Dupont Circle residents, meet your newest ANC Commissioner.
Locals overwhelmingly voted in favor of candidate John Kupcinski during a special election at ANC 2B’s general meeting at the Brookings Institution (1775 Massachusetts Avenue NW) last night.
The meeting started with a ceremonial ballot box unveiling from Director of the Office of ANCs, Gottlieb Simon. The director, with help from Mike Silverstein, 2B-06, then sealed the box with tape and officially opened the voting period. Neighbors who live in the ANC’s 2B-07 single member district — including Greater Greater Washington’s David Alpert — filed in throughout the night to cast their votes.
In the end, Kupcinski won 31 votes. His opponent, Holly Biglow, received seven. In the hallway after the election, defeated candidate Biglow was all smiles.
“I’m really happy to have been apart of this process,” she said. “This is my very first time running for something. I was glad to be apart of it.”
Moving forward, Kupcinski said the St. Thomas Church renovation, traffic issues and local development will be at the top of his agenda after he’s sworn in.
“I would need to sit down with the other ANC commissioners first, but … the traffic situation at 18th and P [streets NW] is just horrendous,” he said. “There’s also a lot of development that’s going on, especially at the Patterson Mansion … and Dupont Underground is going to be more and more important as we move forward with that project.”
Some Dupont Circle residents will have the chance to elect a new ANC commissioner tonight.
ANC 2B will tally votes tonight during a special election for former commissioner Justine Underhill’s 2B-07 seat, which was vacated in August when Underhill moved to New York City. Voting takes place between 7:30 p.m. and 9 p.m. during tonight’s ANC 2B meeting at the Brookings Institution (1775 Massachusetts Avenue NW) near Dupont Circle.
Dupont residents Holly Biglow and John Kupcinski have entered into the race for the 2B-07 seat. In previous interviews with Borderstan, both candidates have said weighing in on the planned St. Thomas Church development is at the top of their agenda if elected.
“First and foremost, … I’d like to try to [figure out] how the construction is going to happen [at the St. Thomas’ Parish], how the operations will work, how the pre-construction, construction will work,” said Kupcinski. “Just make sure there aren’t any misunderstandings. It’s going to be one of the biggest developments happening in 2B-07.”
“I know the St. Thomas Church project is a very large project,” Biglow told us. “It’s very important to the community, so that will be the number one issue that will have to be addressed.”
According to ANC 2B chair Noah Smith, 2B-09, ballots will be available in the back of the ANC meeting room. D.C. Director of the Office of ANCs, Gottlieb Simon, will check in voters as they arrive. Locals do not need to stay for the entire meeting to cast a vote, added Smith.
Dupont Circle’s ANC 2B is getting ready for a special election.
Residents Holly Biglow and John Kupcinski have entered into a race for former commissioner Justine Underhill’s 2B-07 seat, which was vacated in August when Underhill moved to New York City. Earlier this month, you heard from Kupcinski. Now, here’s your chance to hear from Biglow:
Borderstan: Tell me a little bit about why you decided to run for the 2B-07 seat.
I’ve been in the neighborhood for six years. I love the neighborhood. I love my community. I love the diversity. I love what my neighborhood stands for. I want to be apart of it. I am apart of my condominium association, so I do like being involved however I can, especially regarding where I live.
You previously thought about running for this seat, didn’t you?
When Justine [Underhill] ran, I was also interested, but I met and I spoke to her and I didn’t go through with getting signatures or anything like that.
So you didn’t run, but you were thinking about it.
Exactly. I was just interested, but I met with her and she was very passionate about it, so I sort of stepped back.
If you are elected, what will be one of your first priorities?
I know the St. Thomas Church project is a very large project. It’s very important to the community, so that will be the number one issue that will have to be addressed.
After that, I would like to work closely or continue to work with the surrounding businesses, such as the restaurants. I know there’s a lot more competition in D.C., which is driving a lot of patrons to go to different parts of D.C. I want to try to keep our area vibrant and as active as it currently it. I would definitely like to work more to try to keep the businesses in our area.
I think congestion will be addressed eventually. Traffic congestion. I’m not sure about people congestion, but I know that is a concern, especially considering the St. Thomas street project and some of the other condos that are being developed in the neighborhood, such as the Patterson House. That’s one of the things I would definitely like to keep an eye out on.
In what ways would you work with the businesses to keep patrons here?
I know that normally the businesses come to the ANC to get approval on their patios or what they can and can’t do in terms of their liquor license, or can they play music or not? I think just sort of working in that regard and being open-minded and looking in a business sense to make sure that I’m helping them to thrive and keep customers coming into our neighborhood.
I do know that the ANC scope is limited, but when they approach the ANC with things they might want to do to boost their business, instead of saying no, [I want to] look at it more like, we do want to keep people coming into the neighborhood, how can we work together and keep the neighborhood thriving?
How do you plan to interact with other neighborhood associations, if elected?
Like I said in my speech at the last ANC meeting, I’m a very open-minded person. I like working with different organizations and coalitions. That would continue with any association if I were elected to the ANC.
How would you use social media to engage with your potential future constituents?
I’m a Facebook user. I would probably use Facebook and keep people updated through Facebook. That would be my route.
Is there anything you’d want to change in the way ANC 2B operates?
Nothing that I can pinpoint right now. But I feel like the commissioners are easy to work with and they’re very nice people. I’m sure if something did come about, they would probably consider my suggestions if there’s anything that I think would need to be changed. The meetings run pretty smoothly.
Residents of the 2B-07 single member district can cast their ballots next month at the Brookings Institution on Oct. 14 at 7:30 p.m.
Click here for more information regarding voter eligibility and the voting process.
This interview was edited for length and clarity
Dupont Circle’s ANC 2B is getting ready for a special election.
Residents Holly Biglow and John Kupcinski have entered into a race for former commissioner Justine Underhill’s 2B-07 seat, which was vacated last month when Underhill moved to New York City.
The two candidates introduced themselves and touched upon community issues during “stump speeches” at last night’s ANC 2B meeting at the Brookings Institution (1775 Massachusetts Avenue NW) near Dupont Circle.
Holly Biglow, who said she’s lived in P Street NW for six years, touched upon the hotly debated issue of the St. Thomas Church development project.
“I am aware of the St. Thomas Church development project, which I know has been a major issue. I’m also aware that a neighborhood group has developed work on some of the issues they have regarding this project,” Biglow said. “I definitely commend them on all the work that they’ve done and all the things that they’ve accomplished.”
“I really look forward to working with the group if possible to continue to address the neighbor’s needs,” she added.
“This neighborhood has various issues that need to be addressed,” Biglow concluded. “I’m a very open-minded person. I really look forward to working on a vast number of issues that ANC 2B-07 and the rest of the ANC will be working on.”
Kupcinski, who owns a consulting firm in the area, then stepped in front of the microphone to introduce himself.
“I’ve been involved in the community ever since I purchased [my home] about a year and a half ago,” said Kupcinski. “I got involved in the Church Street neighbors. I got to meet lots of our wonderful neighbors and our ANC.”
“I’ve been to a lot of ANC meetings,” he added. “I’m excited about Dupont, both what it was and what it’s growing into be. I think that we’re at a very interesting point in terms of the changing dynamics and shifts as other parts of the city continue to develop.”
“Regardless of the outcome of the election, I’m still going to be involved,” he said. “You’ll still see my face on a monthly basis. You’ll still see me walking my dog around the neighborhood.”
Newly revived ANC blog Short Articles About Long Meetings recorded both speeches and uploaded them to Youtube earlier this morning.
Residents of the 2B-07 single member district can cast their ballots next month at the Brookings Institution on Oct. 14 at 7:30 p.m.
Click here for more information regarding voter eligibility and the voting process.
From David McAuley. Email at david[AT]borderstan.com.
Click for a larger map: The ANC 2B-05 special election is tonight. (DC Citizen Atlas)
A special election for the Advisory Neighborhood Commission (ANC) seat in 2B-05 will be held tonight, Wednesday, March 13, from 7:15 to 9:30 pm, at the Brookings Institution, 1775 Massachusetts Avenue NW. The March ANC 2B meeting is also tonight.
Voters must either present their voter ID card indicating that they live in 2B-05 or be on the DC Board of Elections and Ethics voter registration list.
ANC 2B-05 includes much of the area in a square between G and Q Streets NW, and 15th and 18th Streets NW.
Check this map to see if you live within the boundaries of ANC 2B-05. The candidates are Abigail Nichols and Dito Sevilla. The seat became open when former Commissioner Victor Wexler resigned following re-election in November.
Don’t understand ANCs? This Borderstan article explains.
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