Single Member District 3C06 represents the heart of the Cleveland Park business district, including the businesses and residents on the east side of Connecticut Avenue between Quebec and Macomb Streets and the block east of Connecticut that includes Medium Rare, Indique and the residences behind them.
While voters have two good choices of candidates running to represent them, we are excited to endorse Tammy Gordon.
Gordon is an Ordway Gardens resident who currently serves on ANC 3C’s Safe, Sustainable, and Equitable Transportation Committee. “I want to do all I can to make the Cleveland Park Main Street corridor filled with vibrant businesses and safe streets,” says Gordon, adding “A Cleveland Park filled with good restaurants, a great coffee shop, and thriving small businesses is my North Star.” Cleveland Park has no better boosters than Tammy Gordon and her canine buddy, Ike.
Gordon sees a role for more housing in the commercial area and thinks there is room between no growth and massive development. She supports moving forward on getting protected bike lanes on Connecticut Ave, saying the pandemic was an eye-opener, “My mind was opened to how easy it is to get around with so many different types of transportations besides my car. But now that speeding traffic is back on Connecticut Avenue, it’s too scary to bike.”
The historic aspect of the neighborhood is one of the things that drew Gordon to Cleveland Park, but she is worried that historic preservation may need more flexibility, “Historic buildings that are empty, can’t retain business and are falling apart don’t lead to our neighborhood being a vibrant community to live, work and play.”
Justin Daniels, the other candidate for this seat and a resident of Macomb Street, puts his focus on a safer Connecticut Ave, adding housing and upkeep of our public spaces.
Daniels sees the opportunity for denser housing on our commercial strip, “My top priority for these areas is the construction of apartments at the highest density allowed (currently medium density). I believe that this can be accomplished while respecting our neighborhood’s historic character and charm. A certain percentage of these units should be set aside as affordable housing.”
Like Gordon, Daniels is concerned about historic preservation being used to inhibit positive change, “Concerns about historic character should not limit the reasonable construction of much-needed housing or changes to the exteriors of commercial buildings.”
On Connecticut Ave, Daniels says, “I fully support Concept C, and my top priority as Commissioner will be refining the plan to suit our neighborhood’s needs, with a special concern to safety and business access.”
Should Tammy Gordon win this seat, we hope Justin Daniels stays active in support of positive change in Cleveland Park. His ideas are what this community needs. However, we think Tammy Gordon’s experience working with ANC 3C, her service on the board of the DC Public Library and her unmatched social media game will better serve her constituents as an effective Commissioner from day one. For these reasons we urge voters to support and vote for Tammy Gordon.
You can learn more about Tammy and how to support her campaign through her website, Tammygordon.com and via twitter @tammy.
You can read all of the candidates’ responses to the CPSG candidate questionnaire here.
Cleveland Park Smart Growth 