Judy Licht Photography

Matthew Frumin spent the weekend gaining support from DC voters at fundraisers throughout the city.  He took questions from voters about smart growth, improved metro service, underground power lines.  Here are some photos…

Matthew Frumin promises to be transparent, creative, honest, and the hardest working member on the District of Columbia City Council.  You can see yesterday’s TV interview on NewsChannel 8 at http://bcove.me/e33ec40q 

Very impressive!

For my local friends, you can meet Matt tonight at Nancy’s from 7-9. Email me for more information — judylicht@comcast.net

Jophie Frumin is still smiling after pounding the pavement for weeks and spearheading the effort to obtain more than 6,000 signatures from D.C. voters for his Dad’s April 23rd election to the DC City Council.  Matthew Frumin filed the petitions with his son — both very proud of the weeks they have spent shaking hands and talking to voters.

Here’s what 6,000 petitions look like…a pretty hefty haul!

Propelling Matthew’s commitment to DC politics is the experience he has gained both as a father and advocate for public school students throughout the city.  His campaign is a happy family affair — which you can see in the affection Matt and Jophie have for each other as they submit the forms at the city’s election commission office.

As the DC City Council race heats up, Matthew will be answering voters’ questions at homes throughout the city.  He’s a dynamic speaker and is well versed on all the issues facing the city over the coming decades.  Check his website http://www.matthewfrumin.com and click on Events to find out where he will be speaking in the next few weeks.  You’ll love meeting him.  Matt’s a great guy!!!

Sandi spent an afternoon working…and playing…through professional and casual poses.  Though she had a lot on her mind — kicking cancer topping the list — she was upbeat and fun.  A Diva Extraordinaire!

On a cold December day when Matt was beginning his campaign, he drove me around in his car showing me pockets of the city that are in transition.  If I were alone driving, I would have been curious about the neighborhoods, noticing the scaffolding and cranes, construction sites and hard-hatted workers, but I would have missed a valuable history lesson.  Matt’s tour gave me perspective.  Historically, DC has been a divided city in many ways.  Changing demographics have shifted school populations.  Rebuilding the school system so that it serves every student equally by providing a high quality education for students in all wards of the city is one of Matt’s high priorities.  I realized the depth of his investment in city’s future when we stopped at Cardozo High.  Looking through the fence at the school renovation, here’s what Matt told me…”This is the old Central High School, which was part of DC’s old segregated system.   It’s a magnificent and historic structure undergoing a major renovation that will preserve its very special character.  It also sits on the crest of the hill, commanding the best views of the city anywhere, so it should be a beacon both in terms of the building itself and the learning going on within its walls.”  But future plans are not yet optimized.

“With the renovation,” he explained, “We are making the significant bricks and mortar investments, and that is good, but we need to accompany the construction with bold moves on programming, and that is not on the table yet.”

A council candidate who has such a broad perspective is what we need in DC.  As a leader of the modernization of Wilson High, Matt rolled up his sleeves and worked to rebuild the school to meet the structural and educational needs of students for decades to come.  He is passionate in his resolve to bring renewed educational opportunities to students in every corner of the city.  A vote for Matthew Frumin is a vote for better DC schools.

I met Matt Frumin in nursery school — our kids’ nursery school — over 20 years ago.  He has been a constant in our lives at back-to-school nights, on the sidelines at soccer games, clapping for our sons’ band, and celebrating their high school graduations.  Throughout it all, he has been the most civic-minded active participant in local affairs that I know.  Not only is he the go-to guy when you have a question about politics, but he has served on boards and commissions, and he has taken our concerns to city leaders, acting always as a measured, reasonable, and persistent voice, committed to the betterment of the city.  When he worked on the modernization of Wilson High School, he poured over the blueprint of the school to assess its impact on the neighborhood, weighing the needs of the community today, and projecting future trends and demographics in the coming decades.  His big picture vision was matched by his attention to the needs of teachers, who wanted to ensure that the improvements incorporated details that may have gotten lost in the huge scale of the project — the orchestra pit in the auditorium is one example of Matt’s determination to be accountable as an advocate for the students.  Matt has a nuts and bolts perspective of the city, which he has gained through hard work on city infrastructure, transportation, and environment committees. Photographing him in the last few weeks at meet and greets in peoples’ homes, I have been reminded of what a great listener he is. During Qs & As, he brings a wealth of knowledge about issues involving communities in all corners of the city, so comfortable with the inner-workings of the city that he knows specific bus-routes and elementary schools.  He is well versed in proposals to bury power lines and re-route storm water overflow.  As an inveterate problem-solver, he is an optimist, with a vision of the city that improves the quality of life throughout the city, promoting jobs and affordable living for all DC residents.  We need Matthew Frumin on the City Council.  Vote for Frumin on April 23rd.