Phil Mendelson

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Phil Mendelson, November 2007

Philip Heath Mendelson (b. November 8, 1952^[1]) is a politician from Washington, D.C. He is currently a Democratic member of the Council of the District of Columbia, where he serves as an elected at-large Councilmember. Mendelson was first elected to the City Council in November 1998. He is the Chairman of the Committee on Public Safety and the Judiciary and is a member of four additional committees: Health; Housing and Urban Affairs; Human Services; and Libraries, Parks, and Recreation. Along with representing the Council at the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments, he also currently serves as the President of the Association of Metropolitan Planning Organizations (AMPO).

Mendelson has been active with District issues since 1975 when he joined the McLean Gardens Residents Association in the fight to save that 43-acre housing complex from destruction. He ran for a seat on the Advisory Neighborhood Commission in 1979 and continued to serve as an ANC Commissioner until he took office as an At-Large member of the Council.

Mendelson believes government should be an honest, efficient deliverer of services, that the District should help those least able to help themselves to develop the skills to become self-sufficient and end the cycle of poverty, and that government must do this without increasing the tax burdens already shouldered by our middle and upper income residents. The District, as the nation's capital, should be a model of service delivery -- in public education, public safety, and public health.

Mendelson came to Washington from Cleveland, Ohio in 1970 to obtain a Bachelor’s degree in political science from The American University. He grew up in a family dedicated to public service. His mother was a national crusader for nursing home reform. His grandmother had been president of the Michigan State League of Women Voters, was appointed by President Roosevelt to the federal Office of Price Administration, and was a founder of the Grand Rapids Urban League.

Mendelson is married to Connie Ridgway, who is a licensed clinical social worker and a massage therapist. They have a daughter, Adelaide, who attends the DC Public Schools. Their home is in McLean Gardens.