THE VILLAGE
Ward 2 Councilmember Brooke Pinto.
At First Anniversary, Pinto Prioritizes – and Thanks – Ward 2 BY C HR ISTOP HER J ON E S Ward 2 Councilmember Brooke Pinto is looking up these days. With the Biden-Harris administration in town, the pandemic’s easing and Mayor Muriel Bowser’s budget allocating funding to the District’s neighborhoods, Pinto’s been working closely with Georgetown’s community groups to enhance residents’ security and quality of life. Pinto celebrated one year as a member of the District Council on June 27 and thanked her constituents on social media. Two weeks earlier, on June 11, the day Washington, D.C. lifted its final pandemic capacity restrictions, The Georgetowner met with Pinto remotely to discuss her priorities. After four years of the Trump administration, having Democrats back in the White House is fundamental for Pinto. “It’s so exciting to have a federal partner who’s on the same page about treating people with dignity and respect, getting everyone tested and vaccinated, believing in science, understanding the need to focus on learning loss for our young children in school, giving our schools resources they need to adequately serve our families and to have increased investment in our infrastructure and in our parks. It’s entirely game-changing to everything we want to do and that we know is so important to our residents’ quality of life,” Pinto said. Funding from the Biden administration’s American Rescue Plan and the closing of the District’s $750 million federal budget gap left over from the Trump administration have helped channel significant resources to D.C.’s neighborhoods. “Having access to adequate federal funding is going to be extremely impactful in next year’s budget,” Pinto said.
burdens on Georgetown’s startup and small businesses and the heavy licensing fees imposed. The current requirements, she said, are “extremely arcane” and “confusing.” In the D.C. Council Pinto recently introduced the Business and Entrepreneur Support to Thrive Act (BEST) Act. The legislation would reduce the number of business licensing categories from 128 to 10 and eliminate such archaic elements of the existing laws as requirements for “horsedrawn carriages” and “slaughterhouses.” “I think it will be good for new businesses and ultimately it will be great for our workers who are looking for new jobs in our city,” Pinto said. “It will be good to address the vacant storefronts that we see throughout the city and I know are of particular concern to so many Georgetown residents. Ultimately, it’ll be great for our tax base and our economy to have an inviting, including business environment here in our community.” Pinto talks up her collaboration and partnership with the Georgetown- Burleith Advisory Neighborhood Commission
(ANC2E), the Citizens Association of Georgetown, the Georgetown Business Improvement District, Georgetown Main Street, Georgetown University, Georgetown Heritage and other community groups. She’s enthusiastic about the Georgetown canal improvement project and the new visitor center. Pinto applauded Georgetown Main Street for its recent award from American Express for its Take-Out Tuesday promotions. She cited the BID for helping to keep the commercial sector strong. She also commended the Friends of Rose Park and of Volta Park for efforts to rejuvenate park spaces and farmers markets. During the pandemic, one of Pinto’s major concerns has been the rise of violent crimes in the District. “Crime in our city is a huge challenge and concern. We’ve seen an uptick in gun violence across our city,” she said. Getting to the “root causes” of the problem is a major priority. VISIT GEORGETOWNER.COM FOR THE FULL ARTICLE.
Not only will such funding help Georgetown’s commercial recovery and development, but social services, parks, schools and affordable housing can all be addressed. “Ward 2 has the highest number of individuals experiencing homelessness living in the city,” Pinto said. “We know that it’s not just an issue that D.C. is experiencing. It’s a regional and national issue and to have the federal government recognize that and invest in more funding for housing is extremely important as we work to move more of our neighbors into housing which is a top priority for me and my office this year.” Reviving Georgetown’s commercial district is also a top priority. “We keep hearing from Georgetown’s residents about their concern with vacant storefronts and support for our small businesses,” Pinto said. “Supporting our small business community has always been at the center of our priorities. It’s a large reason I got into the race to represent Ward 2 in the first place and it’s become even more evident and dire throughout the pandemic how much need there is and how much support they’ll need following the devastating impacts of the pandemic.” For small businesses, Pinto introduced the Great Streets Amendment Act which expands the Great Streets’ grant program opportunities to Ward 2 for the first time. To address the needs of Georgetown restaurants, she introduced legislation with Ward 5 Council member McDuffie to extend the streateries program “through the remainder of 2021.” As a tax attorney who previously served in the D.C. attorney general’s office, Pinto is committed to reducing red-tape licensing GMG, INC.
JULY 14, 2021
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