Frank Winstead
Encyclopedia
Frank Winstead is a programmer
and politician
from Washington, D.C.
He served as commissioner for Advisory Neighborhood Commission
3F, Single Member District 4 from 2005 to 2009. He is most notable for sparking the Connecticut Avenue
ping pong battles of 2008. As of 2009, he is a self-employed contract programmer.
He nearly ran unopposed in 2008. The winner of the 2008 election, Tom Whitley, had not signed up to run for the seat until less than 72 hours before the deadline.
. The video features two people playing ping pong at a table on the sidewalk outside Comet Ping Pong at 5037 Connecticut Avenue, NW. Comet is in Single Member District 3F05, five blocks north of Winstead's Single Member District.
At the ANC 3F meeting on April 24, 2008, Comet promised to remove the ping pong table from the street as a concession to get ANC support for outdoor seating and later closing hours. Later that month, Winstead encouraged the D.C. government to force neighboring Marvelous Market to remove sidewalk benches that had sat there for 10 years.
Comet owner James Alefantis approached ANC 3F on June 16, 2008, to amend a voluntary agreement with the Alcoholic Beverage Control Board made in 2006 regarding Comet's operations. Specifically, he sought the removal of limitations on live music, the ability to serve alcohol on Comet's patio, and the extension of operating hours past midnight.
These changes would need to be approved by the ANC first. The extraordinarily well-attended hearing became quite raucous when Winstead accused Alefantis of "trying to turn this into Adams Morgan with the murders, the rapes..." and questioned him whether he had ever spit in a customer's food. Commissioner Karen Perry, another opponent of Comet's proposal, told Winstead, "You're hurting our case, you're not helping it." The Commission voted 4-3 to lift the agreement and allow Comet to operate according to its proposal, but the ANC put off a formal decision on whether to support the new provisions. Live music began again at Comet on August 8, 2008.
All through this matter, Winstead has refused to respond to reporters' inquiries. On June 23, 2008, Washington City Paper reporter Jason Cherkis and videographer Ted Scheinman attempted to visit Winstead in his apartment at The Brandywine. Winstead again refused to speak to them.
Programmer
A programmer, computer programmer or coder is someone who writes computer software. The term computer programmer can refer to a specialist in one area of computer programming or to a generalist who writes code for many kinds of software. One who practices or professes a formal approach to...
and politician
Politician
A politician, political leader, or political figure is an individual who is involved in influencing public policy and decision making...
from Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
He served as commissioner for Advisory Neighborhood Commission
Advisory Neighborhood Commission
thumb|right|upright|The District of Columbia is divided into 8 wards, each of which is further divided into local ANCs.Advisory Neighborhood Commissions are bodies of local government in Washington, D.C...
3F, Single Member District 4 from 2005 to 2009. He is most notable for sparking the Connecticut Avenue
Connecticut Avenue (Washington, D.C.)
Connecticut Avenue is a major thoroughfare in the Northwest quadrant of Washington, D.C., and suburban Montgomery County, Maryland. It is one of the diagonal avenues radiating from the White House, and the segment south of Florida Avenue was one of the original streets in Pierre Charles...
ping pong battles of 2008. As of 2009, he is a self-employed contract programmer.
Election History
Winstead ran unopposed for his seat in the 2004 and 2006 elections.| Name | Votes | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Frank Winstead | 677 | 96.99% |
| Write In | 21 | 3.01% |
| Name | Votes | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Frank Winstead | 344 | 85.15% |
| Write In | 60 | 14.85% |
He nearly ran unopposed in 2008. The winner of the 2008 election, Tom Whitley, had not signed up to run for the seat until less than 72 hours before the deadline.
| Name | Votes | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Frank Winstead | 181 | 25.82% |
| Tom Whitley | 507 | 72.33% |
| Write In | 13 | 1.85% |
Campaign Against Ping Pong
On May 26, 2007, Winstead posted a video, "Ping Pong in Public Space" on YouTubeYouTube
YouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
. The video features two people playing ping pong at a table on the sidewalk outside Comet Ping Pong at 5037 Connecticut Avenue, NW. Comet is in Single Member District 3F05, five blocks north of Winstead's Single Member District.
At the ANC 3F meeting on April 24, 2008, Comet promised to remove the ping pong table from the street as a concession to get ANC support for outdoor seating and later closing hours. Later that month, Winstead encouraged the D.C. government to force neighboring Marvelous Market to remove sidewalk benches that had sat there for 10 years.
Comet owner James Alefantis approached ANC 3F on June 16, 2008, to amend a voluntary agreement with the Alcoholic Beverage Control Board made in 2006 regarding Comet's operations. Specifically, he sought the removal of limitations on live music, the ability to serve alcohol on Comet's patio, and the extension of operating hours past midnight.
These changes would need to be approved by the ANC first. The extraordinarily well-attended hearing became quite raucous when Winstead accused Alefantis of "trying to turn this into Adams Morgan with the murders, the rapes..." and questioned him whether he had ever spit in a customer's food. Commissioner Karen Perry, another opponent of Comet's proposal, told Winstead, "You're hurting our case, you're not helping it." The Commission voted 4-3 to lift the agreement and allow Comet to operate according to its proposal, but the ANC put off a formal decision on whether to support the new provisions. Live music began again at Comet on August 8, 2008.
All through this matter, Winstead has refused to respond to reporters' inquiries. On June 23, 2008, Washington City Paper reporter Jason Cherkis and videographer Ted Scheinman attempted to visit Winstead in his apartment at The Brandywine. Winstead again refused to speak to them.
External links
- Forest Hills Frank - Frank Winstead's YouTube channel
- ANC 3F