Pinto Forum Gathers Ward 2 Input on Budget  

By Heather Harris Roemer  

On Feb. 3, District Council member Brooke Pinto convened a Ward 2 Budget Forum. The virtual event was open to anyone who wanted to watch or testify about priorities and concerns for the upcoming year. Pinto’s office said 34 people attended. Sixteen testified onscreen.   

Pinto started by listing her core budget priorities: public safety; economic resilience and small business support; affordable housing and homelessness services; education and youth programming; parks, recreation and public space improvements; reliable transit and environmental sustainability; and support for seniors, women and girls and LGBTQIA communities.  

Most of the comments from the community fell within those categories, also providing some creative solutions for further investigation.   

There was a strong emphasis from multiple voices on rat mitigation, trash collection, leaf pickup, snow removal and Department of Public Works staffing in general. Commenters including Advisory Neighborhood Commission 2E Chair Topher Matthews complained about 311 response time. These basic services were shown to be even more essential by the January snowstorms.  

Pinto said she would like to see DPW replace all garbage cans on a block at the same time, since one replaced can only encourages rats to move on to the next house. There was a request to look into an underground trash collection system.  

A couple speakers, including Mi Casa’s Victoria Goncalves, mentioned a need for continued funding for shelters, rehousing services, the Emergency Rental Assistant Program and the Housing Production Trust Fund. ERAP is especially crucial for the immigrant community, where breadwinners are afraid to go to work or even to leave their homes due to ICE activity. Other testimony expressed opposition to encampment clearings without housing solutions.  

There was expected discussion around the Jelleff Recreation Center, and the fact that renovation plans have changed multiple times. Community representatives emphasized the need for an additional gym, which has been removed from the plans. Pinto, who shares that concern, said that her office has been tracking that project and following up with the mayor and deputy mayor. At this point, she feels it’s too late to lobby for changes, as it would likely add to the delay. 

Alexander Padro of ANC 2G called for renovation to the Kennedy Playground and Recreation Center to involve more seniors and teens in programming. Adequate transportation is needed, especially for seniors. Francis Field and the adjacent dog park could use some attention, and dog owners should be reminded to use the dog park and not the field. 

Kishan Putta of ANC 2E mentioned that, in addition to classroom needs, Hardy Middle School needs a second scanner for the entrance. The principal has secured permission to purchase one but needs funding. Students are having a hard time getting to class on time with long lines at the main entrance.  

Deborah Bilek of the Georgetown Business Improvement District emphasized the need to connect Georgetown with other neighborhoods and expand Reimbursable Maintenance Agreement funding.   

Citizens Association of Georgetown President Amy Titus testified that Georgetown has a lot to offer, but with the additional hotel and condo buildings, density is only getting higher, and traffic and parking is getting worse. There was a call for an investment in a strategic traffic and access study for Georgetown, which could help determine how to use space wisely and in a way that encourages tourists and shopping.   

Small businesses are still looking for help. The Connecticut Avenue streetscape and “deckover” project won’t be completed until at least 2027, and Bill McLeod of the Dupont Circle BID testified that Dupont Circle businesses are seeking further grants to survive the construction.   

Pinto mentioned concerns about federal government impacts on local services, businesses and vulnerable populations. “Ward 2 is incredibly vibrant and exciting, and filled with involved neighbors, who I love to see,” she said. “So continue showing up, even in the freezing weather, because showing up for one another is how we’re gonna get through this difficult year that we’re having and the difficult encroachment on our local autonomy and spaces that we continue to see by the federal government.  

“It’s not gonna be easy, and we need to be nimble, and we need to be responsive and we need to use our collective voices to speak up and fight back. But we also need to lean on each other.”