 Today, August 28, 2021, The DC Board of Elections will meet and during its General Meeting the Board is expected to adopt the petition by Fairlawn resident Tom Donohue to Recall ANC 8A01 Commissioner Holly Muhammad. Tom Donohue issues this statement in advance of the BOE Meeting. Neighbors, I have been living among you as your neighbor right across from the new Boone Elementary for eight years. I have battled DOT for a stop sign on 22nd Street which Commissioner Muhammad refused to support citing her need for her own projects to be approved first. I was personally outraged by this as the lives of our Boone Superstars were at risk with every speeding vehicle which started at Fairlawn and didn't have to stop or slow down until Minnesota Ave. So I took the lack of stop sign, speedbumps, & a crossing guard to NBC4 where after two years of trying the attention brought resulted in an override by public opinion and within two days temporary stop signs were down, within the week they were permeant, two speedbumps and a crossing guard were installed in record time and just in time for the start of the school year. Most recently during a July 13th ANC Meeting Commissioner Muhammad ejected me from this open meeting after I joined others complaining (IN THE CHAT ROOM ONLY) that her refusal to upgrade a fellow Commissioners Zoom Access was delaying my asking about the lights on the underpass heading to Anacostia Park off Fairlawn, and that crazy decision to restrict a U-Turn on Minnesota preventing a cross over PA Ave to get to the other side of Minnesota. I felt compelled to immediately request the preservation of that evenings Zoom meeting and chat by sending an email to Ms. Muhammad along with Mr. Simon the Executive Director who directly works with the ANC Commissioners. This started a back and forth chain with Ms. Muhammad which requested the actual Zoom meeting and its chat transcript so that I could be transparent and show you, my neighbors what actually occurred and what prevented me from inquiring about the two items I was bringing to the meeting. Commissioner Muhammad inappropriately responded saying, Your threats of meetings and recalls don't frighten me. YOU don't frighten me. I AM NOT YOUR NEGRO! So you better stay out of my way. She even went to the extent of blatantly lying I suppose to attempt to inject race into this discussion. You can ask her why she decided to represent herself this way, however I have never been affiliated, associated or even heard of the proudboys until former President Trump injected them into his campaign. I was how ever a proud member of the Charlottesville, Virginia community over a decade (before moving here to DC) ago when I moved there to be a flight attendant for the then US Airways Express. I'm disgusted that this elected member who represents both you and I attempted to even make such a claim by saying (she said it in two emails), "I have to repeat myself? So I will do it this time with the MPD copied. "You don't dictate to me. I don't take instructions from the Proud Boys from Charlottesville. Don't email me again." In closing, I'd like to make mention in the eight years I have lived in the Fairlawn community I have learned so much from you all enough to know that you won't tolerate injustice, My request of asking for the Board of Elections to adopt my Recall of Commissioner Muhammad is because her bullying tactics no longer represent us well. I have been appreciative of those neighbors who have shared their personal experiences dealing with Commissioner Muhammad. I have also been informed that Ms. Muhammad, although a bull when it comes to Ward 8 matters, just does not listen to anything she does not agree with. She has kicked others out of ANC Zoom meetings without notice or cause. Some of our neighbors have questioned my intentions so let me discuss this briefly. Allow me to be forward and honest. I am confident I could represent all of those in this single member district, I wouldn't be representing those of a certain race however representing those who are my neighbors, You my neighbors. However, Just like when the Boone Community insisted my being part of the selection committee for the new principal at Boone, I feel I have much more to learn from you and wish to stand side by side a candidate who wants to be more involved in their community. A neighbor whose candidacy becomes about all of us. It needs to represent us all with a level of respect that all of us wants and deserves to have. This means should my recall of Commissioner Muhammad be successful, I have no intentions of running for her open seat, while collecting recall signatures I hope to identify or encourage some of you to stand up for what would be a special election to succeed Ms. Muhammad, I am confident those individuals will step forward and I will commit to supporting the right candidate in anyway I can. First, we must move past Commissioner Muhammad's bullying like approach her lying, her refusal to conform to required public information requests and her unwilling to represent all of those in our single member district. Neighbors we need someone who will listen to everyone as the matters before our ANC Commissioner face all of us, I ask you to please use your voice in joining me in bringing some refreshing change and be one of my 200 signatures needed to recall Ms. Muhammad. Supporting Documentation:
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