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Gay D.C. Councilmembers David Catania (left) and Jim Graham are on next month’s ballot. Graham is running unopposed in his re-election bid, while Catania is reminding city voters to choose two candidates for at-large seats.
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HOME > NEWS > LOCAL
By: LOU CHIBBARO J COMMENTS
 
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BeBar’s license application on grounds that it would create a crime problem in the neighborhood and was unsuitable on a block where a church and daycare center were located.
The ABC Board approved the license application earlier this year after the neighboring ANC 2F voted to support the license on grounds that the bar would be a well-run business and an upscale addition to a street marked by abandoned buildings.
Padro called the candidates challenging Thorpe and his two allies “diverse and highly qualified,” and said he was hopeful that they would draw enough support to unseat the Thorpe faction on the commission.
In addition to Chapple, the candidates include gay civic activist and businessman John Tinpe, co-owner of the Chinatown restaurant Burma and chair of Mayor Anthony Williams’ Commission on Asian & Pacific Islander Affairs. Tinpe is running against Thorpe ally Doris Brooks, a Shaw civic activist and member of the neighborhood’s Orange Hat patrol group. The third challenger is gay civic activist Richard Rogers, an interior design consultant who is running against Thorpe ally Barbara Curtis, a longtime neighborhood resident who also is part of the Orange Hat patrol group in Shaw.
Padro, who heads a Shaw community development group, is being challenged by Thorpe supporter Mary Sutherland.
“We’re not an official slate but we support each other and we share the same goal of working for a better neighborhood for all of the people who live here, including the longtime residents and new arrivals,” Chapple said.
“Mr. Thorpe is very divisive,” Chappel said. “He creates polarization in the community and his positions and attitude has discouraged involvement in the ANC.”
Rogers said he has never seen minutes of ANC 2C meetings recorded and distributed. He said an agenda for the meetings is never made available in advance, enabling Thorpe to bring up business that few people other than his allies on the commission learn about in advance of the meetings.
“He lets those who agree with him have the floor as long as they like,” said Rogers. “If you disagree with him, he bangs the gavel and rules you out of order.”
Tinpe, who lives and works in Chinatown, noted that Chinatown is one of several distinct neighborhoods that make up ANC 2C. He said that under the current ANC leadership, residents of the neighborhoods rarely communicate with each other.
“I don’t see this as gays versus non-gays or as a racial problem,” said Tinpe, who noted that the candidates running against Thorpe’s faction include Chapple, an African American; Padro, a Latino; Rogers, who is white; and himself, an Asian American.
“We’ve all worked together in D.C.,” he said.
Thorpe has said he will not talk to t
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