1
_____________________________ 1
Councilmember Charles Allen 2
3
4
5
6
A CEREMONIAL RESOLUTION 7
8
_________ 9
10
IN THE COUNCIL OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA 11
12
______________ 13
14
15
To recognize and honor the career and achievements of Andy Litsky for his longtime service to 16
the District as an Advisory Neighborhood Commissioner for the Southwest waterfront 17
community. 18
19
WHEREAS, Andy Litsky is a Bronx, New York City native who matriculated through the 20
city’s public school and university systems; 21
WHEREAS, Mr. Litsky began his career with the New York Youth Services Administration, 22
working on intervention efforts with street gangs, and then worked for several years as a teacher in both 23
New York City public schools and in Spain; 24
WHEREAS, Mr. Litsky transitioned from social services and education into the private 25
sector of cable television, having been chosen to lead national political field operations for the 26
National Cable Television Association (“NCTA”); 27
WHEREAS, he would go on to become the NCTA’s Director of Public Affairs, helping to 28
navigate the industry during a period of tremendous nationwide growth, and would spend the next 29
decade focused on communications consulting; 30
WHEREAS, Mr. Litsky is a lifelong Democrat and worked tirelessly to elect Jimmy Carter 31
to the presidency, as well as working on numerous other senate, congressional, and presidential 32
campaigns, serving as treasurer of the 1996 D.C. Coordinated Democratic Campaign, and serving 33 2
as a delegate for the District of Columbia at numerous party national conventions, including for 34
William J. Clinton in 1996 and John Kerry in 2004; 35
WHEREAS, Mr. Litsky was twice elected as Chair of the Ward Two Democrats and served 36
four for years on the D.C. Democratic State Committee; 37
WHEREAS, Mr. Litsky campaigned for D.C. statehood and limiting congressional 38
interference in District affairs, namely working against the death penalty being instituted in D.C.; 39
WHEREAS, Mr. Litsky would be inspired by his advocacy for people living with 40
HIV/AIDS in the 1980s; 41
WHEREAS, he served as Associate Executive Director of Public Affairs for the Whitman-42
Walker Clinic, where he stayed for nearly ten years, deciding he wanted to create lasting change 43
and better devote his efforts to those living with HIV/AIDS after experiencing so many of his 44
friends dying from the disease; 45
WHEREAS, Mr. Litsky championed marriage equality, serving as the founding secretary 46
of the Foundation for All D.C. Families, the first marriage equality organization focusing on the 47
District; 48
WHEREAS, in 1998, Mr. Litsky was first elected as an Advisory Neighborhood 49
Commissioner for his beloved Southwest Waterfront, an office he would hold for the next 24 years; 50
WHEREAS, Mr. Litsky represented Advisory Neighborhood Commission 6D, which 51
included Southwest, Navy Yard, and Buzzard Point; 52
WHEREAS, during his long tenure, ANC 6D would become home to the new federal 53
Department of Transportation and five District agencies: the Department of Motor Vehicles, the 54
District Department of Transportation, the newly built Office of Planning, the Department of 55
Consumer & Regulatory Affairs, and the Office of the Chief Financial Officer; 56 3
WHEREAS, the Arena Stage complex became the Meade Center for American Theater, 57
the new 41,000 seat ballpark was built to house the Washington Nationals, and Audi Field was 58
built to accommodate 25,000 fans of D.C. United; 59
WHEREAS, Mr. Litsky represented the Wharf in his Single Member District, and he 60
worked closely with the developers to ensure residents’ interests were included in every facet of 61
planning and construction; 62
WHEREAS, The Yards transformed the Capital Riverfront, three museums were 63
constructed and opened their doors – The Spy Museum, the Bible Museum, and the Rubell 64
Museum, a project with which Mr. Litsky was closely associated for 15 years until its opening in 65
October 2022, and two Business Improvement Districts – Capitol Riverfront BID and Southwest 66
BID – would call ANC 6D home; 67
WHEREAS, Mr. Litsky led several advocacy campaigns during his career; 68
WHEREAS, Mr. Litsky has long served the Southwest community outside of elected 69
office, serving on the governing boards of Arena Stage Angels and Southwest House – the oldest 70
local social service organization in the United States serving the African American community, 71
and he has been a 6-term member of the Executive Council for AARP DC, where he used his 72
position to lobby AARP National to represent better the needs of LGBT seniors in all programming 73
and marketing; 74
WHEREAS, Mr. Litsky was named a Capital Pride Hero in 2005 for his work on behalf of 75
HIV/AIDS education, helping to transform the lives of so many and shining a light on the needs 76
of the LGBTQ community; 77
WHEREAS, Mr. Litsky announced in 2022 that he would not seek another term as an Advisory 78
Neighborhood Commissioner, ending a long and storied tenure of elected service to the Southwest waterfront 79 4
community; and 80
WHEREAS, Mr. Litsky leaves big shoes to be filled but will remain active in community service. 81
RESOLVED, BY THE COUNCIL OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, that this 82
resolution may be cited as the “Andy Litsky Recognition Resolution of 2022”. 83
Sec. 2. The Council of the District of Columbia recognizes and honors the career and 84
achievements of Andy Litsky for his longtime service to the District as an Advisory Neighborhood 85
Commissioner for the Southwest waterfront community. 86
Sec. 3. This resolution shall take effect immediately. 87