighborhood. I will work to reduce high-speed traffic and improve and increase walking and cycling infrastructure - and advocate to accelerate the timelines of projects already planned by DDOT.” Contribute to Dellesky’s campaign here.

ANC 5E

✅ 5E02: Nicole McEntee

Questionnaire, Twitter, donate
Contested? Yes, 🥊 (Karla M. Lewis)

McEntee, a former GGWash volunteer, gave superstar-level responses to our questionnaire. It’s hard to pick just one among her many empathetic and well-honed statements on land use, housing, and transportation to highlight, though we’re quite fond of this one: “As an ANC, I can help craft resolutions addressing these issues with DDOT, DHS, etc, testify in front of Council, and give a voice to neighbors who also ask for these improvements. With the growth of Union Market, the new developments going in at McMillan and North Capitol and Florida, the population of our ANC will only continue to grow, and all of these people will need places to live, safe places to walk, and community spaces like parks, libraries, and rec centers to connect with neighbors. Now is the time to prepare for the growth of the neighborhood by ensuring that we have adequate transit and housing infrastructure to meet everyone’s needs.” Contribute to McEntee’s campaign here.

✅ 5E04: Huma Imtiaz

Questionnaire, Twitter, website, donate
Contested? Yes, 🥊 (Bertha G. Holliday)

Imtiaz has fabulous responses to our questionnaire; when she says, “I am focused toward making our streets safer or to work toward improving the quantity of affordable housing units, introducing policies that help mitigate climate change, and creating a more equitable SMD that everyone can benefit from,” we trust she’ll work hard to do so. Contribute to Imtiaz’s campaign here.

ANC 5F

✅ 5F01: Tony Hurst

Questionnaire, no known contribution link
Contested? No, ⛵

Hurst is so ready to walk to the grocery store. But, he needs one to walk to! As he notes in his responses to our questionnaire, “with well managed density,” 5F “could support a grocery store and other walkable much needed businesses.” We hope to see Hurst continue this line of argument as a commissioner.

✅ 5F02: Aru Sahni

Questionnaire, Twitter, website, no known contribution link
Contested? No, ⛵

Sahni’s responses to our questionnaire are all good across the board; he correctly notes that, “Having the time available to be an ANC commissioner is a privilege, and I am excited to have the opportunity to exercise that privilege to improve the quality of life for my neighbors.”

✅ 5F04: Mark Galvan

Questionnaire, Twitter, no known contribution link
Contested? No, ⛵

In our questionnaire, Galvan provided several detailed treatises on what he’d like to do in ANC 5F. We’re particularly fond of his jam-packed proposal to curtail dangerous driving.

✅ 5F05: Jennifer Anderson

Questionnaire, no known contribution link
Contested? Yes, 🥊 (Mary L. Farmer-Allen)

While Anderson’s language about what sort of homes are appropriate comes off as incongruous—”I would like to preserve low-to-medium density housing in the core of Eckington” so as to enable more intergenerational households erases the experience of many families who live in apartments—she’s solid on housing and transportation overall, and is invested in establishing the new ANC 5F.

✅ 5F06: Joe Bishop-Henchman

Questionnaire, Twitter, website, donate
Contested? No, ⛵

Bishop-Henchman writes, of his decade in Eckington, “We’ve seen lots of development and growth happen, and more is coming. We should welcome it while making sure that we get all the amenities that we can from it. The next few years will have many opportunities for housing, growing community benefits, and improved transportation.” Yes! Contribute to Bishop-Henchman’s campaign here.

✅ 5F07: Michele Keegan

Questionnaire, Twitter, donate
Contested? Yes, 🥊 (Sylvia Pinkney)

Keegan is decent on housing, and stronger on transportation. We’re especially glad to see her support of the Florida Avenue bus priority lane, and hope that she’ll push for it to be a transformative project. Contribute to Keegan’s campaign here.

Per our 2022 endorsement process, Nick Sementelli, a member of the 2022 elections committee, was recused from Ward 5 endorsement decision-making.

Paid for by Greater Greater Washington, 80 M St SE, Ste 100, Washington, DC 20003. A copy of our report is filed with the Director of Campaign Finance.