I served three terms as an Advisory Neighborhood Commissioner in ANC 8A, representing the Anacostia Historic District. By the end of my second term, I was mentally exhausted.
We don’t talk about that enough.
ANC commissioners are among the elected officials closest to the people. Many of them are their neighbors. Uncollected trash, speeding cars, local development and unresponsive DC agencies force residents to their commissioner.
However, commissioners carry enormous public expectations with limited authority and resources.
Getting something accomplished requires countless emails, phone calls and meetings. One minute, you are on the phone with government agencies, navigating complicated regulations. The next, you have to respond to constituents and sometimes negotiate with developers.
And then, there are the intra-commission politics.
My greatest frustration involved protecting the Anacostia Historic District. My six fellow commissioners often did not understand or appreciate the importance of historic preservation.
At times, I felt like I was fighting the District government, developers and some of my own colleagues.
It just wears a person down.
Look at the number of vacant ANC seats in Wards 7 and 8. People do care about their neighborhood, but the job is too demanding. The District provides commissioners with little support. Fewer and fewer residents are willing or able to take on the job.
ANC commissioners are a government without the infrastructure. Councilmembers have professional staff. Agencies have attorneys, planners and policy experts. Moreover, they are unsalaried.
ANC commissioners sit at their kitchen table trying to understand a complicated zoning case, liquor-license application or development agreement, while also responding to constituents.
Rather than compensating commissioners, the District should invest in the professional infrastructure that supports them. DC could provide independent legal, zoning, planning and policy expertise to help commissioners make informed decisions without changing their role as grassroots representatives.
ANC boundaries should not bound a commissioner’s perspective. Commissioners should build relationships with colleagues in other wards. Learning how other communities approach development, public safety and constituent services can provide mindshare.
Despite the frustrations, serving as an ANC commissioner remains one of the most rewarding experiences of my life.
Serving one’s neighborhood should require commitment. However, it should not require sacrificing yourself.
