Residents in the Brightwood area of Northwest D.C. have voted to recall their advisory neighborhood commissioner some blame for keeping them in the dark about what is now a hotly contested Walmart store development in their neighborhood.
Ward 4 residents have recalled Commissioner Doug Smith by a 19-vote margin, the District’s Board of Elections and Ethics announced Monday. The total voter turnout for the Feb. 28 election was 147 voters — less than 10 percent of those eligible. The board expects to certify the election results at its Tuesday meeting.
According to The Brightwoodian blog, the recall effort was spearheaded by John Beverly, the president of Concerned Citizens of Brightwood East. Beverly has said Smith should be removed from office because of his “lack of communication with residents” and “lack of involvement” in community issues, the blog said.
According to the DCist, Smith’s recall is only the fifth time in the past two decades that recalling an ANC has succeeded. Attempts to recall a higher official (council member or mayor, for example) have never been successful.
