“With mixed emotions,” Mike Velasquez announced his resignation as representative of Advisory Neighborhood Commission (ANC) 6A02 at the Oct. 9 meeting. His resignation is effective Oct. 31,
Velasquez’s SMD covers the block south of H Street between Seventh and 11th Street NE, two blocks south of H Street between 11th and 13th Streets NE and five blocks north of H between Seventh and Tenth Streets NE.
Velasquez said the decision followed “deep reflection” on what was best for the community and his family.
First elected in 2023, Velasquez served as the Chair of the ANC Alcohol, Beverage and Cannabis (ABC) Committee. In comments made while announcing his resignation, he pointed to successes in welcoming more than a dozen new bars and restaurants to the H Street corridor. “These locally-owned small businesses continue to bring new flavors, vitality, and even late-night laughter to our blocks,” he said.
Velasquez noted “thoughtful zoning changes” made to advance development on H Street, ruefully noting that once that work resumes it will create hundreds of new homes. Construction on three projects has been stalled, with developers citing borrowing and materials costs. Velasquez also noted community work repairing sidewalks on G Street and slowing down traffic on the streets.
He said he was especially proud of the way the community came together after the murder of 31-year-old Blake Bozeman outside a lounge on the 1300 block. “Our community’s bravery drove us to work hand-in-hand with MPD and together we took violent drug traffickers operating at Eighth and H off our streets,” he said.
“That victory belongs to every neighbor who refused to look the other way and chose action over fear.”
Commissioner Roberta Shapiro thanked Velasquez for his work, joking that she felt inclined to invoke the “Hotel California Rule”: “you can check out anytime you want but you can never leave.” Expressing her empathy for the trials of adolescence, she told Velasquez that he would leave “a huge hole in this ANC.”
Velasquez said that he was stepping away from the role on the ANC, but not away from the neighborhood. The demands of parenting two teenagers required more of his time and energy than ever before, he explained, stretching his energy beyond what the role deserves.
“These two young men need a father who can fully show up,” Velasquez said, “just as you deserve an ANC Commissioner who can give their best.”
The DC Board of Elections will file the vacancy with the DC Register after Oct. 31. Once the Board has done so, qualified candidates for ANC 6A02 may file petitions with the board. Learn more and check the vacancy list at dcboe.org/candidates/anc-advisory-neighborhood-commissioners
