As a Georgetown alumna and Burleith resident, Regina DeMeo (SFS ’94) hopes to serve as a bridge between the university and surrounding community if elected to the Advisory Neighborhood Commission this November. DeMeo is running against incumbent 2E03 Commissioner Peter Pulsifer.

“This antagonistic relationship between the students and residents has been going on for too long . since I went to Georgetown 10 years ago,” she said. “I think it’s time to allow someone with a new perspective, with a fresh look to try and tackle some old problems.”

DeMeo noted that she does not agree with the way that Pulsifer has handled recent situations with the university.

“I don’t understand why he wouldn’t support the Charity Block Party,” she said. “I thought the students really made an effort to comply with everyone’s requests. I would have voted for the block party.”

Working with students and making them feel like they are a part of the community, according to DeMeo, will help students to be responsive to neighborhood concerns.

“That meeting [to approve the block party] certainly made it clear that we’ve been approaching the problem in the wrong way,” she said.

DeMeo believes that she understands the concerns they have about the most current proposals from the neighborhood because she was recently a student herself.

“I would feel incredibly violated about my privacy if someone would have demanded to know all of my information,” she said, speaking about neighbors’ demands that the university release personal information about students living off campus.

“When I was 18 years old, I felt like an adult too because I was making my own decisions; that’s how I think the college students need to be treated.”

Currently working with a small law firm in Washington, D.C., DeMeo decided to run for the ANC so that she could use her skills and contacts to help her community and represent their concerns to the rest of the district.

Furthermore, DeMeo wants students to know that only a minority of residents is displeased with their experiences in the community.

“Plenty of the people living right here in my neighborhood love being here and love dealing with students,” she said. “It shouldn’t be this `us versus them’ mentality. You are part of the community, part of the society . we should work together.”

If elected, DeMeo is looking forward to collaborating with Georgetown students also serving the ANC. “So far, I think [ANC Commissioner] Matt Payne [2E05] (COL ’01) has done a really good job representing the young people, and he has done it in a very respectful way,” she said. “I can’t wait to work with him and the others that are elected.”

Two Georgetown sophomores, Justin Wagner (COL ’03) and Justin Kopa (COL ’03) are running for seats on the ANC this November. Wagner is running unopposed for Payne’s seat and Kopa is running against incumbent Barbara Zartman 2E05.

DeMeo’s primary objective as a representative is to improve general participation in the community. She plans to increase interest, through a Web site accessible and visible to the entire community, so that those who are unable to attend the meetings will still have a voice. She also supports obtaining permission from the D.C. City Council to solicit funds for research development proposals.

“If we had more of a budget to work with, maybe we could hire a mediator to address some of the concerns,” she said.

DeMeo advocates working with the university to implement an internship program that will involve students in the community and allow them to obtain valuable work experience.

“It’s great that we have alumni coming back. Generally I don’t care where they come from, my concern is what their stances are and she sounds pretty good to me,” Payne said.