ANC 4D04 candidates Jamie Barden and Chrysanthe Courniotes

Advisory Neighborhood Commission 4D is supposed to have six commissioners, but the extremely talented Commissioner David Sheon resigned from the Commission earlier this year to give more time to his non-profit that helps young adults, Community Carrot. In his absence, a special election to fill the empty seat is scheduled for Tuesday, October 17 starting at 6:30pm at the regular ANC 4D monthly meeting at Washington Latin Public Charter School (5200 2nd St NW) .

You can only vote if you live in Single Member District 4D04, and you have to vote in person, at the meeting.

To help residents get to know the candidates, below are quick interviews with both Jamie Barden and Chrysanthe "CC" Courniotes, offered in no particular order (I flipped a coin).

You can meet these candidates at the ANC 4D Fun Day on Saturday, Oct 14th, from noon-4pm, at Truesdell Elementary School's playground area (800 Ingraham St NW).

Jamie Barden

I bought my house in Petworth four years ago after living in Mt. Pleasant for seven years. I grew up locally as well, near Great Falls Park in Maryland. Since moving to Petworth, I met my wife, we adopted our dog Marko from the Rescue League, and we got married at Glen Echo Park. The city and the neighborhood have been a wonderful place to build a life.

I have been teaching at Howard University for more than a decade, so having strong schools is important to me as is finding jobs for people out of work. My research focuses on stereotyping and prejudice, so I see making all residents feel included is an essential part of a healthy community.

I have been walking around the neighborhood with my “running mate” Marko, listening to what this community means to people. Here’s what I’veheard so far:

Community means everyone shares in our prosperity. As a block captain, I worked hard to publicize an Expungement Summit, where those with minor offenses in their younger years had their records cleared, opening up new job opportunities for them. We need to find more ways to tackle poverty among those we meet every day in our neighborhood.

Community means supporting young families. I support paid family leave and strong neighborhood schools that are open to and responsive to the community.

Community means paying it back to our seniors. I support programs that help seniors stay in their Homes.

Let's be clear, our neighborhood is experiencing a LOT of change. But, as Mayor Muriel Bowser has said (paraphrasing), "Petworth has always had a strong voice in directing that change." I am committed to helping to direct that change for the betterment of EVERYONE.

Why are you running for ANC?

It's a bit of a story, so bear with me. About a year ago, our block experienced gun violence for a period of time. I am proud to say that, with our ANC David Sheon's help, we came together as a community and built a consensus on what to do. We worked with many different agencies and we made our block safe again so children can play out front again and seniors can sit on the front porch and keep an eye on the neighborhood. I realized how much of a difference a neighborhood commissioner can make, by empowering us and connecting us to the right agencies, we made our own community safe again.

Every block has its challenges. I want to be a commissioner to help people build consensus and address issues together. One issue on almost every block in 4D04 is vacant and blighted property which endangers the homes and health of people living nearby. Our community activism has led DCRA to finally post a 2017 list of vacant properties. Unfortunately, properties are still missing from this list and we have not heard anything regarding a promised public database that would be updated more regularly. I will continue to push for transparency and accountability on this issue.

Chrysanthe "CC" Courniotes

My name is Chrysanthe "CC" Courniotes and I have lived in Washington, D.C., for over 12 years and bought my home in Petworth 6 years ago. I am a health consultant for Booz Allen Hamilton focused on Veterans and military health policy initiatives and obtained a law degree from the David A. Clarke School of Law at UDC in May 2015. Prior to joining Booz Allen in 2008, I worked as a project manager for an Afghanistan reachback project for the Department of Defense where I traveled to Afghanistan twice and assisted with the rebuilding of both their civilian and military healthcare systems. I am known for finding ways to get things done and make a positive impact for those that I work with daily. I try to approach life with a genuine heart and my Mom who lives with me is my greatest advocate and I am happy that she moved in with me so that I can take care of her like she's taken care of me. I enjoy traveling and value my Greek heritage and try to share that heritage with everyone I know. Our home is always open to visitors.

As a UDC law graduate, I believe strongly that if you can be the voice for those that feel as if they are not being heard, then that is a powerful gift that should be utilized. I want to focus on ensuring that the elderly in the community have access to transportation, safe sidewalks to walk on, and activities that interest them. I have a unique perspective on elder care because I am a caretaker for my Mom so this issue is very personal to me. I want to make sure that the Dept. of Parks and Recreation offers more activities to the kids that are affordable and accessible, such as music and art lessons. In terms of public housing, we as commissioners need to work more closely with Councilman Todd to ensure that our residents don't feel as though they are being pushed out of their neighborhood. It is one thing to have signs in your front yard showing support for one issue or another, it is completely different to want to make an impact on those issues, and that is who I am, I am a change-maker who will get results for our community!

Why are you running for ANC?

Six years ago, as a first-time home buyer, what appealed to me about the Petworth neighborhood was the familial atmosphere that longtime residents bring to our lovely area. I am running for ANC because I want to ensure that not just the new residents of 4D-04 have a voice, but all the residents feel like their concerns are being heard and acted on.

I will work with the 4D-04 residents to have better channels of communication and to hold events where we get to know each other and work together to strengthen our neighborhood (i.e., monthly 4D-04 clean up events and front porch chats). As commissioner, I will strive to make an impact that not only focuses on making changes that are "popular" but also have a common-sense element. For example, if we try to improve our social spaces then we must make sure that there is clean water in that area as well. I plan to be the 24/7 ANC member and listen and respond to all issues, both big and small! We are all in this together, but you must have someone who goes to bat for you every day and that person is me!