🏆 [AUDIO] Former ANC 8C Chair disputes DC Auditor's "misappropriation" claims, says "$15,000 is chump change"

Couldn’t make last night’s ANC 8C monthly meeting? Lucky for you, The Advoc8te was there and recording the meeting for your listening pleasure (or frustration). See below to play and/or download the recording of the September 4, 2019 ANC 8C monthly meeting at the R.I.S.E. Demonstration Center. Also including links to relevant audit reports and the recent Washington City Paper article.

There is a lot I could say about last night’s meeting but I’m just going to let you listen to it yourself and form your own conclusions. Whatever your thoughts, I hope you will share them in the ‘Comments’ section of this post and/or with the commissioners directly (see below for contact info). As residents and advocates we all have a responsibility to safeguard community assets, it is important that commissioners, stakeholders and the DC government are informed, engaged and vigilant. Misappropriated ANC funds is but a symptom of a bigger problem - apathy and the lack of accountability. On the later point, I don’t have a lot of hope that attempts will even be to recover the “misappropriated” money but I wish to God they would.

I hope this meeting recording encourages more stakeholders to attend their ANC meetings, ask questions and get involved. To be honest, I don’t know why it’s not mandatory for ANC meetings to be recorded and shared with the community, anyone with a smart phone can record a meeting (which is allowed by DC law).

So that said, let me put this out there, Ward 7 and Ward 8 Advisory Neighborhood Commissions are invited to document their meetings either via audio or video and send the files to Congress Heights on the Rise for posting — this offer extends to meeting attendees as well. I would imagine that would not only keep the community informed but it will document what happened when and how and possibly safeguarding future ANC finances and resources because there is a public record.

👩🏽‍💻NOTE ABOUT THE AUDIO RECORDING: The Advoc8te was running a little late to the meeting so the recording starts right after the Treasurer’s Report (see agenda below) as ANC 8C Chair Mike Austin began discussing the now infamous DC Auditor’s Report. At that point, former ANC 8C Chair Mary Cuthbert made a statement followed by ANC 8C Commissioner Rhonda Edwards-Hines (the former treasurer named in the DC Auditor’s report). The issue of the audit report came up again in the final 10 minutes of the meeting including comments from the representative of the DC Inspector General.

Advisory Neighborhood Commission 8C
1st Wednesday of every month
(Recess in August and December)

St. Elizabeth’s Campus - R.I.S.E. Demonstratin Center
2730 Martin Luther King, Jr. Avenue SES
6:30pm - 8:30pm
September 4, 2019

DRAFT AGENDA

1. Call to Order

2. Roll Call

3. Approval of Agenda

4. Approval of July Meeting Minutes

5. Treasurer’s Report

6. DC Auditor’s Report, 2019 ANC 8C Bylaws Updates, Grant Rules

7. New Business

   • Commissioner Mustufa Abdul-Salaam (10 mins)

   • Redbrick, Columbian Quarter (10 mins)

   • Equal Justice Works, Rights4Girls (10 mins)

   • DMPED, St. Elizabeth’s East (10 mins)

   • KIPP DC (10 mins)

   • POAH, Barry Farms Redevelopment (10 mins)

8. Community Concerns
9. Announcements
10. Adjournment