Dear Neighbor,
I invite you to join me for Bike to Work Day this Friday and my 2nd Annual Ward 2 Community Bike Ride this Saturday!
- Friday, May 20th at 8 am: Bike to Work Day: On Friday, I’ll be starting my bike to work at the Reeves Center at 14th & U Street then stopping by Franklin Park to celebrate with the Downtown BID and Mayor Bowser. My colleagues Councilmembers Janeese Lewis George & Elissa Silverman will be joining me and I hope you’ll bike to work with us! We’ll meet at 7:45 a.m. and start our ride at 8 a.m. I encourage you to consider biking to your own place of work or using public transportation on Friday wherever you are headed!
- Saturday, May 21st at 10 am: Ward 2 Community Bike Ride: On Saturday, I’m hosting my 2nd Annual Ward 2 Community Bike Ride from 10 a.m. - 1 p.m.! We’ll start at Banneker High School and travel west to Ellington Field, stopping at Franklin Park and the Spanish Steps along the way. At each of these stops, I’ll have a listening session with residents to hear concerns and ideas on how to improve traffic safety. Join me for the whole ride or just one of the stops! You can register here.
These events are important so that I can hear directly from you and take concrete steps to improve traffic safety in our communities. Residents and visitors deserve to travel across the District safely. Whether you are traveling to work or school, a house of worship or museum, or on your way home from across the city -- you should feel safe as you travel, without worry of being injured or killed.
Last year we lost too many loved ones to traffic violence; too many residents have been injured in accidents. Throughout my time on the Council, I’ve been committed to making our streets and sidewalks safer. I’ve co-introduced legislation and hosted community events to do just that.
- Legislation: The Walk Without Worry Amendment Act will standardize the design of raised crosswalks and the Safe Routes to School Act to require safety improvements around schools. These bills are important for making it safer to travel throughout the city. Both bills received a hearing this spring, and I will continue to keep you updated on the progress of these bills.
- Community Events: Events I’ve hosted like the Community Bike Ride, North Dupont Safety Walk, and Community Office Hours throughout our neighborhoods have given me the opportunity to speak with residents and work with my Constituent Services team & DDOT to make needed safety improvements. Whether it’s adding an additional crossing guard, funding miles of additional bike lanes, or adding speed bumps to streets, these improvements are the result of working together with you.
I’m grateful for your shared commitment to making it safer to travel throughout the District and know that we can continue to make progress towards our Vision Zero goals together.
Yours in service,
Brooke
UPCOMING COMMUNITY EVENTS
Councilmember Pinto is excited to invite you to join her at two upcoming events:
1. On Friday, May 20th, I hope you’ll join Councilmember Pinto for Bike to Work Day! We’ll meet outside of the Reeves Center at 14th & U St. NW at 7:45 a.m. and we’ll begin our ride at 8 a.m. heading towards Franklin Park. At Franklin Park we’ll stop and celebrate with the Downtown BID and then continue to the John A. Wilson Building. Councilmember Pinto hopes you’ll join her for the ride or at Franklin Park for the celebration!
2. On Saturday, May 21st, Councilmember Pinto will be hosting her 2nd Annual Community Bike Ride through Ward 2. Last year was a great event with dozens of neighbors and reinforced the need for safe bike lanes throughout the city. Councilmember Pinto is proud that this year’s budget includes funding for an additional 10 miles of bike lanes and we have been workings to implement many of the great suggestions that were raised during last year’s ride. You can RSVP for the bike ride here.
Councilmember Pinto hopes to see you at these events! If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to reach out to her team at bromanowski@dccouncil.us.
IN THE NEWS
The Georgetowner spoke with Councilmember Pinto on her amendment to the budget to expand literacy training for teachers to help their students learn how to read. Councilmember Pinto is proud that this amendment passed unanimously and that our teachers will be equipped with the tools they need and deserve to help our children succeed in reading. Councilmember Pinto thanks our Ward 2 State Board of Education representative Allister Chang for his partnership in this work over past last year. Read the full story here.
Fox 5 DC & WTOP spoke with Councilmember Pinto about her bill to provide restroom access to residents with medical conditions and her continued work to provide public restrooms across the District. You can learn more about the Medical Necessity Restroom Access Act here. The bill is expected to have a final vote in the Council on June 7th.
The Washington Informer published an Op-Ed written by Councilmember Pinto and Rev. Lionel Edmonds on how mobile voting can help increase voter turnout and expand enfranchisement. Councilmember Pinto introduced the Mobile VOTE Act to allow voting by mobile device. The bill has gained support from the local chapter of the NAACP, the National Federation of the Blind and the Local 25 Union.
TEAM PINTO IN THE COMMUNITY
Councilmember Pinto and the team were thrilled to be in the community at recent events including:
- National Children’s Museum Breakfast Roundtable with Crystal Bowyer, President and CEO of National Children’s Museum.
- Celebration of new and returning Michelin Star rated DC restaurants.
- Meeting with the “Girls Leading Our World Club” at Washington Latin Public Charter School to discuss menstrual equity and Councilmember Pinto’s PERIOD Act to provide period products in all public buildings.
- Sasha Bruce Youth Reimagining Home event at Duke Ellington School of the Arts with DC Attorney General Karl Racine.
LEGISLATIVE UPDATES
The FY 2023 Budget
The Council took its first vote on the budget on May 10th. Councilmember Pinto worked with all of her colleagues to champion Ward 2 priorities and projects. You can view the highlights of what Councilmember Pinto fought for and was included in the budget for Ward 2 here. Councilmember Pinto continues to work with colleagues to ensure Ward 2 projects and priorities are included in the budget and will be certain to share additional updates after the budget is finalized.
The Council Budget Office has a wealth of information to help understand the budget.
Here is the proposed timeline for the Budget moving forward:
- May 24, 2022: Council Consideration of the "Fiscal Year 2023 Local Budget Act of 2022," "Fiscal Year 2023 Federal Portion Budget Request Act of 2022," and the "Fiscal Year 2022 Revised Local Budget Emergency Adjustment Act of 2021"
- TBD: Council Consideration of the "Fiscal Year 2023 Budget Support Act of 2022"
Redistricting: The Ward 2 ANC Redistricting Taskforce finished its final report and submitted their proposed map to the Council. The members of the taskforce participated in a dozen public meetings, two town halls and donated hundreds of hours of time to the endeavor of redrawing the lines of the ANCs. The Subcommittee on Redistricting has concluded its public hearings and will vote on the boundaries May 19th and then the full Council will have a vote on May 24th.
ANNOUNCEMENTS
With the change of seasons, we tend to see more rodents in our neighborhoods in Spring time. If you notice rats in your neighborhood, you can fill out a 311 request for a rodent inspection and abatement. One of the easiest ways to keep rodents away is to make sure trashcan lids are fully closed and leaky trash is not left out all week. DC Health has some additional helpful tips for residents and for business owners for rodent control.
Street sweeping has resumed! Make sure you check the signs when you park!
