An Upbeat Georgetown BID Elects New Directors, Greets MPD Chief


The Georgetown Business Improvement District met June 13 at the House of Sweden on the Potomac River for its annual meeting. Along with several reports on its work, the BID also elected new directors to its board — Christian Videla of TD Bank, Jay Freedman of Foley & Lardner and Scott Milson of Vornado Realty Trust — and re-elected Crystal Sullivan, John Asadoorian, Curt Winsor and Ed Solomon. There are other board members who are appointed or ex officio.

After a reception in the lobby, the group heard from main speaker, Metropolitan Police Department Chief Cathy Lanier, who touted D.C.’s lower violent crime rate but advised retail establishments to consider hiring professional security guards to combat shoplifting. Of the 16,000 crimes reported in the District, 60 percent are thefts, she said. Lanier also said that MPD has put traffic management on its top-five list of duties. Noting that traffic deaths were down 60 percent, she said that on-street “cameras are worth it.”

Ward 2 Council member Jack Evans said how well Georgetown is doing, adding that “Aside the unstable political situation [in the District government], everything is fabulous.”

BID executive director James Bracco gave an update on projects and showed images of the holiday plantings to come as well as a sketch of the holiday ornament to be dramatically suspended over the intersection of Wisconsin Avenue and M Street, much like the lighted decoration that hangs each Christmastime at Fifth Avenue and 57th Street in Manhattan.

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