Jackie Stanley admits the Department of General Services didn\’t follow the law. Ms. Stanley is the Acting Associate Director for Government Affairs & Communications. She made this admission at last night\’s ANC 5C meeting. The admission was in response to DGS\’ failure to notify the ANC of its intent to lease warehouse space at 2424 Evarts Street. The Department of Parks and Recreation (DPR) signed a lease to relocate their S Street facility to 2424 Evart Street. During the June 3rd ANC meeting Commissioner Kevin Mullone expressed his disappointment in not being notified until after the fact. Ms. Stanley was joined last night by Councilman Kenyan McDuffie.
Both officials fielded questions from residents on this heated topic. Questions ranged from why the councilman wasn\’t aware of the lease signing. What steps is DGS going to take to remedy the situation? Was an environmental impact study conducted to protect the health of the residents? Would this section of Ward 5 continue to be a dumping ground? The audience went on to ask whether anyone considered the impact on property values. Why should one neighbor\’s property value appreciate while others stay stagnant? Needless to say, there were no clear answers to these challenging questions.
DGS and Conflicts of Interest
Commissioner Mullone hinted at conflicts of interest in the handling of the Evarts Street transaction. Chairperson James asked that the matter be turned over to Councilman McDuffie to look into. Councilman McDuffie advised the audience that he would look into the entire matter to determine if any improprieties had taken place. McDuffie was asked whether an appeal was available to residents. McDuffie stated that \”I\’m an attorney and I intend to look into any legal options\” available to the community.
So what\’s next? There will be another round of meetings. The community will await more feedback from Councilman McDuffie. And…The DC Voice will conintue to follwo this issue to its conclusion. Stay tuned!