Residents in ANC single member district 4B09 have a new ANC commissioner. ANC Commissioner Derrick Thompson, who was recently installed by Ward 4 Councilmember Janeese Lewis George, has jumped right in, supporting a number of events in the neighborhood and around the city. I reached out to Commissioner Thompson with a few questions to introduce himself to residents. His responses are below. Commissioner Thompson can be reached by email at 4B09@anc.dc.gov.

1. Please provide a brief introduction of yourself to residents.

Thanks for this opportunity. I’m a Los Angeles native who has lived in D.C. since 2018 with the vast majority of that time being a Riggs Park resident. I work at the National League of Cities in the marketing communications strategy division. In fact, a good half of my professional career has been spent handling marketing communications strategy in the local government space, including time at the Housing Opportunities Commission of Montgomery County. I’m an alum of California State University Long Beach (bachelor’s degree in journalism) and University of Texas at Arlington (master’s degree in communications). Also I’m a dog dad, an avid traveler having visited at least 15 countries and I’m studying at Payne Theological Seminary. To learn more, residents can follow me @ThompsonDC4BO9 on Twitter (X) and Instagram.

2. (a) Why are you interested in serving on the ANC? 

(b) Why do you believe you are prepared to represent the residents of ANC 4B09? 

(c) For ANC 4B specifically, how do you propose to improve the representation provided by the commission for residents?

Having worked in the local government space for a decade, it’s very clear that Riggs Park – the place I’ve called home for nearly five years – is at a critical crossroads. I believe Riggs Park has all the potential to be one of the best neighborhoods in the District. So much good has happened in the past few years, and so much is to come, including the Riggs Crossing Senior Residences. However, without intentional direction and a voice to that direction, community progress can be stifled. When coupling my passion for the future of this community with my local government experience, the opportunity to represent the concerns and interests of my neighbors as Commissioner for Single Member District 4B09 seemed like an ideal way to serve my government as well as my community.

3. What are your top 3-5 priorities in finishing out the term? 

My priorities will be the community’s priorities, so I look forward to learning more about what’s important to Riggs Park residents. However, in conversations with neighbors, there seems to be great consensus that public safety is an issue we must get ahead of in Riggs Park. Reimagining What Community Safety Looks and Feels Like seems to be a key priority for this community.

Also, as noted earlier, our community is at a development crossroads. I know there’s significant community support for prioritizing Intentional Retail, Business Development in Riggs Park. 

Thirdly, our community already is home to many senior adults. In fact, Ward 4 is home to one of the highest percentages of senior residents in the District, and in 2025, we’ll have 93 more senior families who will call Riggs Park home. With that in mind, Setting Senior Adults for Successful Living in Riggs Park must be prioritized and top of mind. 

Also, I’ve heard the need to Engage More Riggs Park Constituents in Community Matters as a top priority. Right now, I’m in talks with the Lamond-Riggs Citizens Association President about being part of their upcoming membership drive. That being said, whatever steps we can take to involve more people in what’s happening in Riggs Park will help us accomplish so much for the community at large. There’s power in numbers! If there’s community agreement and support for these four priorities, we can call it the Riggs Park Priority RISE Plan.

4. What responsibility do you believe the ANC has in formally responding to citywide proposals?

Our job as commissioners is to brighten the corners where we are. As Commissioner, my commitment is to the residents in Single Member District 4B09. Accordingly, when citywide proposals directly impact our community–or populations significantly represented in our community such as seniors–then I think we should definitely be part of those conversations. 

5. You will represent an area that is the center of large-scale neighborhood development? In what ways do you believe that the development currently taking place is and/or is not compatible with the Riggs Road and South Dakota Avenue Area Development Plan?

Indeed, a lot is happening in Riggs Park and surrounding areas. One of the plan’s items that stands out to me is the call for a diverse retail development and fostering a pedestrian friendly community. That made me think of the recent loss of Culture Coffee TOO, which creates a void as well as an opportunity for our community. There’s a lot of talk about what business will occupy that space, which is warranted because people understand that what occupies that space can and will influence the tenor of the neighborhood. It’s too early for me to get into specifics, I’ll just say that there are certain parts of this plan that are important for us to prioritize now given this critical time in our community’s history. 

6. What specific steps would you propose taking to continue implementing the area development plan?

Coming into the commissioner role mid-term requires me to ramp up on what’s happening in Riggs Park and what’s already in the works before I can discuss specifics. I anticipate steps I take will be informed, intentional and data-supported so we can direct the necessary attention to those plan elements that are of the most importance to Riggs Parks residents.