Next Stop…Riggs Park is three years old! I published the very first post on December 5, 2012, introducing this new blog to the community. Thank you very much to each person who reads, follows, leaves a comment, sends an email, or drops a tip. It has been fun getting to know residents through the blog. To the regulars, you all are awesome. I hope I have been able to inform and provide a platform for residents to share news and thoughts on neighborhood happenings in this little pocket of DC.

You might have noticed posting has become less regular and less frequent. That is mainly because of my day job. Working longer hours leaves less time to attend meetings, peruse information sources, and create blog content. A couple of people have been great about sending me notes from ANC meetings in particular when I cannot make it. They like to remain anonymous, but I have to give a big thanks to them. I told myself when I started that if I could not post on a regular basis, then I would stop. All that preface to say, I am not sure what I will do with the blog. There is still a lot happening in the neighborhood; lots of changes are still in store, so I think there is still a need for a place where people can go for information. To that end, I will put in a plug for the Lamond-Riggs community listserv (which I moderate with two other people), Lamond Riggs Citizens Association’s website, and LRCA’s facebook and twitter pages, which I also maintain with a few other people. I encourage residents to join, follow, and post to all of these sources. And if there is anyone who wants to write guest posts for the blog, email me at nextstopriggs@gmail.com. For now, I will continue to post when I can.

Thanks for reading.

• December 10

Ward 5 Councilmember Kenyan McDuffie Holiday Party, 6:30 pm – 9:00 pm

Gallaudet University, Sorensen Center (800 Florida Avenue NE)

Bring an unwrapped toy for child 5 to 12 years old

• December 11

LaSalle Backus Food Pantry, 4:00 pm

La Salle Backus Education Campus (501 Riggs Road NE)

Free groceries. Just bring a bag

• December 12

DC Bilingual Public Charter School Fair, 10:00 am – 2:00 pm

DC Bilingual school library (33 Riggs Road NE)

New neighbor, DC Bilingual, is hosting a Scholastic Book Fair this Saturday, December 12 from 10:00 – 2:00 in the school library.  This event is open to the neighborhood and a great chance to supplement your child’s home library with great children’s books in both English and Spanish!  A portion of the proceeds will benefit the school.

In case you missed it, here is a link to the Washington Post’s coverage of Mayor Bowser’s move from Riggs Park to Shepherd Park after 15 years in the neighborhood that ushered her into public office. A Post reporter attended LRCA’s holiday meeting on December 7 and spoke to a few neighborhood residents. The article, strangely titled “DC Mayor leaves her working-class digs for a more upscale neighborhood,” was clearly going for a certain slant, suggesting that the move symbolizes the value placed on representing residents of more modest means. (We will assume for the moment that the mayor strongly advocated on behalf of middle-income residents when on the council). If the reporter was hoping to get negative feedback on the move from the mayor’s neighbors, it looks like she did not get it Monday night. Certainly there are those who have critical thoughts about the mayor (check out a few comments on LRCA’s facebook page) (Disclosure: I maintain the page with a few other residents).

I do not think the move really matters much. I think the mayor’s values matter more. Certainly where the mayor lives can have an impact on what is valued, but in this case I do not think the slant the Post aimed for is really accurate. For example, the mayor drives everywhere. Even as a councilmember, she largely drove everywhere. So she is not going to be super concerned or maybe as thoughtful as I would like about pedestrian, biking, or public transit issues unless residents beat the drum on those issues because her perspective is largely that of a driver. That is something that matters to me more than the fact that it was obvious to everyone even when she was campaigning to be mayor that she would be moving if elected. The same can be said for the mayor’s delay in responding to the FreshPAC fiasco in any meaningful or thoughtful way. That matters and I do not think that is driven by where she lives. We know that moneyed interests have an outsize influence in the political arena for most of our elected officials (witness the astounding payoffs happening to get DC elected and non-elected officials, nonprofits, and residents to support the Pepco-Exelon merger). Again that matters and has little to do with where the mayor or any of our elected officials live.

This article missed the mark by trying to draw a really dubious link. As I mentioned in my previous post, I think there is room to talk about the mayor’s legacy to the neighborhood, in some cases critically and publicly. The move provides nice timing to talk about those issues, but I think that is about it.

Well the news is out, based on today’s tweet from WUSA-9’s Bruce Johnson. Mayor Muriel Bowser is moving from Riggs Park to upper NW.

Mayor Bowser held a holiday social for Lamond-Riggs residents on November 30 at Fort Totten Square apartments. There, she let the people who started her political career know that she is moving from the neighborhood because she needs more space. It was only a matter of time before the mayor moved; many anticipated that she would move shortly after taking office, so a year in is about right.

Monday’s gathering, ostensibly set up to celebrate “Bringing Retail to Fort Totten” seemed like a bit of a farewell to the neighborhood. (Nevermind that no one in the room actually calls the neighborhood Fort Totten). Now that the ribbon has been cut on the new Walmart, the mayor can say goodbye. As she noted both during Walmart’s grand opening and on Monday, since living in Riggs Park, she has served as an advisory neighborhood commissioner, as Ward 4 councilmember, and now mayor.  Being in the room, it was clear to me that many neighborhood residents seriously support and love the mayor. She will probably always have a soft spot in the heart of many neighborhood residents. As she moves from NE to NW, we can talk about her legacy to the neighborhood. But for right now, we wish Mayor Bowser the best.