Two Georgetown University sophomores were elected to Georgetown’s Advisory Neighborhood Commission (ANC 2E), a local government entity that represents the Georgetown, Burleith and Hillandale neighborhoods, Nov. 5 and will assume office Jan. 2.
Peter Sloniewsky (CAS ’27) and Knox Graham (SFS ’27) will replace Joe Massaua (SFS ’25) and John DiPierri (SFS ’25) this January as ANC representatives. The ANC system, created by the D.C. Home Rule Act in 1973, divides Washington, D.C. into 345 districts, each represented by a single Advisory Neighborhood Commissioner, and allows residents to have direct input on local government decisions and community issues.
Full disclosure: Peter Sloniewsky is a Senior Opinion Editor at The Hoya.
ANC 2E04, Sloniewsky’s new position, encompasses New South Hall, Village A and the Southwest Quad. ANC 2E08, Graham’s new position, represents all other residential halls on campus, including university-owned townhouses, Arrupe Hall and Wolfington Hall, the Jesuits’ residence.
Graham, who will be replacing DiPierri, said local governments play an important role in people’s lives that is often overlooked.
“I have very quickly learned that local government is a much larger and more complex institution than most people give it credit for,” Graham told The Hoya. “Every day, dozens of staffers downtown are executing on the legislation passed by the City Council and the ANCs, working closely with the Department of Transportation, communicating with local business leaders and advancing the priorities of the mayor.”
Sloniewsky, who will take over the district 2E04 seat currently held by Massaua, said he ran for the ANC because he viewed it as a unique way to advocate for fellow students and gain practical experience in local politics.
“I thought it was a positive opportunity to work on the behalf of other students and honestly to learn about local government, which is to get some hands-on experience that I might not otherwise get at this point in my life,” Sloniewsky told The Hoya.
Graham said he plans to address the student housing crisis during his tenure, hoping to collaborate with the local residential community to find solutions.
“My number one concern is student housing, so that is what I am going to get a grasp of and then communicate what the needs of the student body here is,” Graham said. “Student housing is an issue that is intimately tied into the surrounding area, as so many students have housing off campus.”
Sloniewsky said he hopes to continue working on Massaua’s advocacy to preserve the Foundry Branch Trolley Trestle, an abandoned historic steel bridge that once used to carry a streetcar line. While its infrastructure has suffered damage from years of neglect, supporters argue that it provides a critical walking and bicycling connection on the west side of Georgetown.
“My predecessor, Joe Massaua, spent a lot of time working on the ‘Save the Trestle’ initiative,” Sloniewsky said. “I know as part of my orientation he’s promised me that we’re going to go out to the trestle, and so I’m definitely considering continuing that.”
Massaua said the trestle has the potential to become a bike and pedestrian path.
“One of the things that I’ve worked really closely on is saving the Foundry Branch Trolley Trestle which is right out in the woods behind the bus circle,” Massaua told The Hoya. “I think it would be incredible to have a bike-pedestrian connection and it’s saving a historic structure from the 1890s.”
DiPierri, the current ANC 2E08 commissioner, said his role in the ANC includes monthly meetings and frequent communication to address constituent issues.
“I also am in constant dialogue with my constituents, which include students, staff, and private residents on issues of concern,” DiPierri wrote to The Hoya.
Kishan Putta, commissioner for the ANC 2E01 district representing Burleith, said neighborhood commissioners must consider both their local residents and the broader D.C. community.
“While we are neighborhood commissioners, we do think about the city as a whole and all the residents citywide,” Putta told The Hoya. “And so we have to balance both.”
Massaua said his time as a commissioner gave him insights into public service, especially when interacting with older residents of the Georgetown neighborhood.
“It’s a great learning opportunity,” Massaua said. “I know that I learn from them and they learn from us and in terms of being a young person involved in public service, we need more young voices and also specifically here for Georgetown.”