I've lived in Bloomingdale for more than twenty years, and I'm already doing the work. This office would let me build the relationships and marshal the resources to do more of it for our community.
The city treats rats for free, and it works best when a whole street signs up at once. A Seaton Place neighbor organized it this summer, and city crews have now treated the block. Now three petitions cover all of 5E03. Tap your block on the map to find yours, add your address in a few seconds, and ask your neighbors to do the same.
Treatment is most effective when rats are deprived of both food and places to hide. Here are some recommendations from DC Health and our neighbors:
The city offers more free help than most of us know about, from alley cleaning to free wire mesh for sealing burrows. Our neighbors' Rat Guide lists the city services and how to request them.
Rats don't stop at property lines. I'll help every block organize its own petition, time neighboring blocks together, work with the restaurants to better secure their trash, and ask the city to report whether it's working.
Three times I've seen a car jump the curb on our kids' walk to school. The city promised a plan. I'll get a date for it, and I'll tell you what they say, including when the answer is nothing.
You should know who your commissioner is and hear back when you ask for help. I'll answer your email and send a short update after every ANC meeting.
I moved to Washington in the early 1990s and into my house in Bloomingdale in 2002. Except for two years away during a renovation, this has been home ever since.
I was living here when our neighborhood was dealing with a lot of gun violence. Neighbors rallied. We pushed for speed bumps and cameras, worked with the city and the mayor's office for more protection, and looked out for each other. It worked.
The pandemic disrupted the interconnected spirit of our community, so we've been rebuilding it. For the last several years we've held an annual dinner that progresses through a series of houses along the block, so neighbors can get to know one another and share in each other's cooking. We also host a block party every summer.
When a neighbor wanted to start the rat petition this summer, that network was already in place. That's the work I want to do for all of 5E03.
ANC seats are nonpartisan. I'm a progressive, and I'll work with anyone who wants to fix a problem on our blocks.
I'm an intellectual property attorney with an engineering background. Before private practice I spent six years as a patent examiner at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, and earlier I worked with the UN Food and Agriculture Organization on the right to food.
Pro bono work has been some of the most fulfilling and educational work of my career. I've represented children facing immigration proceedings alone, and communities that couldn't afford a lawyer. There was always more to be done and more people to help.
Representing our neighborhood is an extension of that pro bono spirit. I'm already doing the community building and the problem solving. I'd like to do it as your commissioner.
There are two ways to get involved. They overlap, and plenty of people will do both.
Help directly between now and November 3. With a few neighbors, we can reach all of 5E03 in an afternoon.
I'll be in touch within a day or two. In the meantime, the fastest way to help is to tell three neighbors.
Patrick
The ANC race is near the end of the ballot. Look for Advisory Neighborhood Commissioner 5E03 and Patrick J King.