'Divisive' Steptoe Undaunted: Continues Her Years of Public Support to Help Ward 5's Most Underserved and Vulnerable Citizens

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: CAMPAIGN OF CAROLYN C. STEPTOE FOR WARD 5 D.C. CITY COUNCIL

January 6, 2014 - Last month's dcwatch contained a post "Thinking about Council Elections." The poster states he is "confused" about Carolyn Steptoe's "candidacy for the same job," since "many in the ward perceive her as a divisive figure." http://www.dcwatch.com/themail/2013/13-12-18.htm.

Steptoe acknowledges that whenever the private agenda of any special interest group or individuals is thwarted or challenged, those supporting or perpetuating such an agenda resort to negative attack and name calling. Unfortunately, tactical smear play out daily in presidential, gubernatorial and local politics. Such can be especially venomous if a contentious issue.

Steptoe however remains undaunted by such strategies. Since 2005, Steptoe has maintained her front-line stance alongside District residents, especially those most underserved and most vulnerable. Throughout the years, residents sought and requested Steptoe help them challenge various issues involving city legislation and city policy. Regardless of the specific issue, residents' unilateral concerns were and remain related to the negative effect city legislation and city policy will have on their lives. Residents' concerns also involved bona fide democratic citizen participation. Many of the citizen challenges involved fairness and equity issues and occurred in Steptoe's immediate Brookland neighborhood. Other citizen challenges questioned whether proposed city legislation or policy violated federal civil rights statutes or democratic processes reflected in the D.C. Home Rule Charter. The D.C. Home Rule Charter is the city's equivalent to a state's constitution.

In spite of the issues - and there were many - Steptoe's public support of her residents, her neighbors and concerns about constitutionality never wavered even when met by the small, but incessant opposition directed towards her.

Steptoe laughs that, after years of criticism, she eventually dubbed her neighborhood detractors BMAACS (‘Brookland Men Angry At Carolyn Steptoe’). "Initially, it was primarily a lot of guys on this neighborhood listserv complaining about my stances on behalf of residents and city policies. But, at some point, that electronic club grew to now include bloggers, tweeters and online commenters. I can say that my anti-Steptoe crowd is a very tech savvy group," Steptoe jokes.

"All kidding aside, the goal of helping the residents, especially our seniors and those considered voiceless, is really the most important thing. Residents look to their leaders to provide legitimate, dependable support. That focus is really what makes any brouhaha minimal," Steptoe contends. “By God's grace, these residents could easily be my parents, my children or any of my family members.”

Steptoe says she is proud of her vigilant role in helping residents challenge, fight, and in some cases, successfully stave off unfair and undemocratic city policy and legislation. “Sometimes you are the fall guy, but our residents expect and deserve to know their leaders will stand up with them and fight for them, says Steptoe. "Overall, you just have to be strong and good-natured about all this. If you can't laugh as you deal with these serious issues, there's a bigger problem," Steptoe opines. "But yes, leaders are elected to take the heat."

Steptoe has definitely demonstrated she can take the heat - and it got really hot sometimes!


Check out some of these hot issues:

(1) 2005: Historic Designation Efforts Of Original Brookland Boundaries.


ISSUE: HD EFFORTS UNDERTAKEN WITHOUT CITIZEN/PROPERTYOWNER KNOWLEDGE OR PARTICIPATION.

• http://www.washingtoncitypaper.com/special/brookland080505.html Aug. 5–11, 2005

• http://scholarship.law.georgetown.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1023&context=hpps_papers (see pgs. 18-20)

• http://octt.dc.gov/services/on_demand_video/on_demand_november_2008_week_3.shtm, DC City Council Hearing Public Participation in Historic Designation Amendment Act of 2008 (Mary Cheh introduced legislation); view Nov. 21, 2008 pt. 2; Steptoe’s testimony begins 2:07


(2) 2007: Proposed Legislation To Relocate 8 Nude Clubs To Ward 5’s Ivy City Neighborhood.


ISSUE: WARD 5 NOT A DUMPING GROUND.

• http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/05/25/AR2007052502045.html - Council Member Seeks to Keep Adult Clubs Out of Ward 5 in NE

• http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/06/05/AR2007060502451.html - Council Passes Amended Bill on Nude Clubs


(3) 2007-2008: 23 DCPS Schools Slated For Closure.


ISSUE: MAJORITY OF CLOSURES TARGET WARD 5 SCHOOLS.

• http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/01/12/AR2008011202784.html - Schools Targeted For Closure

• http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/story/2008/02/01/ST2008020101208.html - D.C. School Closings List Is Revised

• http://octt.dc.gov/services/on_demand_video/on_demand_january_2008_week_3.shtm - D.C. Council Hearing: The Closure of D.C. Public Schools, Mon, Jan 14, 2008, Public Hearing Committee of the Whole, Vincent Gray Chair- Steptoe starts at 4:41.


4) 2008 - Trinidad Neighborhood Police Checkpoints.


ISSUE: ARE POLICE CHECKPOINTS CONSTITUTIONAL?

• http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/06/04/AR2008060402205.html D.C. Police to Check Drivers In Violence-Plagued Trinidad

• http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/07/10/AR2009071002750.html Federal Courts Says D.C. Police Checkpoints Were Unconstitutional


(5) 2008 - Proposed Anti-Loitering Bill.


ISSUE: ARE ANTI-LOITERING LAWS CONSTITUTIONAL?

• http://octt.dc.gov/services/on_demand_video/on_demand_june_2008_week_1.shtm - D.C. Council Public Hearing on Hot Spots, Anti-Loitering, Committee on Public Safety and the Judiciary, Phil Mendelson Chair, June 4, 2008, view pt. 2. Steptoe testimony begins at 13:00.


(6) 2009 – Brookland/CUA Small Area Plan.


ISSUE: OP’S DEVELOPMENT REVITALIZATION PLAN PROPOSES TO BRING OVER 4500 NEW RESIDENTS TO BROOKLAND; CONCERNS PLAN WILL NEGATIVELY (1) IMPACT CHARACTER OF NEIGHBORHOOD AND (2) CREATE CONGESTION/DENSITY, TRAFFIC, PARKING, SAFETY, PEACE & QUIET AND LOSS OF GREEN SPACE PROBLEMS.

• http://oct.dc.gov/services/on_demand_video/on_demand_february_2009_week_2.shtm, D.C. Council hearing, February 10, 2009, Hearing on Brookland/Catholic University Small Area Plan, Committee of the Whole, Vincent Gray, Chair. Steptoe’s testimony begins at 4:04.

• http://www.washingtoncitypaper.com/blogs/citydesk/2009/08/28/neighborhood-watch-brookland/


(7) 2009 – Same Sex Marriage.


ISSUE: SAME AS CITY LEGISLATORS’ COMPLAINTS OF BEING DENIED DEMOCRATIC VOTING RIGHTS IN CONGRESS, THE D.C. COUNCIL SHOULD NOT DENY DISTRICT RESIDENTS THEIR DEMOCRACTIC, PUBLIC CITIZEN REFERENDUM VOTE ON WHETHER TO CHANGE THE DISTRICT’S MARRIAGE LAWS. D.C.'S REFERENDUM CITIZEN VOTE IS PURSUANT TO THE D.C. HOME RULE CHARTER AND KEY TO OUR CITY'S LIMITED SELF-GOVERNANCE.

• http://oct.dc.gov/services/on_demand_video/on_demand_October_2009_week_5.shtm, D.C. Council hearing, Religious Freedom, Civil Marriage Equality Act, October 26, 2009, Committee on Public Safety and the Judiciary, Phil Mendelson, Chair; Steptoe’s testimony begins 52:40.

• http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/10/26/AR2009102601663.html?sid=ST2009042801406- Same-sex marriage opponents prepare to turn to D.C. courts” Same-sex marriage foes vow court fight in D.C.

"...referendum supporters argued strenuously at Monday's hearing that the Human Rights Act should not be used to prevent a public vote on whether marriage laws should be rewritten, equating their demand with the city's drive for voting rights.

We have a city council who has made it clear their goal is to put this issue before themselves, not the community, not the taxpayers, not the citizens," said Carolyn Steptoe, an advisory neighborhood commissioner in Ward 5. 'They want to put it before themselves even as they complain their voting rights [in Congress] are being denied.'"


(8) 2009-Ongoing: 901 Monroe Street Development Project.


ISSUE: DEVELOPER FILED A PLANNED UNIT DEVELOPMENT (PUD) ZONING APPLICATION ASKING THAT AN ENTIRE PARCEL BE REZONED TO C-2-B. PRIOR TO THIS ZONING FILING, THE PARCEL WAS PRIMARILY AUTHORIZED FOR RESIDENTIAL USE. THE DEVELOPER PROPOSES TO TRANSFORM THE ENTIRE PARCEL - WITH THE EXCEPTION OF FIVE FREE-STANDING ROW HOMES - INTO A MIXED-USE COMMERCIAL AND RESIDENTIAL PROJECT. THE PROJECT WOULD INCLUDE GROUND-FLOOR COMMERCIAL SPACE FOR FIVE TO EIGHT TENANTS, WITH MORE THAN 200 APARTMENT UNITS ON THE UPPER FLOORS. THE STRUCTURE WOULD REACH SIX STORIES IN HEIGHT, TOPPING OUT AT SIXTY FEET, EIGHT INCHES AT ITS HIGHEST POINT. THE MAJORITY OF THE PROPERTYOWNERS LIVING CLOSEST TO THE PROJECT – WITHIN 200 FEET - ARE SENIORS. GRAVE CONCERNS WERE REPEATEDLY EXPRESSED BY THESE 200-FOOTER PROPERTYOWNERS, NOT THE LEAST OF WHICH NOTE THAT THIS PROJECT IS: (1) OUT OF SCALE WITH THE NEIGHBORHOOD; (2) INCONSISTENT WITH DC’S GENERALIZED LAND USE MAP AND THE MONROE STREET SUB-AREA IN THE BROOKLAND/CUA METRO STATION SMALL AREA PLAN; (3) WILL PRESENT A HOST OF NEGATIVES FOR PROPERTYOWNERS’ AND THEIR QUALITY OF LIFE (TOWERING BUILDING OBSTRUCTING AIR AND LIGHT, TRAFFIC, NOISE, CRIME, ENVIRONMENTAL, HEALTH CONCERNS, STRUCTURAL DAMAGE TO HOMES, ETC.) AND (4) A PRECEDENT-SETTING C-2-B/90’ UPZONE AUTHORIZATION WILL DRAW FOR MORE OUT-OF-SCALE DEVELOPMENT PROJECTS TO THE NEIGHBORHOOD. AFTER THE ZONING COMMISSION APPROVED THE DEVELOPER’S APPLICATION, THE 200-FOOTER PROPERTYOWNERS CHALLENGED THE DECISION IN THE D.C. COURT OF APPEALS.

• http://dc.curbed.com/archives/2011/07/opposition-to-901-monroe-street-bldg-takes-message-to-porch.php - Opposition To 901 Monroe Street Bldg Takes Message To Porch

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6QoO9QiLiO8 - The Dark Side of 901 Monroe Street.mpg

• http://www.washingtoncitypaper.com/blogs/housingcomplex/2012/01/05/901-monroe-street-project-squeaks-by-anc/ 901 Monroe Street Project Squeaks By ANC

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UyLmNJpH6Ec - Carolyn Steptoe vs. Bo Menkiti.mov

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-9qnyb7D1u4 - ANC 5B04 Commissioner Steptoe declares "victory" for 200 Footers

• http://brooklandbridge.com/8642/901-monroe-development-to-resume-this-coming-spring


(9) 2013-Ongoing: Brookland’s Finest Bar and Kitchen.


ISSUE: OWNERS FILED FOR A NEW ALCOHOL LICENSE FOR A TAVERN NOT YET CONSTRUCTED. THE LOCATION WOULD BE THE CORNER OF 12TH & JACKSON STREET, NE. THE NATURE OF ESTABLISHMENT’S OPERATION WILL SERVE AMERICAN FOOD WITH SEATING CAPACITY OF 75 AND TOTAL OCCUPANCY LOAD OF 99. A SUMMER GARDEN WITH 40 SEATS WILL BE CONSTRUCTED ON THE JACKSON STREET SIDE. THE HOURS OF ALCOHOLIC SALES AND CONSUMPTION FOR PREMISES AND SUMMER GARDEN WOULD BE SUNDAY THROUGH THURSDAY 8:00 AM – 2:00 AM; FRIDAY & SATURDAY 8:00 AM – 3:00 AM. HOMEOWNERS LIVING CLOSEST TO SITE OPPOSED THE LIQUOR LICENSE; 53 MOST NEARBY RESIDENTS SIGNED PROTEST PETITIONS AND FILED WITH DC’S ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGE REGULATION ADMINISTRATION (ABRA). THE MOST NEARBY RESIDENTS FILED THEIR PROTEST ON THE GROUNDS THAT IF THE LIQUOR LICENSE WAS APPROVED, THE ESTABLISHMENT WOULD NEGATIVELY AFFECT: (1) REAL PROPERTY VALUES; (2) PEACE, ORDER, AND QUIET, INCLUDING THE NOISE AND LITTER PROVISIONS, (3) RESIDENTIAL PARKING NEEDS AND VEHICULAR AND PEDESTRIAN SAFETY; (4) THE OPERATION AND CLIENTELE OF SCHOOLS AND SIMILAR FACILITIES (CHURCHES), (5) THE PROXIMITY OF THE ESTABLISHMENT TO SCHOOLS AND SIMILAR FACILITIES (CHURCHES) AND (6) THE LICENSE WOULD CREATE OR CONTRIBUTE TO AN OVERCONCENTRATION OF LICENSED ESTABLISHMENTS WHICH WOULD LIKELY ADVERSELY AFFECT THE LOCALITY, SECTION, OR PORTION IN WHICH THE ESTABLISHMENT IS LOCATED. AFTER FILING THEIR PROTEST WITH ABRA, THESE MOST NEARBY PROTESTANT RESIDENTS ASKED ANC STEPTOE TO PRESENT RESOLUTION FOR ANC TO FORMALLY SUPPORT THEIR PROTEST. ABRA APPROVED THE LICENSE AND PROTESTANTS' LAWYER MOTIONED FOR ABRA RECONSIDERATION. THE MOTION WAS DENIED AND THESE RESIDENTS THEN FILED FOR COURT REDRESS WITH THE D.C. COURT OF APPEALS.

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EnoTwaL7gN8 - ANC 5B-04 Commissioner Caroline Steptoe introduces vote to protest Brookland's Fines liquor license.


Steptoe takes heat for supporting resident protestants of bar:

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vevnKrQ8qHc - -ANC Meeting 7/24/2013 - 10 of 19

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XlYYcScyf7Y - ANC Meeting 7/24/2013 – 11 of 19

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5H4mJO3czR4 - ANC Meeting 7/24/2013 – 12 of 19


(10) 2013 - Epilogue: GROWING PAINS AND DEVELOPMENT.

• http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/local/wp/2013/11/20/growing-pains-test-residents-in-brookland/

• http://brooklandbridge.com/8441/brooklands-disagreements-over-development-discussed-in-washington-post-article/


http://www.dcwatch.com/themail/2013/13-12-18.htm
"December 18, 2013
Living High on the Hog
Thinking about Council Elections
Marchant Wentworth, marchant_wentworth@msn.com
I am excited by Kenyan McDuffie’s decision to seek reelection for Ward 5 councilmember because of his tireless work on behalf the whole ward. I am confused about Carolyn Steptoe’s candidacy for the same job, as many in the ward perceive her as a divisive figure. McDuffie, all the citizens associations in the area, as well as the neighbors and residents in the area."




Paid for by Candidate Carolyn C. Steptoe, 1257 Lawrence Street, NE, 2013 Ward 5 D.C. City Council candidate (D.C. Official Code §1-1102.10). A copy of our report is filed with the Director of Campaign Finance of the District of Columbia Board of Elections and Ethics (D.C. Official Code §1-1102.01(e)).