Hello! My name is Will Stephens, and I serve as the publicly-elected Advisory Neighborhood Commissioner for Single Member District 2B08, part of the Dupont Circle Advisory Neighborhood Commission (ANC 2B). I also serve currently as the Chair of ANC 2B.
About Me: I moved to D.C. in 2004 from Cambridge, Massachusetts. I work full-time as an attorney at a small law firm that represents Native American tribes. I also play jazz drums on the side and organize a local jazz jam session. I was born and grew up in the Detroit area, and graduated from Indiana University (BA ’99), the University of Bonn, Germany (MA ’00), and Harvard Law School (JD ’04).
About Our Single Member District: We have a great mix of commercial and residential in 2B08 — including some of the most popular restaurants in the city, single-family homes, apartment buildings, and condos. Please look at the ANC’s new boundary map to see all of the Single Member Districts (SMDs) in the Dupont area, incluing our SMD 2B08.
When I Got Elected: I was first elected as 2B08 Commissioner in a special election in July 2007, and sworn in by Council Member Jack Evans in August 2007. I was re-elected in 2008 and again in 2010 and 2012. I was elected by the other Commissioners as the Vice Chair of ANC 2B beginning in 2009. When then-Chair Mike Silverstein was appointed to the Alcoholic Beverage Control Board in Spring 2010, I was chosen to fill the Chair spot, and I’ve been serving as Chair since then.
Why I Ran: I had been living in D.C. for a while, but it was difficult to meet neighbors, and I felt like I was treating D.C. like other places I had lived only temporarily — for college, grad school, law school, or internships — though in this case, there was, for the first time, no definite end date. When notice issued for a vacancy in the 2B08 seat in May 2007, I thought that running for ANC would help me feel and become better connected to where I live. In that respect, serving on the ANC has been a great success and really enjoyable. It has turned our part of the city into much like a small town — where I know lots of neighbors, activists, shopkeepers, and restaurateurs. I also really enjoy participating at a grass roots level in the decisions that affect our area, and trying to improve how we as neighbors can not only weigh in on important matters before city agencies and the Council, but also affect positive change in the city — like promoting bike infrastructure or pushing for gay marriage legislation.
New Website: As of July 2012, I just finished putting together this new website. I hope you find it helpful! I used to host the site on my own “iWeb” program through “MobileMe,” but Apple eliminated that function in June 2012, so I transitioned to this WordPress-based site, which appears more like a blog. I’d sure appreciate any feedback you have on the website as I add more information and links. Thanks!
ANC Website: Please also take a look our Dupont Circle ANC website. There, you can find more information about the ANC generally — including news, commissioners, staff, agendas, minutes, letters, committees, meetings, annual reports, and much more! The ANC’s website has been a pet project of mine as Vice Chair and Chair, so I hope you find it comprehensive and useful.
Will Stephens - Commissioner 