A local governing body confirmed the resignations of two commissioners on Tuesday, a month after they were forced to adjourn their last meeting early because more than half of the members weren’t present.
At the Foggy Bottom and West End Advisory Neighborhood meeting Tuesday, 2A01 Commissioner Yannik Omictin said former 2A07 commissioner Dasia Bandy and former 2A08 commissioner Jordan Nassar resigned from the governing body. The announcement comes after the ANC was forced to adjourn their September meeting early, shelving four agenda items, because they only had four members present and needed a minimum of five members, or more than half of the nine-member ANC, to reach the legally mandated quorum.
Bandy, a May 2024 GW graduate, announced at the ANC’s July meeting that she would resign from the commission pending a move outside D.C. to pursue further education. Omictin said at the July meeting that two other commissioners hadn’t resigned from the ANC, despite not attending meetings. Nassar hadn’t attended a meeting since September 2023 prior to his resignation and 2A09 commissioner Evelyn Hudson hasn’t attended a meeting since May 2023 due to health issues.
Omictin said at Tuesday’s meeting that after Bandy and Nassar officially resigned, the commission shrunk to seven members, allowing them to meet with only four commissioners present.
Commissioners also passed a resolution calling for an investigation into the fatal police shooting of Justin Robinson, a 26-year-old Black man, in Southeast D.C., an agenda item they tabled at their last meeting.
Here are some of the meeting’s highlights:
Bylaws committee presents first round of revisions
2A05 Commissioner Luke Chadwick read the first round of revisions to the body’s bylaws which the Bylaws Special Committee developed over six meetings. Commissioners created the committee in February and appointed members in April to align the ANC’s internal governance with the D.C. code.
Chadwick read the changes, which include adjusting the beginning of the ANC’s terms from their current time, noon on the first business day of the year to noon on the second day of January or noon on the day after the D.C. Board of Elections certifies the election, whichever is later.
”I’m very hopeful that our work has achieved a moderate set of revisions that should be agreeable to all of our colleagues,” Chadwick said.
2A06 Commissioner Joel Causey said their bylaws should focus on holding future commissioners accountable, and proposed raising the annual attendance minimum from nine to ten meetings.
“If a future ANC decides that they don’t want to meet as often, then the person who pays the price is the public,” Causey said.
Vice Chair and 2A03 Commissioner Trupti Patel, a member of the Bylaws Special Committee, said the nine-meeting minimum reflects D.C. legal code. The proposed amendment failed in a tied vote.
Chadwick said the ANC will continue to adjust the bylaws, with final approval expected to follow deliberation and feedback from both commissioners and the community. Patel said commissioners can amend their bylaws at any time by a two-thirds vote.
“I believe we can take motions to amend this report at this time and that would allow us to both read the amendments and then incorporate them into our upcoming vote in November,“ Chadwick said
ANC urges independent investigation into fatal police shooting
The ANC passed a resolution calling for a third-party investigation into the killing of Justin Robinson, who worked as a violence interrupter and was shot 10 times by a Metropolitan Police Department officer on Sept. 1 in the parking lot of a McDonald’s in Southeast D.C.
Commissioner Patel first introduced the resolution at the body’s September meeting, which received backlash from other commissioners for calling for departmental changes within MPD while the department’s investigation into the incident was still ongoing. The updated resolution calls for MPD oversight, condemns Robinson’s killing and requests a full independent investigation into the incident.
The updated resolution received near-full support from the ANC, passing with only one abstention from Causey, who said the United States Attorney’s Office for the District is investigating the incident.
Patel said Robinson’s family joined the previous ANC meeting and supports the body’s desire to pass a resolution calling for an investigation.
Ward 2 Councilmember Brooke Pinto has not released a statement about the killing or a prospective hearing after Deputy Mayor Lindsey Appiah sent her a letter last month identifying the officers who killed Robinson as Vasco Mateus and Bryan Gilchrist. Both of the officers are on paid administrative leave.
Commissioners approve settlement agreement for members-only club
The ANC unanimously approved a settlement agreement — or a contract for alcohol-licensed establishments to address neighborhood concerns — for Ned’s Club, a members-only club set to open this winter in President’s Park at 734 15th St. NW.
Modeled after its sister locations in London, New York, and Doha, the club will offer a rooftop bar with views of the White House and will occupy the top three floors of the building currently housing the Milken Institute, a think tank.
2A04 Commissioners Ed Comer and Causey both stated they felt “blindsided” by the settlement, which Patel presented, because they felt uninvolved in the settlement process, which Causey said the commission is usually consulted on.
“I’m confused here, because this is the first we’re hearing about some type of settlement agreement, and no one else in the commission that I’m not aware of is aware of this agreement that’s been going on,” Causey said.
The club will be surrounded by high-security buildings, which Causey said could pose safety concerns because the restaurant plans to implement a summer garden, where people can sit outside. The Ned’s Club representatives said aside from a preliminary inspection, the Secret Service has expressed no safety concerns.
“What approvals have they obtained from the Secret Service if this is going to be outside?” Causey said.
The ANC will meet next on Nov. 13 at 7 p.m.
