With a whopping six votes, Jake Sticka (COL ’13) was elected as your new ANC commissioner last night. (One unknown voter submitted a write-in ballot; we hope it was for Chicken Madness.) Sticka will be sworn into the position in January, when he will replace outgoing Commissioner Aaron Golds (COL ’11). Here’s what Commissioner-elect Sticka had to say:

On his first priority as ANC Commissioner:

My first priority on the commission will, for obvious reasons, be the Campus Plan. It is the most contentious issue before our ANC today and one which has become defining in student-neighbor relations. Long-term, I think our commission needs to take steps to address student safety in the surrounding areas, particularly in Burleith.

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Georgetown University’s student Advisory Neighborhood Commissioner is a tough gig. Our commissioner doesn’t have many—or any—allies on the issues that matter most to students. If our commissioner is voting in our interest, he or she is probably voting alone. Even when student commissioners simply speak to their colleagues about the student perspective, we’re pretty sure their words fall on deaf ears.

But as if that weren’t bad enough, it’s even harder to become the sole student commissioner on Georgetown’s ANC than it is to be the student commissioner. Freshman Jake Sticka (COL ’13) has committed to running for the position in November 2010—but it’s going to be an uphill battle just to get himself on the ballot. Add that to the serious challenge of even finding someone who actually wants to run, and Georgetown University is lucky we have an ANC commissioner at all.

Finding a candidate is work. While it doesn’t make sense for Georgetown students’ purposes, current ANC Commissioner Aaron Golds (COL ’11) explained that due to the election cycle, only freshman can run. The student commissioner must live on Georgetown’s campus for his or her entire tenure, so a potential student commissioner has to commit to running his or her freshman year, get on the ballot on the August of their sophomore year, run in November, and serve from January of an odd-numbered year (sophomore year) to December of an even-numbered year (senior year). To establish and maintain residency, that freshman also has to commit to living on Georgetown’s campus for a minimum of two and a half summers and to forgo ever studying abroad.

It’s not surprising, given all of these restrictions, that of the eight or so students who attended information sessions Golds held at his house about the position, only one student opted to run. But Sticka has committed, in spite of the constricting nature of the job.

“I’m pretty concerned about whether or not the student voice is being heard, and whether or not the community actually respects the University and the students’ role in the community,” Sticka said. “Hopefully, on the ANC, I can advocate for those interests.”

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For this year’s March Madness, Vox has assembled the most eclectic group of tournament brackets Georgetown’s ever seen. Famous and “famous” Hoyas alike opted to fill out a bracket for our pool—and while characters like President John DeGioia, Provost Jim O’Donnell, and Professor Madeleine Albright declined to participate, don’t follow basketball very closely, and didn’t respond, respectively, we’re pumped to share the responses we did get.

Our pool pits alums like First Lady of South Carolina Jenny Sanford (MSB ’84), comedian Mike Birbiglia (COL ’00), and Washington City Paper’s Mike DeBonis (COL ’04), against professor Sen. Chuck Hagel, Dean of the College Chester Gillis, and Director of Student Programs Erika Cohen-Derr.

Students Nick Troiano (COL ’11) of GUSA, Corp CEO Brad Glasser (COL ’11), and ANC Commissioner Aaron Golds (COL ’11) are playing, as are CAG President Jennifer Altemus (COL ’88), Casual Hoya, and nodak89 (Chris Tiongson (COL ’89)), of musical fame.

There’s no prize for winning—just bragging rights. The entries are below, and you can click each image to make it bigger.

Jenny Sanford

Sanford has Kentucky winning it all. In her bracket, Georgetown loses to Ohio State in the Sweet Sixteen.

Chuck Hagel

Hagel has Kansas beating Georgetown in the Elite Eight. But there’s no shame in being beaten by the best, right?

Mike Birbiglia

Birbiglia’s true blue. He’s got Georgetown going all the way, beating Kentucky in the championship game.

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A bureaucratic decision made at about 9:15 this evening may well be the end the Philly Pizza on Potomac Street. The District Board of Zoning Adjustment has just upheld the decision made by the D.C. Department of Consumer Regulatory Affairs to revoke its certificate of occupancy because it was operating as a fast food restaurant but was not zoned to do so.

“Basically, they will have to close that location as soon as the City decides to enforce the decision,” Student Advisory Neighborhood Commissioner Aaron Golds (COL ’11) said. Golds said it is unclear when the City will do so, but, “it could be as soon as tomorrow.”

Matt Kocak, the owner of Philly Pizza, said that he was not sure if he would appeal the BZA’s decision.

“I don’t know yet,” he said. “The door is open.”

The final vote by the board was unanimous, with all five members voting to reject Philly Pizza’s request to repeal the decision of Matthew LeGrant, the District Zoning Administrator, to revoke their certificate of occupancy. Although residents who lived near Philly Pizza gave testimony about the crowds and noise the establishment drew, the board members said that the question that had to be resolved was whether Philly Pizza was acting as a fast-food establishment or a restaurant.

Today’s hearing was the second session of Philly Pizza’s appeal of the DCRA’s decision, which the DCRA made on October 19. An over-seven-hours affair, groups who were opposed to Philly Pizza’s continued operation used today to make their case against reversing DCRA’s decision. (At the first hearing, Philly Pizza’s owners and legal representation argued that they were operating as a sit-down restaurant, not a carry-out establishment.)

Terrell Hill, an investigator with the Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs who visited Philly Pizza three times undercover early this school year, testified that on his first visit he only observed one person besides himself actually sitting and eating in the restaurant. Everyone else who came into Philly Pizza ordered food, paid for it, and left, he said. When he was shown around the establishment by the owner on a fourth visit where he announced himself as an inspector, it became clear that Philly Pizza was not using non-disposable table ware, a requirement for a restaurant.

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In December, unplowed side streets disappointed commissioners

On Monday, the Advisory Neighborhood Commission kicked off the New Year with a relatively empty slate of issues, due mostly to the fact that the Old Georgetown Board doesn’t meet in January. Vox couldn’t be there, but afterwards, we caught up with student Commissioner Aaron Golds (COL `11) to hear what happened.

Among the business that did take place, citizens of Liechtenstein will be happy to know that the ANC approved a public space permit for a flagpole for their nation’s embassy on K Street.

The ANC also received an update that the Safeway on Wisconsin Avenue should reopen according to schedule in May. They responded to some construction issues on 35th Street and reviewed the District Department of Transportation’s response to the massive blizzard that enveloped D.C. just a few weeks ago.

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He reaps what you sow

Students had better start doing an improved job of bagging their trash, if a community email chain is any indication.

Early last week, the overflowing trash cans on the 1300 block of 35th Street—the student side—offended one neighbor to the point that she took photographs and sent them, along with a complaint, to Charlene Barber, D.C.’s Trash Inspector:

I request that you send an investigator to investigate and fine these homes (1320, 1322 35th Street, NW) for these violations. Additionally I request that an Investigator monitor the West Village of Georgetown to fine the increasing number of solid waste storage violations.

The result, according to an ensuing email, is that Barber will (or—eek!—already has) sent inspectors to West Georgetown to ticket the owners of the offending properties. Naturally, the email which contained that message exudes mild disappointment that the students who live in the properties are not the ones who the City will actually fine:

She said she will be patrolling our neighborhood and looking for violations and writing tickets if she finds any (including us). The tickets written to the property owner, not particular the student living in it …. She also said if you have photos to please send and she will follow-up with a visit to that site.

While our mess sounds pretty gross, it concerns me that nowhere in the email chain do annoyed neighbors indicate they brought their trash grievances up with the offending residents (and can we really be blamed for the vagrant student’s choice to put his greasy Philly P plate in our recycling bin?).

However, the first email (containing the complaint) does cc: the entire ANC 2E (Georgetown ANC) membership. Aaron Golds, why didn’t you tell us we were such slobs (or warn us that trash inspectors were coming to West Georgetown)?!

Full text of both emails, including a bonus opinion from the President of the Citizens’ Association of Georgetown, Denise Cunningham, after the jump.

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In Georgetown’s local government, the people are represented as two separate yet equally important groups: the neighbors’ representatives, who investigate crime, and the student representative, who leave crushed beer cans on their lawns. These are their stories.

Two weeks ago, Vox brought you what we hope was an intriguing interview with ANC Commissioner Ron Lewis. This week, we’ve got Georgetown’s own Aaron Golds (COL `11) talking about GUTS buses, kegs, and the now-infamous saga of the Georgetown Apple Store. He’s represented University students since January, and his little blue kingdom is pictured above.

What do you think about the Old Georgetown Board’s decision to deny Apple a fourth time? Are you worried it will drive Apple to another neighborhood?

My hands are tied, because obviously, I voted to approve the Apple designs. I look forward to seeing what Apple comes up with for [the March ANC meeting]. They’re getting closer.

Apple has shown continued interest in the Georgetown location. They paid over $12 million for the location. I think that means they’ll stay where they are. They don’t want to just sit on that, especially in a recession.

What do you think about the fact that only one of the three architects on the Old Georgetown Board (Ann Lewis, wife of ANC’s Ron Lewis) is actually a Georgetown resident?

I’m OK with it. The architects there are very capable, very competent, they have a good familiarity and idea of Georgetown.

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Four more years!

228,062 people, or 53.44 percent of registered D.C. voters, flooded the polls yesterday for the Nov. 4th general elections, and the D.C. Board of Election & Ethics handled them with less difficulty than we expected. This morning, DCBOEE posted unofficial election results, complete with an At-Large surprise:

92.46 percent of D.C. voters cast their ballots for Barack Obama (D)–who won the whole thing last night, by the way.

Voters ushered Eleanor Holmes Norton (D) back to her seat as Delegate to the U.S. House of Representatives with a handy 92.32 percent of votes. She’ll be joined on the Hill by Shadow Representative Mike Panetta (D) and Shadow Senator Paul Strauss (D)-because like Alaskan voters, D.C. voters think a little legal trouble ain’t no thing.

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Aaron Golds (COL ’11), who I previously suspected of being a candidate for the student ANC spot, confirms via email that he wants the gig. I’m glad to hear it, but I hunger for more candidates to clash and tangle with Golds, all for the chance to meet thrice-monthly with ANC Commissioner Ed Solomon.

But then, maybe Golds’s motives aren’t so hard to understand. A commissioner told me once that being student commissioner is a great pick-up line–”Hey baby, I’m the youngest elected official in DC”–so maybe hanging out with Ed Solomon & Co. is just a brilliant scheme to add some more notches.

Someday all this will be yours, my son

It’s Aaron Golds, class of 2011. He’s the first known candidate now for the student spot on the Advisory Neighborhood Commission (and the choice housing that entails), according to an email from outgoing commissioner Jenna Lowenstein, who watched interested students drop out of contact with her until only Golds was left.

Golds didn’t respond to my email, but he did leave his Facebook open to anyone on the Georgetown network, so we can find out some things about the boy who would be commissioner.

With only 39 friends on the Georgetown network, can he stand against a better-networked challenger? He’s also a College Democrat, so if he wins the 3 most recent commissioners will be Dems.

At least one more challenger needs to step forward so Georgetown will have an election dust-up. Surely more than one student wants to spend their Tuesday nights ruling on construction permits.

ANC picture from the Voice’s Flickr account