At a recent meeting of the Chevy Chase Advisory Neighborhood Commission, the body of elected officials was set to vote on how to oppose the planned use of synthetic turf on a new athletic field.
Washington, D.C
For some District ANC commissioners, a difficult decision to run again
Gore is among the hundreds of Advisory Neighborhood Commissioners (often shortened to “ANC”) across the District. The unpaid role is one of the most important yet accessible positions in local politics, requiring just 25 signatures to make the November ballot. But data from the D.C. Board of Elections shows that as of Friday, 117 out of 345 commissioner seats did not yet have a single interested candidate.
Kent Boese, director of D.C.’s Office of the Advisory Neighborhood Commission, which provides oversight and technical assistance to all ANCs, said in an interview that this number should not be a cause for alarm. Some incumbent commissioners may be waiting until closer to the Aug. 7 deadline to pick up petitions and turn in signatures, which can be done in a day, he said. Those who aren’t on the formal ballot can also launch a write-in campaign during the general election, as dozens of ANC candidates did two years ago.
But Boese said a “much bigger concern” is a recent spate of commissioner turnover, which erodes the transfer of institutional knowledge. Sixty-three percent of commissioners who won election in 2022 were new to the job, he said — a likely sign of fatigue among incumbents.
In interviews, veteran commissioners said that it wasn’t an easy decision to run again for a position that has sometimes made them a target for angry neighbors. Others, describing the role as fulfilling yet thankless, say it can be difficult to perform well as an ANC while also juggling day jobs and familial obligations — renewing discussions about whether District lawmakers should consider more incentives, like a stipend, to fuel interest and more competitive races. A D.C. Council bill that could change that got a hearing last year.
Gore, who has twice run unsuccessfully for D.C. Council, said she hesitated before deciding to pick up paperwork this month to run for a third two-year term as an ANC, pointing largely to balancing the job with family commitments.
“Some community members are like, ‘Why put yourself through it?’ But at my core, I’m a public servant,” Gore said. “It seems like there’s more hesitancy than in the past. This is the first time we’ve had to scramble to ensure people are comfortable taking the seat.”
‘Why did I do this?’
Legal analyst Michael Zeldin, another two-term commissioner in ANC 3/4G, is done with it.
Zeldin, 73, said he found the job largely rewarding, but noted the role has also kept him busy for an average of 20 hours per week on issues that residents care about deeply, from the long-stalled Connecticut Avenue bike lane project to addressing “potholes the size of New Jersey.”
“There are moments where you think, ‘Why was I so unlucky to have won?’” Zeldin said. “When things affect people, sometimes those frustrations come to you in a very difficult way. And when I hear about other commissioners who are leaving because of that, I can say, ‘I get it.’”
City code instructs many D.C. government agencies to give “great weight” to recommendations and concerns raised by the city’s 46 Advisory Neighborhood Commissions, which represent about 2,000 residents and may contain anywhere from two to 10 commissioners depending on population density.
The commissions are tasked with keeping up regular public meetings, managing modest budgets, and frequently draft resolutions to indicate support of or opposition to local zoning decisions, liquor license renewals and more. But these elected officials are also often the eyes, ears and voices of their neighborhoods. And for some, the role is a first foray into local politics; some of the city’s most prominent leaders got their start as a commissioner, including Mayor Muriel E. Bowser (D).
Tricia Duncan, who chairs the seven-person commission that represents Ward 3 neighborhoods including Foxhall, Kent and the Palisades, said she’s at times been treated harshly by neighbors during her tenure, particularly as the commission facilitated conversations on contentious proposals involving a marijuana dispensary and new school building. “I wasn’t sure if I was going to run again, if I’m being honest,” said Duncan, a well-known community advocate who ran unsuccessfully for the Ward 3 Council seat two years ago.
“Seventy percent of the things that people say to me are wonderful. They thank me for keeping an eye on the neighborhood, updating the listserv, and that’s what keeps me in this,” Duncan added. “But I also get shouted down when I go to my farmers market … I’ve had people scream at me that I should be ashamed.”
Former Ward 4 commissioner Zach Israel declined to run for a second term in 2022 after the birth of his second child, believing he wouldn’t be able to balance the role while caring for his growing family. But while some parts of the job were frustrating, Israel said he found even the tedious bits to be rewarding.
While no longer an elected commissioner, Israel still uses his social media to break news to residents and keep tabs on ANC vacancies, reminding anyone who will listen to pick up a petition. He is a proponent of legislation introduced by council member Christina Henderson (I-At Large) and backed by a majority of lawmakers that would stand up a task force to make recommendations on compensation for D.C.’s many elected officials, boards and commissions.
The legislation notes that there are nearly two dozen city boards and commissions whose members receive pay for their work.
“A lot is asked of ANC commissioners, and the mayor and ward-level council members often refer their constituents to their ANC,” Israel said. “There needs to be some level of monetary compensation for people engaged in these public services.”
‘Exhausting, to be frank’
Boese, the head of D.C.’s Office of the Advisory Neighborhood Commission who served as an ANC for 12 years, said that while he is confident that more residents will pick up petitions to access the ballot in the next couple weeks, he remains focused on how best to support the city’s high number of rookie commissioners.
“The other thing that played a big role in turnover last term, it was not easy to serve during the pandemic — it was exhausting, to be frank,” he said. “And for those who chose to continue, there may be a lingering effect as well.”
Many commissioners don’t find their stride until the closing months of their first term, Boese said. To support the newbies, Boese’s office offers a boot camp and trainings throughout the year. And after early challenges during the pandemic, virtual and hybrid meetings are a mainstay. His office is now better equipped to provide technical support.
Until the council takes up the issue of pay, Boese’s office is also pushing for ways to make notoriously complex commissioner roles, like treasurer, more accessible to residents. Until recently, he said as an example, ANCs could only make payments through checks and debit cards; but a change to the law his office pushed for creates more flexibility for electronic payments.
“We need checks and balances still, but we need paths for guidance so commissions aren’t hamstrung trying to do the basics,” Boese said. “It’s not sexy stuff, but sometimes the problem is in the details.”
Across the Anacostia River, the Rev. Wendy Hamilton, chair of ANC 8D, hopes more of her neighbors will show interest in joining her. Her ANC has two vacancies, and while some incumbents have shown interest in returning, none except Hamilton have picked up a petition to run.
She expects the seats will be filled — but recently spoke to one incumbent co-commissioner who made it clear they didn’t have the energy for a second term.
“They told me, ‘People don’t understand that we don’t get paid to do this,’” Hamilton said. “And they’re right. We don’t get paid, not only for the work we endeavor to take on, but even for some of the not-so-friendly, borderline abusive behaviors that we get subjected to.”
Whenever she does have negative encounter with a resident, Hamilton — who has run unsuccessfully to become D.C.’s nonvoting delegate to Congress — said she draws upon her background in ministry.
“I try to just let people be heard,” Hamilton said. “A lot of times, they just want to be validated.”
The expanded funding aims to make college more affordable for thousands of D.C. students, continuing a program that has already helped nearly 40,000 graduates pursue degrees nationwide.
D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser went back to school on Thursday. She headed to the gym at Coolidge High School in Northwest to make an announcement that could make college more affordable for eligible D.C. high school students.
Standing at the podium in front of a vibrant mural in the gymnasium, Bowser told the students, “A few weeks ago we got some good news from the United States Congress!”
“Even they can get it right sometimes!” she added.
The news from Capitol Hill was that funding for the 25-year-old D.C. Tuition Assistance Grant program, or DCTAG, has been increased, something Bowser said she’s been working toward for 10 years.
Starting in the 2026-27 academic year, the maximum annual award for students who apply and qualify for the grants will go from $10,000 a year to as much as $15,000, and the overall cap increases from $50,000 to $75,000.
“These are real dollars guys, a real $15,000!” Bowser told the students. “This year alone, 4,500 students were approved for DCTAG, and that’s the highest number that we’ve had in the last five years.”
Since DCTAG was established, Bowser said nearly 40,000 D.C. high school students were serviced through the program, attaining degrees at more than 400 colleges across the country.
Among those who benefited from the DCTAG program was Arturo Evans, a local business owner who grew up in Ward 7 and graduated from D.C.’s Cesar Chavez Public Charter School.
Speaking to the Coolidge students, Evans explained that as a high school student, he didn’t know if his dreams would ever come true.
“Do your homework, go to class, be on time, listen to your teachers,” he said. “Do not let your current situation determine who you can be tomorrow.”
Evans said without the grant money available in the DCTAG program his college prospects would have been “very limited.”
“I probably would have stayed local, probably would have had to go to a community college,” he said.
But he told WTOP, since he applied for and received grant money through the program, “TAG was able to pave the way for me to go ahead and achieve my dreams and go to my dream school,” at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.
While he was at UNLV, Evans said his mother’s illness meant he had to return to the District to help care for her. But thanks to help from his DCTAG adviser, he was able to complete his degree before becoming the CEO of his own D.C.-based business.
Among the Coolidge students attending the event was senior Victoria Evans (no relation to the speaker Arturo Evans), who also was in the DCTAG program and serves as the Command Sergeant Major of the Coolidge Junior Army ROTC.
Victoria Evans said she hopes to study medicine, and explained, “I found out about DCTAG through my school counselors and my college and career coordinators.”
Asked about the application process, she said, “It’s not hard at all. I would definitely say go and get the money they’re providing.”
D.C. Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton pushed to establish the funding when she introduced the D.C. College Access Act, which passed Congress in 1999. It was designed to address the fact that, since D.C. doesn’t have a state university system, D.C. students had limited access to in-state tuition at public colleges and universities.
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WASHINGTON (7News) — More than six months into the federal law enforcement surge in the District, questions remain about how the Metropolitan Police Department’s level of involvement in joint operations and what information the department tracks to ensure accountability.
Councilmember Brooke Pinto (D – Ward 2), chairwoman of the Committee on the Judiciary and Public Safety, held an oversight hearing of three public safety agencies on Wednesday, including MPD.
The bulk of the 10.5-hour meeting focused on testimony from concerned residents and Interim Chief Jeffery Carroll about the police department.
“Interim Chief Carroll’s testimony provided a clearer sense of how the federal surge of officers is managed overall; however, many questions still remain regarding the ongoing investigations into the three federal agency involved shootings and how and where deployment decisions are being made and which agencies are handling arrests,” Pinto said in a statement to 7News.
At the same time, more residents are raising alarms about federal agencies responding to 911 calls. Carroll said it is not new for agencies such as the U.S. Park Police and the U.S. Secret Service to respond to those calls, but residents are concerned that other agencies are reportedly starting to show up as well.
SEE ALSO | DC Council committee holds oversight hearing on MPD
“When we say law enforcement in DC in 2026, who are we talking about, who’s there, what are they doing, what limits and regulations and oversight are they beholden to, and what recourse do residents have?” Bethany Young, director of policy at DC Justice Lab, told 7News.
“If you call 911, MPD is showing up,” Carroll testified Wednesday. “Can other agencies hear those calls that have those radio channels? Absolutely, they can. But MPD is being dispatched a call and MPD is responding.”
“You see now the uneasiness of some people calling for help,” Councilmember Christina Henderson (I – At-Large), responded to Carroll. “No, I definitely understand,” Carroll replied. “I’m not saying it’s a situation that we want to be in or where we want to be, but I want to make sure that we’re transparent and clear on what the state is right now. That’s what the state is.”
Requests for comment were sent to the D.C. U.S. Attorney’s Office and the mayor’s office about Carroll’s testimony. The mayor did not make herself available for questions at a public event on Thursday.
Washington, D.C
DC Courts create new pathway for people without lawyers to get legal help – WTOP News
Nonlawyers who receive training will now be able to help with civil matters in D.C., as part of a new order issued by D.C. Courts that expands access to legal assistance.
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DC Courts create new pathway for people without lawyers to get legal help
Nonlawyers who receive training will now be able to help with civil matters in D.C., as part of a new order issued by D.C. Courts earlier this month that expands access to legal assistance for people without an attorney.
The rule, scheduled to take effect in April, creates a framework for Community Justice Workers, or nonlawyers who are supervised and trained to offer limited legal assistance through a partnership with legal services organizations.
The step comes after a yearslong assessment into the possible role for nonlawyers in offering certain types of legal help to D.C. residents.
As of 2017, 97% of plaintiffs in paternity and child support cases, and in small estate matters, represent themselves in D.C. Superior Court, according to a 2025 report from the District of Columbia Courts Civil Legal Regulatory Reform Task Force.
“We are facing an extraordinary need,” said Nancy Drane, executive director of D.C.’s Access to Justice Commission. “There are thousands of District residents who are not getting the legal help they need.”
The Community Justice Worker model could be compared to seeing a nurse practitioner in a doctor’s office. Ariel Levinson-Waldman, director of nonprofit Tzedek D.C., said someone who goes through a supervised program would be able to provide help, “just like your nurse practitioner does.”
Tzedek D.C. offers pro bono legal help and financial counseling. But, Levinson-Waldman said, there are thousands of people who are eligible for their services and the work of similar providers, and only a select few are available to help.
“Many of the court’s high-volume dockets are cases where the individual D.C. resident is not getting any help,” he said. “This effort, we saw that as a way to change that, to bring more people into opportunities for access to justice, to bring more resources to the problem.”
Whether it be divorce, custody cases, small claims or child support cases, the stakes are high.
Without an attorney or someone who can help in some way, cases often go “less well than it would have. It impacts their family, their future, their finances, sometimes access to the custody of their children,” Levinson-Waldman said.
In some instances, Drane said people experiencing issues such as eviction or family conflict navigate cases without help from a lawyer because legal help is expensive. Free legal service groups have limited capacities and budgets.
Under the Community Justice Worker model, organizations could either train their own staffs to help or partner with community nonprofits.
“What this would mean, practically, is that we will have more helpers in the community who are trained and authorized to provide certain types of legal help,” Drane said. “The real beauty of Community Justice Workers is that they receive what I would call ‘bite-sized training for bite-sized tasks.’”
Karen Dale, market president and CEO of AmeriHealth Caritas District of Columbia, said people “need assistance, they need support. Having someone by your side to help you navigate with a level of specificity, get you to the right resources in a timely way, should be able to help less lives and families and communities get derailed.”
The approach, Levinson-Waldman said, will provide a formal way for “public spirited” volunteers to help their neighbors.
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© 2026 WTOP. All Rights Reserved. This website is not intended for users located within the European Economic Area.
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