The Ward 5 Report: Full Term Edition

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John A. Wilson Building

1350 Pennsylvania Ave. NW, Suite 506

Washington, DC 20004

(202) 724-8028

The Ward 5 Report:

Full Term Edition

January 9, 2014


Ward 5 Highlights

Swearing In

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

John Burroughs

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

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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