Dear Ward 5 neighbors,
Oversight is year-round. While the early months of the year are loaded with performance oversight hearings, giving way to budget oversight hearings in spring, there is also the real, behind-the-scenes work of visits to agency facilities, neighborhood walks, and many meetings. All of this is oversight as we hold District government accountable and ensure agencies are delivering the services residents expect and deserve.
Many of you already know this first-hand. You have been on phone calls, long email threads, meetings, or community walks with members of my team as we’ve worked to coordinate between agencies and address issues both on the neighborhood-level and across government.
This summer, one way I’m proactively continuing my office’s work of oversight is through a Ward 5 Housing Conditions Tour. As I shared last week, we kicked this tour off with a visit to the Hecht Warehouse in Ivy City. This looked like bringing together numerous agencies (the Office of the Tenant Advocate, the Department of Buildings, the Department of Licensing and Consumer Protection, the Department of Health, the Department of Public Works, the Department of Transportation, and Office of the Attorney General) with property management, area businesses, and impacted residents to address numerous outstanding concerns both inside and outside the building. Agencies tackled some issues in real-time, and documented action steps for long-term needs. All of this is in service of Ward 5 neighbors who call the Hecht Warehouse home.
And our work is not done. Every Ward 5 neighbor deserves stable, clean, safe housing. As we continue our Ward 5 Housing Conditions Tour this summer, it is a reminder that oversight does not just happen from the dais—it also happens from the alleyways, sidewalks, and doorsteps we call home.
Ward 5 Wave Podcast
This week on The Ward 5 Wave, I dig into the topic of oversight with newly sworn-in At-Large Councilmember Elissa Silverman. Councilmember Silverman is no stranger to the Wilson Building, having previously served from 2015-2023. In that time, she became well-known as an oversight powerhouse. We talk about her oversight secret sauce, have some fun and chat about her favorite spots to get pizza in Ward 5. Take a listen wherever you get your podcasts, or click here!
