Sharon Ambrose, Former Council Member, Has Died
By • April 6, 2017 0 259
Sharon Ambrose, a key member of the District of Columbia Council representing Ward 6 which included Capitol Hill, has died.
Ambrose, 77, had long been ailing and suffered from multiple sclerosis.
She won a crowded race for the Ward 6 seat in 1997, after then incumbent Harold Brazil ran for an at-large seat.
As a member of the Economic Development Committee, Ambrose supported a variety of projects, including the Washington Nationals baseball stadium, the Washington Convention Center. She was noted for her rewriting of the city’s insurance and alcohol laws as well as supporting the creation of the Anacostia Waterfront Corporation.
Ambrose announced in 2005 that she would not be running for re-election because of the constraints of her illness. At the time, she said “I’m most proud of the work I’ve done for Ward 6, and sometimes it has been keeping bad things from happening as much as doing good things.”
Charles Allen, the current Ward 6 councilmember, in an announcement, said, “I was so sad to learn of the passing this weekend of Sharon Ambrose. I considered her a friend and a mentor—a constant source of advice and counsel as I looked to lead on the Council and for our neighborhoods. I learned from her constantly and am incredibly grateful for the time we shared. She made D.C., Ward 6 and Capitol Hill a better place as a result of her hard work and vision. Whether Sharon was fighting to protect and preserve community anchors like Eastern Market for the next generation or shaping a shared vision to bring a long-forgotten Old Naval Hospital back to life as the thriving Hill Center, her work was integral to many of the things the Capitol Hill community enjoys and relies on every day.”
At-large Council Member David Grosso echoed similar sentiments in a statement: “The death of Sharon Ambrose is a devastating loss, not only for me personally but for the District of Columbia as well.” Grosso worked on Ambrose’s staff for six years, and she chaired his first campaign for a city council seat.
