Bates Area Civic Association

From: “Thomas, Bradley Ashton (SMD 5E05)” <5E05@anc.dc.gov>

Subject: Urgent Call to Action: FY2019 Budget Request

Date: March 6, 2018 at 11:10:05 AM EST

To: “Thomas, Bradley Ashton (SMD 5E05)” <5E05@anc.dc.gov>

Good Morning Friends and Neighbors:

The Mayor is finalizing her budget recommendations for Fiscal Year 2019.  You should have just received a copy of the message I sent this morning to her Engagement Office requesting that her budget include funding for our New York Avenue Playground.  Attached is a short piece on the history of the playground.  As I indicated in the message to the Mayor, we should fund full staffing of the playground, not just because of it’s place in D.C. history, but also because having an open, vibrant recreation center in our neighborhood could go along way toward increasing public safety by giving our children and youth a healthy alternative to gang activity.  

Even though I am a highly paid Advisory Neighborhood Commissioner (just kidding, ANC is a completely volunteer position if you didn’t already know that), if I am the only one calling for funding for the New York Avenue Playground, it won’t even be considered in this year’s budget calculus.  On the other hand, the Mayor and the members of the Council are political animals so if they get 100 e-mail messages requesting or demanding funding, they will take notice.  That’s because 100 messages equates to 10,000 votes in the eyes of politicians who know that only 1% of citizens who are concerned about an issue actually act on those concerns.

Here is the call to action:  I need everyone who receives this message to send a short e-mail message to engagement.dc@dc.gov saying that you want the Mayor and the Council to include funding for staffing of the New York Avenue Playground, as specified in ANC5E Resolution Number 2017-002, in the District’s FY2019 budget.  Please copy me and Ward 5 Council Member Kenyan McDuffie, At-Large Council Members Anita Bonds, Elissa Silverman, David Grosso and Robert White, Jr., as well as Council Chair Phil Mendelson on the message.  The e-mail address for each council member is First Initial Last Name @ dccouncil.us, (for example ABonds@dccouncil.us).  Our goal is 100 e-mail messages but if we get 200, even better.