Hello! I'm Tawanna Shuford and Councilmember Wells has asked that every staff member introduce ourselves on the blog.

I am happy to serve as the Director of Constituent Services for Councilmember Wells. To give you an idea of what that means, it is my responsibility to use all of the available resources that the District Government has to offer the Ward 6 community and ensure that everyone who contacts our office is treated equally, professionally, and efficiently.  I am responsible for various matters relating to your needs such as trash collection, recycling, motor vehicle inquiries, identifying social service needs such as financial assistance, food, clothing etc., and advocating for your concerns and many other services as requested.

I have worked on the Council Staff for 16 years with various other Councilmembers and I hope that over the next for years we will build a greater relationship and have many new adventures together. I look forward to meeting you as I get out and about in the community.  Until then, please feel free to always count on me to be of assistance should you ever need to contact me.

On Thursday morning, we hosted our third Southwest Community Office Hours at the Channel Inn. Each month (on the second Thursday) Tommy and several of our staff host these events from 8:00 - 9:30 am to try and make the office more accessible to SW residents. About 25 or 30 people joined us for coffee and breakfast. On the fourth Thursday of each month, we host the same type of event on H Street, NE.

We try to keep the format pretty relaxed and focus on one-on-one interactions. Tommy moves around from table to table to talk with folks, answer their questions, share a story, or respond to their concerns. Several members of our constituent services staff do the same thing and for questions that need more detailed follow-up, we fill out some paperwork to bring back to the office and get to work. We're finding this is a great way to reach more residents that can't come to the office downtown or can't participate in many of the evening meetings that Tommy attends. 

Some of the concerns we heard Thursday morning had to do with the redevelopment of Waterside Mall, bringing more retail and amenities to the neighborhood, and questions about the future of AWC. We're all very concerned about the lack of retail options in Southwest and want to see things start moving faster. As you probably know, the Bank of America is about to move from its current location to a temporary trailer just off M Street and other negotiations are wrapping up so that work on the Mall and opening 4th Street can begin soon.

To help ensure the community is informed at every step, Tommy will be co-hosting a public hearing with Councilmember Kwame Brown (chair of the Committee on Economic Development) on June 16th to focus on redevelopment plans in Southwest and near Southeast. The hearing will be held in the community at Westminster Presbyterian Church and we'll get more details out about the hearing very soon. The public is welcome and encouraged to come out and testify (and hear all the specific plans and timelines presented by many of the developers).

Charles Allen 

On Tuesday night, I met with the Downtown Neighborhood Association at Penn Quarter.  I am continually impressed by the growing residential presence of our inner city neighborhood and the challenge posed by mixed use development.  It used to be people would just turn the lights out at 5:30 pm and went home to the suburbs after work.  Now there is a rapidly growing nightlife and people can walk just a few blocks to go home at night.  

Thankfully we have leaders like Miles Groves, ANC Commissioner Charlie Doctor and other residents like Meredith (just to name a few), who are rapidly organizing to meet the challenge posed by new urban residential living.  While we are presently faced with a number empty retail store fronts, we hope they will be filled by the amenities needed by the neighbors such as grocery, hardware, shoe repair, cleaners, health club and not just the nightlife fare that is making downtown Washington an exciting destination.

A particular issue raised, of many that caught my attention, was the frequent closing of sidewalks during construction -- an inconvenience for downtown workers but a substantial quality of life concern for downtown residents.  Personally, I had just come to accept the perpetually closed area around the National Portrait Gallery facing the Verizon Center.  When will it be restored?  Well, I’ll find out and let you know.

Tommy


Special note:  I had the honor of joining in the ringing of the bell for opening the seasonal farmers’ market on 8th between D and E Streets, NW. After the walk, I procured cheese, award winning yogurt and morel mushrooms.  It’s a great neighborhood amenity open every Thursday afternoon and early evening (for residents and downtown employees alike). I highly recommend it!