Cleveland Parker

Congratulations to Ruthanne Miller of Cleveland Park who is the new chairperson of the powerful Alcoholic Beverage Control Board, a part of Alcoholic Beverage Regulation Administration (ABRA). Miller has previously served the community as ANC 3C commissioner and on the Board of Zoning Administration (BZA). The Control Board is a seven member committee that “meets once per week to adjudicate, administer, and enforce the provisions of ABC laws.” Depending on your position, the Control Board frequently plays hero and/or villain when it comes to alcohol regulation in the city.  Miller replaces Charles Brodsky who stepped down a month after allegations of impropriety were leveled against him by a former board member.

As chair, Miller will preside over many hearings directly related to our neighborhood and local businesses.  In terms of her stance on community development, she tends to be pretty business-friendly. Recently, Miller has been a public advocate for reviving the storefront culture along Connecticut Ave. To her credit (in our mind), she has spoken out against the restaurant quota in Cleveland Park quipping, “Restaurants can’t open in Cleveland Park, and instead you’re getting tanning salons” in 2010. Of course as chair of the Control Board, she will walk a very fine line between protecting neighborhood residents and allowing for a vibrant business climate.

Miller’s appointment seems to come much less contentiously than her last mayoral appointment. In 2003, Miller was appointed by Anthony Williams to replace Anne Renshaw on the BZA causing an uproar among some residents. The furor surrounded Miller’s convenient political connections and the “fast track” her appointment garnered, not necessarily antipathy toward Miller herself. In addition, many believed the ouster of Renshaw was a direct consequence of her penchant to take on developers over zoning issues in the District. Former councilman at the time, Adrian Fenty was quoted as saying, “I am very upset that the mayor has not brought Mrs. Renshaw back, because she has done a very good job.”