[WardFive] Re: [ward5] Housing Complex covers Bloomingdale Civic Assn 'no confidence' ANC 5C McMillan vote

Hello Gigi,

 

You are right.  I could have reached out to you; especially because of my respect for you and our friendship.  My apologies.

Thanks for the clarification on the issues. 

 

My most important argument is that unless there is a solution for the sewage coming up in our neighbors homes and into the streets/flooding, then nothing should be built on that land -- even if it takes another 30 years.  I doubt that the folks who you represent are having sewage in their basement so they should have nothing to say at this point.  Nothing GREEN helps unless they evaporate the Feces and Water that will have to drain somewhere.  You can't green away everything any definitely not any added sewage from a huge development (at least they won't be doing so) and there is going to be adverse effects on folks who live in that neighborhood. 

 

Now that being said, here is a few other points. 

 

1.  I don't ever worry about you -- I think that you do a great job.

2.  Our Mayor can fastrack whatever he wants to during his term - but God/Sandy/etc don't wear pajamas - you can't beat nature.  I personally like Mr. Gray but sometimes, I am just aghast at some of the decisions that he makes.  I have a long list!!

3. I have no intent to "chime" in to discredit commissioners of 5C and 5A.  Because folks are called "commissioners" means WHAT??? I don't confuse the word "commissioner" with GOD -- please note the lower case "c" and the upper case "G,O,D" That's the problem with folks.  I have a right to speak up on possibilities and what I have experienced in 5A and I know what I saw in 5A. 

3.  As to me coming to the McMillian meetings - Why do I have to come -- I can read all the reports and comment here.  You are absolutely quite capable as well as  the many other intelligent caretaking folks over there.  But when I see that the "Mayor" fastracking something has become so important over the health and comfort of our community members, I will speak up. And in this case, I did because, obviously folks have missed something.

4. The 901 project wasn't "scaled down".  That was all theatrics.  Kind of like car sales - start high and negotiate the price without taking out the stearing wheel or seats - OH, just giving you the discounts/rebates that you should be getting anyways.

5. Sorry if you feel about the blanket statements - but I guarantee that anything that has probably all developers and the City tied in together raises every part of my Eyelids.  I am actually surprised how you can even trust any part of it unless you are in the room planning - which I am sure you are not. That is kind of like Columbus discovering the "new world" with folks already living there.

 

Busy right now so I will read the rest and get back later if needed.  The above should suffice.  I am sure that you are doing what you think is best and you know that I love and appreciate you - this time, I just differ on the basis that until there is a solution to feces coming up and flooding, there is absolutely no need to do anything with McMillian.  They have so much more that they can build.

 

Spiritually, there might be a reason WHY THIS McMILLIAN has been untouched for 30 years -- Maybe folks can look at a place that was built for LIFE - that it stays that way.  Just my Partial Hindu/Christian training resonating.

 

Last Gigi, if I offended you, I apologize.  You know that you are one of the people who I could depend to look into every corner - just know that while I might agree with you on 95 - 99 percent of everything, there are going to be those times that we will differ.  I just know that your folks are not sitting in sewage off of Hawaii Ave. 

 

 

Rob

 

 

 

On Wed, Nov 7, 2012 at 1:22 PM, Gigi Ransom <gigifor5c12@yahoo.com> wrote:

 

Rob,

 

It disturbs me that with you knowing that I am a member of ANC 5C, that you didn't at least reach out to me to at least hear the other side before taking your adversarial position, and leveling the hint of possible developer influence, which is definitely not true.

 

There is also the matter of the assumption that because an immediately impacted community group/civic association see a situation one way in spite of some members of the ANC having more information or just a different perspective on the issue on the applicability of great weight in this matter, we should just blindly go with and support the decision of that community group/civic association just to be liked.  I didn't work to be elected the ANC of my community just to be liked. I did/do it with the understanding that legislation/regulations are involved, do my research and vote based on my findings.  This is also done taking into consideration the constituency I represent and their opinions/advice in this matter.

 

Let's be clear, on more than one occasion, I let EYA know my opinions and constructive concerns about their design.  I also had/have concerns about what the BCA and MAG proposed.  Clear Fact: No matter whose design or a combination of proposed designs are accepted, this project must be as self-sustainable and self supporting as possible after it is built.  It cannot rely on full government funding.  This is in the transfer from Federal to DC Govt.

 

Also, since there has been over 30 years of back and forth on this project with now a substantial increase in needed financing, as stated by Mayor Gray, this project is now fast tracked.  The ANC 5C's majority's vote was based on this.  ANC5C's decision was also based on the clear fact that no matter, 5C's vote was not the final word on the project.  The project was present to, reviewed by the Historical Preservation Board who rendered their legally accepted opinion, still has to go through Zoning and whatever else reviews required by law that must provide community input.

 

In saying this, it is also clear that when this project was first presented, it allowed for input from Ward 5 and citywide input.  This is one factor in which I based my decision.  Another, due to topographical issues, there were BCA requested areas of "green space" that might not have been feasible for the project.  I also though that some of the amenities such as the swimming pool multipurpose facility would not generate enough revenue to support itself and should be designed to be more multi-functional.  So this continued attempt by the BCA that their voices will be the only ones recognized is false and John Salatti knows this.

 

In spite of your effort to chime to discredit 5C's and 5A's Commissioners, showing support for the BCA, in even though over the 4 years I was a member of 5C, I dont recall ever seeing you at one of the meetings on McMillan, it is disheartening to hear you make such a blanket statement with hints at improprieties, even with the 901 Monroe St project.

 

I was there.  Though Commissioner Steptoe seemed to have done a wonderful job working to protect the rights of the community/residents in having the project scaled down, the one thing I heard from some of her fellow Commissioners was that they had difficulty supporting her in that she hadn't kept them abreast on the project so they didn't feel comfortable supporting her.  I didn't follow up to see if this was worked through.

 

There was a recent public hearing on this matter with input from many residents/groups from across the city as it should be.  It is in the Council's hand, and I await their Committee report.  I want this development to be the best that I can, be self-sufficient, based on views from across this city, not just the BCA.

 

I was surprised that you chose this line of attack, when there was an issued raised in this article which was stated by Mr. Salatti:

"He believes the Civic Association`s membership is reflective of the broader Bloomingdale community when it comes to views on McMillan, though not demographically—the neighborhood is about 60 percent black and 40 percent white, he says, while the Civic Association is about 70 percent white and 30 percent black."

 

I was also fully aware of this fact.  So it is clear that there is an imbalance in the BCA's membership which raises the question, why are there more people of color involved in this civic association, and I'm aware that many of the longstanding residents are of color, and are concerned about the focus of this association which they feel doesn't reflect their thinking or in some cases, truly didn't/doesn't want their involvement because of their historical perspective.

 

If the BCA has a problem with that, so be it, but maturity and understanding that they are not the sole source in this project should have lead to their thorough review of our resolution and find where we agree and disagree and work towards an understanding or further consideration by 5C based on these factors.  Instead, we once again see the "have it my way" mentality at work where it is felt that the ones we disagree with should be labeled and discredited.  How sad!

 

Pls forgive typos, grammer.

 

Albrette "Gigi" Ransom
Commissioner, ANC 5C12
ANC 5C-Financial & Corresponding Secretaries
Chair, ANC 5C Legislation & Public Policy Committee

From: Rob <indianrob@gmail.com>
To: ward5@yahoogroups.com; Ward 5 Google Groups <wardfive@googlegroups.com>
Sent: Wednesday, November 7, 2012 12:01 PM
Subject: Re: [ward5] Housing Complex covers Bloomingdale Civic Assn 'no confidence' ANC 5C McMillan vote

 

Hello Scott,

 

This wouldn't be the first time that this has occurred.  We had that happen in 5A when there was the vote on 901 Monroe.  The ANC voted 6 (in favor) : 5 (against) : 1 abstention.   In this case, to so many of us, this was due to influence by developers and probably downtown who wanted to support the developers - as you can see in the clear violation of logic and verbiage by Office of planning. 

 

It really sucks when ANC representation does not even listen to actual members in their community who were pretty much shut down from speaking.  Furthermore, it was negligent that the commissioners who voted for didn't even read the Comp. Plan or the Area Plan: and if they did, they obviously didn't comprehend it or just simply chose to ignore it.  Then Corey Griffin (who was commissioner at the time) wrote some Blah Blah Blah letter about how his duty was to the City - just so that he could get some future support from his ANC, the developers and downtown.  I would have never expected him to turn his back on those seniors for downtown, developers, future campaign support.  This was going to be pushed down our throats by Zoning but it made it easier to grease it with the "approval vote' of our encouraged ANC and the BOGUS vote at our Brookland Civic Assoc. 

 

Furthermore, some of the other Commissioners never even met with their constituents or brought it up to them (at their SMD meetings) regarding the project so they were also truly derelict in their duties to the ones that it obviously affected - the Seniors living adjacent to the proposed property and everything that the community did over the years of Small Area Planning.

 

Now they talk about some "trash cans" for seniors  -- I laugh at the slick marketing for 2014.  Well, our Seniors over here can afford their own trash cans if the trade off is that our CM and his crew speak up VOCALLY and ADAMANTLY for our kids education, our schools, the wants of our community who actually LIVE here that would be affected. 

 

SO you know, even though we appreciate them "looking out" for our Seniors as they should and we will take the "free trash cans", our most of our Seniors here probably all own their own home outright and those who don't are minimal and some live in the apartments/senior bldgs who don't need trash cans.  So - throw some under the Developers Bulldozer and try to blow smoke for future support sucks. 

 

By the way, that's the same Blah Blah Blah approach to the Carbarn at the Spingarm Campus as well as the nothing about School Closures and no stance about IVY CITY and the BUS DEPOT -- only an illegal closed door session - without even having the Chair of the ANC notified. 

 

You need to see where this "support" initiative is coming from -- lots of tentacles and encouragement coming from somewhere.  We have a more pressing issue than putting up all that development -- we have folks who are under the stress of being flooded out and all folks can think about is "development.  I am not anti-development, but at some point we need some park space, some soccer fields for organized sports for our children and most important, we need to safe guard our neighbors from the stress of being flooded with SEWAGE.

 

Let's move into this new push of development with a different focus.  The Problem is that the Sh*t is not coming up in their homes!!!  Little do they know the Sh*t is going to affect them or their kids or their friend's kids or someone they know.  The Chickens will come home to Roost -- just speaking from experience.

 

Rob Ramson. 

 

 

 

 

On Wed, Nov 7, 2012 at 10:11 AM, scott@scott-roberts.net <scott@scott-roberts.net> wrote:

 

Looks like the `no confidence` resolution being mulled by the Bloomingdale Civic Association regarding ANC 5C and McMillan made the radar of Washington City Paper Housing Complex reporterAaron Wiener.Bloomingdale Group Prepares Vote of No Confidence in ANC Over McMillanPosted by Aaron Wiener on Nov. 6, 2012 at 5:25 pm[http://www.washingtoncitypaper.com/blogs/housingcomplex/2012/11/06/bloomingdale-group-prepares-vote-of-no-confidence-in-anc-over-mcmillan/]If you needed more evidence that passions run high when it comes to development of
the McMillan Sand Filtration Site, the Bloomingdale Civic Association`s got you covered.The organization, upset by ANC 5C`s decision to support the plan over objectionsfrom some community members, has prepared a vote of no confidence in theneighborhood commission—and it doesn`t spare any bombast. It begins:WHEREAS, as noted in the 1863 Gettysburg Address, the United States of America is ademocracy wherein ``government is of the people, by the people, and for the people``;     and concludes: THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that the Bloomingdale Civic Association has NOCONFIDENCE in ANC5C`s representation of community/constituent concerns inmatters related to theMcMillan Sand Filtration Site development; BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the BloomingdaleCivic Association will activelyencourage other Civic Associations affected bythe McMillan Sand Filtration Sitedevelopment to consider issuing similarresolutions of `no confidence`; BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the BloomingdaleCivic Association will activelyseek assurances from District Officials that therecently authorized ANC 5E (which incorporates most of the communities abuttingthe McMillan Site), upon its constitution, will have rights of advisement,comment and `great weight` on all matters related to the McMillan SandFiltration Site development.The 80-plus-member Civic Association, whose membership is limited to Bloomingdaleresidents who pay the membership fee ($20 for adults), has mostly opposed theplan for a while now. But according to John Salatti, a vice president of theCivic Association, the current objection is more to the ANC`s lack ofconsideration of community input than to its actual position.``It`s no so much that they voted to approve,`` says Salatti. ``It`s how they voted toapprove.`` The ANC, he says, aggravated the community by going ``out of its wayto extol the virtues`` of the plan.The no-confidence vote is scheduled for Saturday, and Salatti thinks it`s likely topass if the same kinds of people show up who have objected to the plan in thepast. He believes the Civic Association`s membership is reflective of the broaderBloomingdale community when it comes to views on McMillan, though notdemographically—the neighborhood is about 60 percent black and 40 percentwhite, he says, while the Civic Association is about 70 percent white and 30percent black.Of course, a vote of no confidence would have no direct effect—particularly since
ANC 5C is about to be dissolved in the redistricting of Ward 5. But Salattihopes it`ll send a message.``Like most anything that any civilian does, it has no impact,`` he says. ``Given itsdruthers, the city is going to do whatever it wants to do. But it does makeclear to the powers that be``—he rattled off a few, including the new ANCcommission that`ll represent the area, Ward 5 Councilmember Kenyan McDuffie,Council Economic Development and Housing Committee Chairman Michael Brown, andMayor Vince Gray—``that we understand who holds the big levers here, but we are

still going to hold you vocally and publicly accountable.``

             

-- R. Ramson3744 12th Street, N.E.,Washington D.C., 20017202-438-5988"We must become the change we want to see" - Mohandas Gandhi-(Together, for a Brighter Tomorrow) 

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--
R. Ramson
3744 12th Street, N.E.,
Washington D.C., 20017
202-438-5988

"We must become the change we want to see" - Mohandas Gandhi-
(Together, for a Brighter Tomorrow)




 

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