Meet James Tandaric

I was born in Downers Grove, a suburb of Chicago, Illinois. After finishing my undergraduate at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, I moved to DC in the hopes of bringing positive, social change to DC. I have taught in DC for 7 years and I loved working with parents and community members to help their students thrive as learners and humans.

I moved to Van Ness with my boyfriend in March 2019. We chose Van Ness because we loved how close to everything is while enjoying the breadth of green space along with not feeling super congested.

I have been in the ANC Community since June 2020. I originally joined the Housing & Neighborhoods Committee and collaborated with the other members to address issues of public safety and housing. After being part of the community, I formally started a new committee called the Schools & Universities Community in December 2020. The purpose of this committee is to advocate for schools and parents in ANC 3F.

A few months of being part of multiple committees, I ran for ANC 3F07 in June 2021 after the current commissioner resigned. I gathered the required signatures in the midst of the Cicada season and rain a special election unopposed. I was formally elected in July 2021. During my time, I have continued to lead the Schools & Universities committee, met with multiple government agencies on how to make 3F a safer place for all, been a contact person for the 2022 Redistricting process (a lot of work surprisingly!), and supported efforts on bike lanes on Connecticut Avenue, the Soapstone Project, and Food Banks in Ward 3.

I hope with all my experience as an ANC Commissioner I can continue to advocate for ANC 3F05 and collaborate with you (the community) to identify solutions for all.