Do you know what ANC you live in? Do you know which commissioner represents your SMD? Even if you think you do, they may have changed this year.
Let us brief you on Advisory Neighborhood Commissions (ANCs), Single Member Districts (SMDs) and the change that happened with the new year.
What is an ANC?
ANCs are a non-partisan body of elected officials that represent local community members.
Commissioners serve two-year terms without pay. All commissioners in all wards were newly sworn in January 2023. Each commissioner represents a SMD of approximately 2,000 residents. The ANCs’ main role in the District is to be their neighborhood’s official voice in advising the District government (and Federal agencies) on things that affect their neighborhoods.
As of January 2023, both the boundaries of the ANCs and the SMDs represented by each commissioner have changed, together with those representing them. The boundaries of the ANCs and SMDs are updated every ten years, based on the results of the latest decennial census.
The latest boundaries were approved by the DC Council on June 7, 2022 and by Mayor Muriel Bowser on June 16, 2022. Updated ANC and SMD boundaries were used for the November 8, 2022 General Election.
To see if your ANC or SMD boundary has changed, enter your address in the new 2023 Locate Your ANC/SMD tool at https://arcg.is/1PrKXG.
Changes to ANC Boundaries
So, even if you knew this last year, your ANC or SMD may have changed as a result of redistricting in 2023. Ward 6 experienced the biggest changes during redistricting, with portions of the ward east of 15th Street now a part of Ward 7. Navy Yard neighborhoods are now located in ANC 8F, an ANC split between Wards 8 and a small portion of Ward 6.
ANC 6A has been downsized, reduced to six SMDs between East Capitol and Florida and Seventh and 15th Street NE. ANC 6B expands west to meet interstate 395 at Washington Avenue and east to 15th Street SE above Potomac, dipping south at E Street and 19th Streets SE to include congressional cemetery, bounded on the south by the Anacostia River. ANC 6C is located north of East Capitol, but the area has been reduced. The area is now south of Florida Avenue, west of Seventh Street NE and east of Union Station along First Street NE and then north along the railway tracks.
As noted, two SMDs in Ward 6, the section of Navy Yard bounded by H Street and M Streets SE and South Capitol and New Jersey Avenue SE, are now part of a joint Ward 6 and Ward 8 ANC. They are SMD 8F05 to the north and 8F04 to the south. The redistricting of Navy Yard into Ward 8 significantly shrinks the bounds of ANC 6D, moving the eastern boundary to the I-395 South Capitol Street SW, and south of Independence Avenue SE. ANC 6D reaches south to encompass Hain’s Point south of East Basin Drive.
Many readers of the Hill Rag are now residents of Ward 7, meaning they have new SMDs and representatives. The new boundaries of Ward 7 encompass three neighborhoods west of the Anacostia: Kingman Park, included in 2000; the portion of Hill East that is east of 15th Street; and Rosedale. Both of the latter were formerly in Ward 6.
The Ward 7 Redistricting Taskforce incorporated these neighborhoods into two cross-river ANCs: 7D and 7F. Former residents of ANC 6A07, 6A08, 6B09 and 6B10 are now in Ward 7 ANCs 7D06, 7D07, 7D08 and 7D10. Meanwhile, the former 7D01 retains the same boundaries but is now 7D05. ANC 7F07, which is entirely populated by the DC Jail, also remains the same. Phase 1 and 2 of the Reservation 13 development, including the Park Kennedy Apartments (1901 C St. SE) and The Ethel (1901 C St. SE) are part of ANC 7F08.
Changes in Representation
The changing of boundaries also seems to have ushered in a period of refresh for many Hill commissions. Many long-serving commissioners decided not to seek re-election in 2022. That included Andy Litsky, who represented parts of Southwest for more than four decades. Karen Wirt (6C01), the outgoing chair of ANC 6C who was first elected in 1992, also chose to step down after thirty years; and Kirsten Oldenburg stepped down from ANC 6B after ten years of service.
There is no commissioner representing Litsky’s most recent SMD, 6D04. Bob Link represents 6D01, and Ashton Rohmer and Bruce Levine have stepped up to represent 6D05 and 6D06 respectively. Commissioners Ron Collins (6D02), Gail Fast (6D03), Fredrica “Rikki” Kramer (6D)7) and Rhonda Hamilton (6D08) return to the commission.
Only two of the commissioners who represented ANC 6B in 2022 ran for and won re-election; Jerry Sroufe and Edward Ryder now represent ANC 6B02 and 6B08 respectively; Ryder was elected Chair of ANC 6B. Meanwhile, Chander Jayaraman, who stepped down last term to stage a run for an at-large DC Council seat, now represents the new 6B06 and is Vice-Chair of the commission.
David Sobelsohn, a former commissioner in ANC 6D, now represents 6B03 and Matt LaFortune moves from the ANC’s transportation committee to the commission, representing 6B09. Newcomers fill out ANC 6B, including Frank Avery, taking over 6B01 from Jennifer Samolyk; Francis “Frank” D’Andrea, representing 6B04; Kasie Durkit, representing 6B05 and taking on the role of Parliamentarian; and Vince Mareino representing 6B07.
Many of the commissioners in the newly-constituted ANC 6A were re-elected to their redefined SMDs. In 6A01, incumbent Keya Chatterjee returns to office; Amber Gove (6A04), Laura Gentile (6A05) and Robb Dooling (6A06) were also re-elected. Newcomers include Mike Velasquez (6A02), Roberta Shapiro (6A03), and Steve Moilanen (6A07), the latter jumping in with a role as treasurer.
ANC 6C also experienced a mixture of consistency and change. Commissioners Jay Adelstein (6C03), Mark Echenwiler (6C04) and Joel Kelty (6C05) returned to the commission; former Transportation Public Space (TPS) Committee Chair Christy Kwan now represents 6C01. New to the commission are Leslie Merke (6C02), Patricia Eguino (6C06) and Tony T. Goodman (6C07).
New Ward 7 and 8 Hill Commissions
On the east side of the Hill, the new Hill SMDs run east to west from 15th Street to roughly 19th Street NE. Residents living between Benning Road and F Street NE are represented by Marc Friend (7D06). Those living between F Street and the alley north of C Street NE, by Brett Astmann (7D07). Returning Commissioner Brian Alcorn (7D08) represents residents living between that alley and a line that steps down, starting at East Capitol, then bisecting the block along the alley between 17th and 18th Streets SE, then to A Street SE. From that line to Masschaussetts Ave SE, residents are represented by newcomer Ashley Schapitl (7D09).
Those living in SMD 7D10, between Massachusetts Avenue SE and Potomac Avenue SE are currently without representation. Commissioner Ebony Payne (7D05) represents residents living between Benning Road and Independence Avenue SE, from 19th Street to the river, but not the area from C Street to Lot 3 of RFK Stadium (part of 7D08).
Meanwhile, the areas east of 19th Street SE, south of Independence Avenue SE and north of the DC Jail are part of 7F07, a cross-river SMD that reaches Benning-Stoddart Recreation Center near Fort Chaplin Park. That SMD is represented by returning Commissioner Shirley Thompson-Wright. The DC Central Detention Facility and Correctional Treatment Facility are located in 7F08, bordered by 19th Street SE, the Congressional Cemetery and the river. That SMD is represented by Leonard Eugene Bishop.
Edward Daniels, former representative of 6D07, returns to represent the newly defined 6/8F04. He is joined by newcomers Nic Wilson (8F01) representing the area from Virgina Avenue SE to the river, and roughly Fourth Street to 11th Street SE. Rick Murphree represents 6/8F02, an area from M Street SE south to the river and from South Capitol Street SE to Fourth Street SE. Brian Strege represents 6/8F03, from Virginia Avenue to M Street SE and New Jersey Avenue to Third Street (plus one block south of L Street SE). Daniels represents the area from I Street SE to M Street SE and from South Capitol Street to New Jersey Avenue SE, with the exception of a block north of K Street along New Jersey Avenue. That block is part of 6/8F05, bounded otherwise on the south by I Street SE and to the north by the Southeast Freeway, and by South Capitol Street and New Jersey Avenue to east and west. It is represented by newcomer Clayton Aristotle Rosenberg.
You can find your ANC and SMD by visiting https://openanc.org/index.html. Learn more about ANCs at anc.dc.gov.
