2025-2026 Term
Public Service Commission: Hearing on Pepco Outages
n August 2025, After a tree fell on Barnaby Street, many homes in Barnaby Woods, as far as Tennyson and 32nd Place NW, suffered extensive and expensive damages to appliances and HVAC systems. Costs averaged $2000 per customer, and Pepco initially denied all claims as Acts of God. By working to collect data from constituents, including photos and video, we were able to show a pattern of outage that resulted from backfeeding after flawed restoration of power. I worked with the Office of People’s Counsel, Councilmember Lewis-George, and my fellow Commissioner Lisa Gore (SMD-01) to get our constituent’s case heard by the Public Service Commission. While we haven’t had a final decision, I remain cautiously optimistic that Pepco will be found responsible for preventable damage, and that our constituents will be compensated. Text of Resolution is HERE.
Trash Tracker – Summer and Fall 2026
In summer 2026, when DPW changed contractors, we again saw problems with trash pickup. I have identified many of the problematic locations as older homes with streetside pickup. I made DPW map of the entire Single Member District, with every home with streetside pickup highlighted in green, and I’ve connected both the Councilmember’s office and the new Interim Director of the Department of Public Works to make the pickups run smoothly
Accomplishments as Chair of the ANC
I became Chair of the ANC in January 2026. In addition to chairing meetings, I have
- Updated the ANC bylaws’ Table of Contents to match the actual contents;
- Worked with the Office of the ANC to get a working website at no cost to our ANC and have been keeping it updated;
- Coordinated with the Chevy Chase Community Association to have a Ranked Choice Voting presentation for our area;
- Written statutorily-required annual reports for 2023, 2024, 2025 (before my tenure) that were missing
Bear Carving- Turning a Lemon into Lemonade
When we lost a beloved White Oak at the top of Lafayette-Pointer Park in July 2025, my first call was to Urban Forestry to see if we could preserve the tree, but if not, save at least the last 20 feet of stump. While the whole tree was not salvageable, the trunk was. Through coordination with Urban Forestry, DPR, and the amazing energy of Friends of Lafayette-Pointer Park, we were able to transform the stump into a whimsical bear, delighting park visitors young and old. The message “Be Kind” echoes the words of a beloved Lafayette ES staff member, Afsheen Benab, whom we lost in 2026, and the bear itself echoes the school mascot.
Snowcrete – Getting All Streets Plowed and Trash Picked Up
Every day during Snowcrete 2026, for 3 weeks, I walked my district, first to get the streets plowed, and then to get the trash picked up. Residents on my mailing list received regular updates, and I followed up on all their service requests until the last trash was finally picked up.
Helping Across the ANC
I have worked with fellow Commissioners across the ANC. As noted above, I worked with Commissioner Gore in SMD-01 to get the Pepco outage complaints elevated to a Public Service Investigation.
I also participated in cleanup efforts at Chevy Chase Community Center (Here I am, running the belt sander to redo on of the old picnic tables) and Lafayette Pointer Park.
