By Southwester Staff
The Southwest Neighborhood Assembly (SWNA) will hold its first 2025 community meeting on Monday, January 27 at 7:00 PM at Arena Stage.
Ward 6 Councilmember Charles Allen has accepted an invitation and will be part of a panel discussion on DC Home Rule and his legislation “Strengthening Traffic Enforcement, Education and Responsibility Act,” a/k/a the STEER Act, which went into effect as of October 1, 2024.
Home Rule was passed in 1973, ten years after SWNA was established in Southwest. The legislation was signed by President Richard Nixon giving DC residents some new rights, but Congress still reviews all proposed legislation before it can become law, retains authority over the District budget and the President selects our judges. We vote locally, but are still denied votes federally. Each Presidential administration interprets their influence differently.
Our panel will be moderated by local historian, Dr. Marjorie Lightman.
Our next three community meetings include celebrating Black History Month in February, followed by a program on Digital Engagement and Bank Fraud in March and Civic Engagement in April. Each of the meetings will be held on a Monday night at Arena Stage and all are invited to attend.