How Many Years Till He Makes Council?

As local reporters are apt to do, I attended an ANC meeting Wednesday night. This particular meeting was in Foggy Bottom (ANC 2A). There was a bit of squawking about congestion issues and the appointment of a new commissioner. Blah, blah, blah.

The most startling aspect of the entire experience was the ANC chair himself: The guy looked like he couldn’t have been much older than 22. Sitting beyond a sea of gray-headed people, I thought he may have just appeared young by comparison. But a bit of googling and a phone call to ANC chair Asher Corson himself confirmed my prior hunch. Corson actually just graduated from George Washington University a few months ago is currently a part-time student at George Washington University, finishing up his classes while working full-time for Ward 3 Councilmember Mary Cheh. He expects to graduate in 2008.

Corson says he was elected commissioner last November and became chair early this summer.

“I’ve been really welcomed by the community with open arms, which has really been incredibly flattering since I’m so young. And as a GW student, I think it’s really amazing and special that people in the community supported me.”

Measured. Positive. Innocuous. Sounds like he’s getting the hang of things.

CORRECTION: Due to an error by Ruth Samuelson, an earlier version of this post incorrectly reported Corson's status at George Washington University.