ANC2E Commissioners Offer Goals for 2023
By • January 17, 2023 0 1280
Five new Advisory Neighborhood Commissioners joined the Georgetown-Burleith-Hillandale ANC2E, which elected Elizabeth Miller as Chair and Gwen Lohse as Vice Chair. The two new commissioners representing Georgetown University were elected as Secretary and Treasurer – John DiPierri and Joe Massaua, respectively, both G.U. students.
The Georgetowner asked commissioners to identify their top priorities for the ANC in the new year.
“My top priorities are as follows: to maintain and expand the bond between students and the Georgetown community, a student-centric revitalization of Wisconsin Ave between M and P Streets, and improved traffic flow for vehicles in and around the University,” wrote DiPierri. “My top priorities are multi-modal transit – such as to help determine the feasibility of giving transit U-Passes to students,” wrote Massaua, who wants to improve the bond between Georgetown students and merchants; and to address student financial concerns including possible access to D.C. food and housing benefits.
New Commissioner Topher Matthews intends to “hit the ground running on taking care of my constituents’ requests; ensure that DC’s Department of Parks and Recreation finally completes the Volta Park field restoration; and get as many constituents signed up for my monthly newsletter of neighborhood news and updates.” New Commissioner Paul Maysak asserted: “My number one priority is to seek to keep Georgetown the great community it has become over [his] 23-plus years [here]; the key is to listen and understand the desires and goals of my constituents and represent them well.” New Commissioner Mimsy Lindner named her top three priorities as safety, foster healthy relationships between residents and businesses and preserve residential quality of life.
Veteran Commissioner Kishan Putta wrote that his top priorities were “to make the new McArthur High School as attractive as possible for 8th graders when it opens up in exactly 9 months on September 5, 2023; and supporting the improvement of Ellington Field and Jelleff Rec Center. Both projects have been funded with millions of dollars — but we must work with D.C. Government to get the projects started and finished.”
Chair Miller pledges to work to address three critical community needs: safety, transportation and balancing historic character and modern needs. She wants to protect Georgetown’s history, especially “our classic streetscapes, while remaining open-minded and flexible about modern needs and enhancements to keep Georgetown prosperous and renewed.” Vice Chair Lohse’s priorities include addressing constituent issues, such as public safety, historic preservation, city services and our parks; encouraging strong residential engagement on transportation planning and supporting commercial and community vibrancy. She concludes that “an innovative, active, and beautiful commercial district is essential to the health of our historic neighborhood, and vice versa. Ideas are welcome!”
