Happy Trails Ken…

Next week community activist and friend of GM, Ken Archer, will pull up stakes and head west to San Francisco with his wife Veronika and son Martin. He’s explained elsewhere the bittersweet reasons he’s leaving town, but today GM wanted to publicly thank Ken for serving as a role model for what positive community engagement can achieve.

Ken assures GM that he has a real job, with responsibilities and meetings, and reports, and schedules, and all the things that go along with a real job. GM mentions that only because he’s never been able to reconcile that observation with another observation: that Ken has a bottomless supply of passion, energy, and, most importantly, time to dedicate to causes and issues that he truly believes matter.

You may be familiar with Ken’s activism within Georgetown (and more on that in a bit) but Ken’s largest impact has been on the citywide scale. He essentially singlehandedly pushed through legislation expanding conditions qualifying for medical marijuana, including epilepsy and other seizure disorders. He was instrumental in pushing for improvements to job training, and “banning the box“. He was the treasurer of Elissa Silverman’s surprising run for Council last year (a run that nearly won without taking a dime from corporations). And if that’s not enough, he is an editor at the influential Greater Greater Washington blog and helped start its education-focused offshoot: Greater Greater Education.

And despite all of this (and of course the job, which really is real, and impressive in its own right) Ken has had time and energy to focus on the neighborhood he fell in love with as a House page decades ago. He has been active in just about every significant issue that Georgetown has faced over the years. Whether it’s working to find common ground between the university and the residents, or pushing for zoning changes that helps preserve the vitality of Georgetown, or advocating for better transit (which he used every day), or working with DDOT to establish a more rational parking regime, or any number of other aspects of our lives, Ken has been there trying to help.

And where he truly serves as a role model is not simply his willingness to get involved in a million issues, but rather his willingness to get involved with an open mind and open ears. He has demonstrated to GM just how important it is to respect the people you disagree with and understand that notwithstanding any apparent animosity over a particular issue, common ground exists if we just honestly listen to each other.

GM has known Ken and family were leaving for months, but now that the house is sold and the possessions packed and in transit across the country, the reality of life in Georgetown without them is setting in. And it’s a real bummer. But the consolation is knowing a happy life awaits them in San Francisco.

So happy trails Ken, Veronika and Martin…