Is Jim Graham Behind an ANC Coup?
For three years, Bryan Weaver has been elected chair of the Adams Morgan advisory neighborhood commission. That run came to an end on Jan. 6, when he lost his re-election bid by a 4-2 vote of his fellow commissioners.
Now LL doesn't delve too often into such parochial affairs, but this particular internecine feud carries greater significance: Weaver is currently exploring a run against his councilmember, Ward 1's Jim Graham. And replacing him as chair is Wilson Reynolds, whose day job happens to be as Graham's constituent affairs director.
So did Boss Graham execute a ruthless power move to force a key neighborhood critic to the margins?
If so, he covered his tracks well. Graham's spokesperson, Brian DeBose, says that "no one knew" about the move until the meeting. Reynolds says "absolutely not," and a fellow commissioner, Nancy Shia, says that Graham had "nothing to do" with the ANC vote.
Not directly, anyway: "It hurt the commission for the chairman...to have such a contentious relationship with the councilmember. That happened long before he decided to run," Shia says. "I believe in Rodney King: Why can't we all just get along?"
Add to that some communications issues, she says: "Why did they think it was OK to win an election without asking anyone to vote for them?"
Weaver says he may not have actively solicited his colleagues’ votes, but he says none of the members mentioned any dissatisfaction with his continued tenure. He admits he charged hard and "was not the easiest of chairs to get along with,” but stands on his record of stepping up the commission’s activism and cleaning up its books (no small feat in ANC-dom).
Not enough for Reynolds, Shia, and two other commissioners (all listed as Graham supporters on his campaign literature), who plotted an ambush. Weaver and his vice chair, Mindy Moretti, found out about their plan to unseat them not more than five minutes before the meeting began.
Though Weaver realized he didn't have the votes, he went through with the roll call anyway. "I thought I would give them a certain amount of satisfaction in knocking me off and let them know that I'm not fazed by it," he explains.
This weekend, on her blog, Shia wrote that Weaver and Moretti had un-friended their fellow commissioners from their Facebook accounts. (The post has since been removed.)
To that, says Weaver, "I am friends with some of them and I am not friends with some of the others." Adds Moretti, "Facebook is for my friends."
4:36 pm
I know it bad when I hear or see Missy Graham aka (The Queen Of All Media) and I get psychically ill. For God sakes Bryan Weaver run and defeate him, PLEASE!!!!!
7:37 pm
It's time for Lady Graham to retire or to go to jail with her boyfriend Teddy.
9:21 pm
Sounds like Bryan Weaver is trying to blame his lack of leadership on a vast conspiracy. That is not the kind of councilmember Ward One needs. If he can't run an ANC???
10:02 pm
I agree with G. Rutherford. Rather than taking responsibility for problems with his leadership, it appears Bryan is casting around for someone else to blame. With leadership and interpersonal skills like that, I can see why he wasn’t re-elected. And why did he think he had a right to be re-elected? Or to be notified in advance how people planned to vote? Does he understand the meaning of the democratic process?
10:23 pm
Don't fuck with the Grahamster, he'll fuck you right back!! Ouch !!
4:45 am
Where's the beef behind the headline? I was expecting a scoop on Graham, but all the facts in the article say Graham had nothing to do w/ Weaver's loss. What was the point?
6:28 am
Agree with A. Brett. Looks like LL is connecting the wrong dots here. All of the ANC commissioners are quoted saying that they acted independently, wanting new leadership because Weaver wasn't making the grade.
8:45 am
Whether or not the Grahamstander had anything to do with the high school politics of ANC1C, G. Rutherford and D. Haley are completely wrong about Weaver's leadership of ANC1C.
9:23 am
The ANC leadership may have some problems, but the fact that Wilson Reynolds is on Graham's staff represents a clear conflict of interest.
10:22 am
Wilson Reynolds is not the only ANC commissioner on Graham's staff--or previously on staff. Calvin Woodland, ANC1A02 Sedrick Muhammed 1B03. While ward one was int the fourth District his then Cheif of Staff Wiktor sat as vice chair of the as the 4D CAC, something she had never attended before working for him. Graham has participated in and thrown his weight behind folks running, most notable to unseat Doll Fitzgerald--a colorful and opinionated character to replace her with someone he felt to be more loyal anad he has opening s upported other commissioners during elections. Boss politics? I think so but if you have the ANC's in your corner it is a lot easier to get their "great weight."
11:42 am
Bryan Weaver has been an effective, thoughtful spokesman for the ANC board, and it's not at all surprising that he is a possible candidate for council. Wilson Reynolds has been active in the community long before serving on Graham's staff, and it was his local involvement that likely made him an attractive hire. This isn't about the people.
LL couldn't find a smoking gun, but it's clear that support from the ANC members is important to Jim Graham, who has listed them on the same page he solicits donations. This co-mingling of ANC support and donations is, frankly, unseemly. It doesn't matter that there is no smoking gun. This change of leadership has the appearance of meddling by Graham.
The ANC ought to be an independent, but by having a Graham staff member also serving as chair it creates the perception that the ANC is not independent.
Maybe this is a good thing for the ANC. It will raise the visibility and may prompt more people to express an interest in what it does, which, in the end, is the only protection the ANC has.
11:50 am
An important point of clarification. ANC commissions are developed and designed as a link and liaison role to the city council and many other branches of district government. A good working relationship is a plus, not a conflict of interest. We're all working together on the SAME interest - that of our neighborhoods. Please refer to the goals and structure of the ANC.
http://anc.dc.gov/anc/site/default.asp
"In each of these areas, the intent of the ANC legislation is to ensure input from an advisory board that is made up of the residents of the neighborhoods that are directly affected by government action. The ANCs are the body of government with the closest official ties to the people in a neighborhood.
The ANCs present their positions and recommendations on issues to various District government agencies, the Executive Branch, and the Council. They also present testimony to independent agencies, boards, and commissions, usually under the rules of procedure specific to those entities. By law, the ANCs may also present their positions to Federal agencies."
12:58 pm
With a little work and a decent candidate, Weaver and company should be able to eliminate Nancy Shia and Wilson Reynolds from office in November 2010. Nieghborhoods do not like to see their ANC's become tools for Councilmembers and their yesmen or yeswomen. Of course the issue will solve itself if the Ward 1 council member know as "My Fair Lady" to the other 12 council members is defeated in September.
As an aside, the council and ANC elections in 2010 will be of major importance because those elected will have a major voice in redesigning the Ward and ANC boundaries due to the new census figures. Council members appoint those on the various redistricting task forces. These new boundaries will remain in effect until 2021.
1:04 pm
Sure a "good working relationship" is plus, but I wouldn't consider having the councilmember's staff member running the ANC a "good working relationship" I would consider that a conflict of interest.
ANC Commissioners aren't elected to be "yes men" carrying out the agenda of their councilmember.
1:23 pm
Isn't his Chief of Staff an ANC Chair in Ward one too??
1:34 pm
There are problems with the current arrangement (Wilson Reynolds being on Graham's staff) and the previous one.
There needs to be more openness all around.
Calling Jim Graham names is counter-productive and offensive.
1:56 pm
Calvin Woodland is Jim Grahams Chief of Staff. Now let's see if he is working to get Ward 1 residents jobs like is has worked and secured Ward 8 residents jobs. Talk about a conflict of interest.
Calvin Woodland has secured over 100 jobs for these residents; has he secured anything for Ward 1 residents. Mr. Fenty, in this election year, is about to hire 100 new DC government Term Employees throughout various government agencies from one of his key supporters Mr. Calvin Woodland and Mr. Woodland's unsanctioned non-profit organization. Most of these new hires from the Calvin Woodland Foundation are ex-offenders and should have gone through the Project Empowerment initiative and yet they did not because of the personal relationship with Mayor Fenty.
Mr. Fenty is laying off DC workers that either he or his staff do not like or who disagree with Mr. Fenty's politics and yet Mr. Woodland can get 100 jobs set-aside for his organizations members, none of which are Ward 1 residents. These jobs will come from various DC government agencies; DPW, DPR, DDOE, DDOT, etc. The positions will be entry level and some will be commensurate with the candidates experience.
STOP this MADNESS!!!
This has been done for three (3) years thus far; it has been done covertly/undercover.
7:55 pm
Why the hue and cry against working well and effectively with city government? that is what the ANC commissioners are there for folks.
Is LL advocating Moretti's childish refusal to speak to Graham and resist anything from his office - people or policy-- as good government? Is LL suggesting that the other commissioners should have notified Weaver so he didn't take for granted he'd be elected again? Sounds like Martha Coakley took a page from his playbook. I voted for Weaver before, but wonder now about his leadership.
11:28 pm
Holy shit! Ward One has the most violent crimes in the city, Metro avoids NTSB recommendations on safety and 9 people die in a train cash....and Graham re-ups the Metro GM at 30k a month, DC has a recycling program that recycles 20% of trash under Jim Graham as chair on the ebviroment...but it is Weaver's fault for not being a lap dog to Graham ? Fuck me!!
7:11 am
It is childish to refuse to speak to the councilman. To anyone actually.
Still, does that mean it's ok ethically speaking for an ANC rep to serve in government? Not in my book.
The rules should be changed.
The councilman should understand that as a perception issue it's not good. He appears not to have a bit of sensitivity to that.
8:30 am
Where in the piece does it say that Moretti refuses to speak to the Councilmember? Nowhere.
Lots of people...ANC Commissioners and others...have contentious relationships with the Councilmember. If you want to question people's leadership, then question Graham's. He's disliked by a lot of people (especially his former staff) because of the way he treats people and because of his often-time dictorial way of leading.
3:01 pm
the article doesn't say she refuses to speak to him, that is well known throughout Adams Morgan.
7:29 pm
Ahhhh...the good old Adams Morgan grapevine and rumor mill...
While I highly doubt it's true that Moretti doesn't speak to the Councilmember at all, I've no doubt she dislikes him (as do a lot of people). He ran someone (rather unsuccessfully) against her in 2008.
How is that for Ward leadership from our Councilmember? He gets a member of his staff to run for ANC in three of the Ward's four ANC's and then runs people against the commissioners he dislikes, those that are willing to question some of his choices.