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Advisory Neighborhood Commission (ANC-6D, previously ANC-2D)

What is an Advisory Neighborhood Commission, ANC?

ANCs are non-partisan, neighborhood organizations made up of locally elected representatives called Advisory Neighborhood Commissioners. The Commissioners, who serve two-year terms without pay, are elected at DC Elections in November in even-numbered years (i.e. 1998). The ANCs were established to bring government closer to the people, and to bring the people closer to government. In addition to providing people with a greater say in the matters that affect their neighborhoods, ANCs were intended to end the duplication of effort caused by the proliferation of special citizen advisory groups.

There are 37 ANCs. Each ANC area is subdivided into a number of smaller areas. Since only one Commissioner is elected per district, they are called Single Member Districts (SMDs). Each SMD consists of about 2,000 people. Although the SMDs must have equal populations, ANCs may vary in size. There are 323 SMDs citywide. ANC 2D, which includes all of near Southwest (zip code 20024), contains 6 SMDs.

Although the ANCs have little formal power, their main job is to be their neighborhood's official voice in advising the District government (and Federal agencies) on things that affect their neighborhoods. District law says that agencies cannot take any action that will affect a neighborhood unless they give the appropriate ANC 30 days' advance notice. This includes zoning, streets, recreation, education, social services, sanitation, planning, safety and health. The ANCs also initiate recommendations for improving city services, conduct neighborhood improvement programs, and monitor resident complaints.

Why do we have an ANC and SWNA?

They are different. SWNA can initiate law suits but ANCs, according to law, cannot. On the other hand, government agencies must give "great weight" to ANCs but not necessarily to other neighborhood groups. Given their complimentary strengths and weaknesses, the ANC and the SWNA have worked and will continue to work closely to protect and further the interests of the Southwest neighborhood.