The Ward 5 Report:
Full Term Edition
January 9, 2014
Ward 5 Highlights
 Dear Resident,
I hope the holidays treated you and your loved ones well.
Last Friday, January 2, I was sworn in for my first full term as your Ward 5 Councilmember. Although it is only our first week back from Council Recess, we are already hitting the ground running. I was elected by my peers to chair the Committee on the Judiciary, and re-elected to the position of Chair Pro Tempore. We hosted an Open House to welcome residents back from the holidays and mingle with our staff. At our first legislative meeting of Council Period 21, I introduced and re-introduced legislative measures that will have a profound impact on matters pertaining to our local high technology economy, the District Government's community outreach process when public land is surplussed for private development, and pedestrian safety. In addition, civic associations and Advisory Neighborhood Commissions are back in session and I, along with my staff, am enjoying the opportunity to catch up and engage you at your local community meeting.
If you did not have a chance to attend our Open House last week, or would like to learn more about our first week back in office, please take a moment to read our bi-weekly newsletter. Thank you.
In Service,
Kenyan
Legislative & Committee Updates
Councilmember McDuffie Becomes Chair of the Committee on the Judiciary
On Friday, January 2, the Council of the District of Columbia voted for Councilmember McDuffie to become Chair of the Committee on the Judiciary
for Council Period 21. Councilmember McDuffie released the following
statement:
“It
has been an honor to serve as Chair of the Committee on Government
Operations, where, among many other legislative accomplishments, we
introduced and passed sweeping campaign finance and ethics reform
legislation. I am particularly looking forward to chairing the Committee
on the Judiciary, given my professional background in criminal justice.
Last year, I was proud to play an integral role in passing ‘ban the
box’ legislation, which will have a profound impact on reducing
recidivism and making every neighborhood in the District of Columbia
safer. As Chair of the very same committee, I will continue to seek
balanced solutions to our greatest public safety challenges.”
Kenyan began his career in public service working for
Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton shortly after graduating summa cum
laude
from Howard University. He went on to receive his Juris Doctorate from
the University of Maryland School of Law, where he served as an editor
of the Journal of Race, Religion, Gender and
Class.
Prior
to joining the Council, Kenyan worked extensively in the legal and
public safety fields. He served as a law clerk for an Associate Judge
on the 7th Judicial Circuit of Maryland and worked as an Assistant
State’s Attorney in Prince George’s County, where he prosecuted
misdemeanor and felony cases in District Court and on appeal in Circuit
Court. Kenyan served as a trial attorney for the Civil Rights Division
of the U.S. Department of Justice, where he conducted investigations and
managed cases throughout the United States regarding enforcement of key
federal civil rights statutes, including defending the rights of the
mentally ill and working to reform the policies and procedures of police
departments throughout the country. He also worked as a policy advisor
to the District’s Deputy Mayor for Public Safety and Justice.
Kenyan
is a member of the Metropolitan Washington Council on Governments’
Board of Directors as well as a member of the District’s Workforce
Investment Council. Recently, he earned the distinction of being named
one of the “Top 40 Trailblazers Under 40” by the National Bar
Association.
In
addition, Councilmember McDuffie will sit on the Committee on Finance
and Revenue and Committee on Transportation and the Environment.
Tuesday, January 6, 2015 Legislative Meeting
On
Tuesday, January 6, Councilmember McDuffie re-introduced legislation that
will allow the District to match its economic policies with the city's
first-rate information technology infrastructure. The “High Technology
Investment Authority Establishment Act of 2015,” would create a new independent authority,
whose mission and purpose will be to work as an angel investor for startup high
technology companies, to provide mentorship, access to infrastructure,
operating space, assistance with locating additional capital, and to generally
foster a tech-friendly environment in the District.
In addition, Councilmember McDuffie re-introduced the “Ruby Whitfield Way Designation Act of 2015”, which will honor the life
and memory of a remarkable, wife, mother, grandmother, sister, aunt,
and longtime Washingtonian. Mrs. Ruby Whitfield was fatally struck by a car while
leaving New Samaritan Baptist Church, which is located near the 1100 block of
Florida Avenue NE. Councilmember McDuffie believes designating the block of the street will not only serve to
honor Mrs. Whitfield’s life, but will also serve as a reminder that a lot of work
still needs to be done to ensure that our streets are safe for pedestrians.
Finally, Councilmember McDuffie introduced the “Fairness
in Public Engagement During Sale of Public Lands Amendment Act of 2015”, which
will fill the gap in the Executive’s engagement process on private developments
of public land. Currently,
the Mayor is required to hold at least one public hearing on the
proposed surplussing of any real property on District-owned land. The hearing
is to be held at an accessible evening or weekend time and in an accessible
location in the vicinity of the real property. The “Fairness in Public
Engagement During Sale of Public Lands Amendment Act of 2015” adds an additional
public hearing requirement for constituents who do not live in the surrounding area
of the proposed site to be surplussed, yet are impacted by any associated
development in their respective neighborhood.
Councilmember McDuffie Participates in My Brother's Keeper Initiative at John Burroughs Education Campus
 On Wednesday, January 7, Councilmember
McDuffie teamed up with the Women's Wing Organization to participate in a
My Brother's Keeper Initiative at John Burroughs Education Campus.
Councilmember McDuffie signed and donated a book to the school library's
Voyage Section after reading it to a group of kindergarten and first grade
students.
About My Brother's Keeper: President Obama launched
the My Brother’s Keeper initiative to address persistent opportunity
gaps faced by boys and young men of color and ensure that all young
people can reach their full potential. To learn more, please visit http://www.whitehouse.gov/my-brothers-keeper.
About Women's Wing Organization: Founded in 1995, the Women's Wing
Organization Inc., a 501.c3 entity, seeks to prevent incarnation and
reduce recidivism into our local correctional system; thereby
strengthening our communities and returning productive citizens to
society's ranks. To learn more, please visit http://womenswing.org/Home.html.
Councilmember McDuffie Swears In Ward 5 School Board Member Mark Jones
 On Friday, January 9, Councilmember McDuffie had the distinct pleasure of swearing
in Ward 5 Member and President of the District of Columbia State
Board of Education, Mark Jones. Please join us in congratulating Mr.
Jones and wishing him the best of luck with his third term!
To learn more about Mr. Jones, please go to http://sboe.dc.gov/biography/mark-jones-bio.
Announcements
A Letter from PEPCO regarding its New Customer Information System
Dear Residents,
I
am writing to advise you that Pepco is scheduled to upgrade to a new customer
information system on January 5, 2015. Our legacy systems are decades
old, lack the flexibility of current software and have become difficult and
costly to maintain and enhance. This new system will provide customer
service representatives with more information at their fingertips to help them
respond to customer inquiries.
We will be moving to an SAP system -- an advanced information system that
represents a more flexible and adaptable technology platform to support our
customer operations. SAP is a proven software platform and we have
engaged an experienced industry leader, Accenture, to serve as the system
integrator.
When we make the upgrade, every customer will receive a new account number. The
number will be located on the first page of the bill and when they log into My
Account. This new number will not be available until the system is launched.
The new number will be longer than the old one, going from 10 to 11 digits.
We encourage customers who pay their bill using their bank’s online bill
pay service to update their payment information with the new account number
once it is available, even though our systems will recognize both the old and
the new account number. Account numbers for customers enrolled in an
automatic payment program will automatically update in our database; these
customers will not need to update the account manually.
Again, we encourage customers to use their new account number, though old
account numbers will still work for outage reporting, bill payment and account
access.
December bills may reflect a shorter than normal billing period due to the
customer information system upgrade and temporary adjustments to our meter
reading schedules; January bills may reflect a longer than normal billing
period (ranging from 38 to 42 days) due to the customer information system
upgrade and temporary adjustments to our meter reading schedules. These
are temporary schedule adjustments to accommodate the upgrade to a new customer
information system; these are not long-term changes. A longer billing
period may lead to a higher bill, especially if combined with cold weather.
February bills should reflect a more normal billing cycle and should be
close to normal for that time of year, especially if winter temperatures are
not unusually cold and energy use is kept stable.
The
bill format has also been updated, effective January, resulting in an easier to
read, more customer-friendly layout.
I
should note that all of this information has been communicated to customers
through bill messages and inserts in the December bills, as well as in email
messages to customers who are enrolled in My Account. For the January
billing cycle, we will provide the information again on the bill itself and in
bill inserts. We will continue the outreach in February onward as
needed.
Finally, let me take this opportunity to wish everyone a safe and enjoyable
holiday season, and a happy, healthy and prosperous 2015.
Best regards,
Marc K. Battle, Esq. | Vice President
Potomac
Electric Power Company
701
Ninth Street N.W. | Washington, DC 20068
Small
Business Brief Advice Legal Clinic - Meet 1-on-1 With a Lawyer for Free! - Sponsored
by the Catholic University of America Columbus School of Law, Rhode Island
Avenue NE Main Street and the D.C. Bar Pro Bono Program
If
you are an existing or aspiring small business owner, meet one-on-one with
attorneys at this brief advice legal clinic. You can get answers to questions
about business formation, contracts, leases, taxes or any other legal matters
related to running a small business. Even if you do not have specific
questions, come and tell us about your business for general advice. The
attorneys may be able to address issues before they become problems!
Saturday,
January 10, 2015
9:30
am – 12:00 pm
Catholic
University of America Columbus School of Law
3600 John McCormack Drive
Washington,
DC 20017
Closest
Metro: Brookland Metro Station
Please
bring any documents relevant to the issues you wish to discuss. This is a
walk-in clinic; however, if you wish to pre-register, visit:
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/small-business-brief-advice-legal-clinic-catholic-university-law-school-tickets-14899505823
If
you have any questions, contact Darryl Maxwell, Managing Attorney at
202-737-4700, ext. 3369. Language translation services are available upon
request.
Ward 5 Events
National Symphony Orchestra in your neighborhood - Brookland to NOMA - January 6 - 12, 2015
For a complete listing on the remaining performances, please click the image below or go to http://www.kennedy-center.org/nso/MTM/Community.
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