Name: Matthew Bradfield

What is your ANC and SMD?
ANC 4C07

What is the best way for constituents to contact you?
mattbforanc@gmail.com; Twitter.com/palerider318

Introduction
I am a single professional currently working as a legal assistant for the DC Office of Administrative Hearings.

What's a hobby or something fun that you are interested in?
My hobbies include riding my bike, reading, and trying to get caught up on my eternal backlog of good TV to watch.

What are your qualifications?
I believe that I would make a great commissioner for 4C07 due to a number of different reasons. Firstly, I'm a District government employee. Obviously I would never think about using my position for unfair benefit (Hello BEGA), but as an employee of the District I have greater insight into some of the municipal processes that can be hard to decipher from the outside looking in. I want to assist my neighbors in understanding how these processes happen and what resources are available to them, and the ANC is a great way to do so.

In addition, I'm a young renter and will bring a fresh perspective to the ANC. Well established homeowners can often be over-represented on commissions and I feel that having someone who better understands the current state of renting in the District would facilitate a more well-rounded approach when dealing with housing issues.

Finally, I will be another Spanish-speaking voice on the ANC who can advocate for our neighbors with limited English ability. I certainly don't claim to be completely fluent, but I've used my Spanish on a number of occasions to help people with District Government related problems as part of my job. Being better able to communicate with our neighbors will enable us to be better commissioners and more equitably serve the entire neighborhood.

What are the ANC meetings?
ANC 4C hosts a meeting over WebEx every second Wednesday of the month.

Are you going to hold SMD meetings?
Given I would be a new member of the ANC, I doubt I would have the final say on it, but I believe the current arrangement of a monthly virtual meeting works well. It may be prudent to resume holding in-person meetings while also continuing to stream them over WebEx or Zoom to maximize opportunities for public participation, but that is a conversation best had with the current ANC members.

Do you attend other meetings?

Matthew’s Priorities
My top priorities while serving on the ANC will be traffic/pedestrian safety, easier access to city services and increased housing construction.

Although I have not been a District resident for very long, I am committed to serving as an tireless advocate for its residents. DC is one of the best places in the nation to live, but there is always room to improve. Affecting positive change is often best realized from the bottom up, and I hope to do so through the ANC.

Editor’s Note: All content is directly from the candidates with only minor edits for simple typographical issues. All photos are from the candidates. No endorsement is implied by these articles — hopefully you learn more about the people who want to represent you. Please vote!

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