Former Councilwoman Ewen Stresses the Importance of Community

Alice C. Ewen spent two terms on Riverdale Park's council. During her time serving the public she helped facilitate the growth of the farmers market, save the town money and give Riverdale Park more local zoning control. She chose to not run for re-election, and she is enjoying her free time and focusing on her career.

Patch: Why did you decide to run for council?

Alice Ewen: I think I just wanted to contribute. I was already involved in volunteer activities.  

Patch: What are you most proud of during your time on the council?

AE: I’m proud of the growth of our farmers market. The market has grown from about 400 to 900 customers a week. We made a bigger financial commitment to staffing, which made a huge difference.

We changed our healthcare plan. By changing from the previous one to the one we have now we saved about $80,000 from what the premium increases would be and no one had to change their doctor.

Also, the Mixed Used Town Center (MUTC) zoning overlay, which was a way for Riverdale Park to have hybrid zoning. It gave us a little more local control over zoning.

I was happy with the collegial relationship with our town members and staff. Like any neighborhood association sometimes you can have people that are really hard to work with.

I was proud of how well the council worked together. We did a good job of making good decisions about the town and moving forward.

Patch: What are you doing now that you are not on the council?

AE: I’m enjoying my free time. I think what people don’t really understand about town council is that we have real jobs.

This is not a stepping-stone to becoming senator. It’s really a community service. Everyone has a career and is spending their times at town council meetings.

It’s not that I didn’t want to be on council anymore, I think it should rotate. We all need to chip in and contribute to our neighborhood. I hope other residents including new residents think about it.

Patch: What would you like to see the council do now that you have left?

AE: I think that continuing to focus on appearance of the neighborhood is important. Public works has done a great job with a very limited budget by making the neighborhood attractive and safe.

Patch: What makes Riverdale Park special to you?

AE: I’ve been here ten years. Everybody says this about their neighborhood, but it really is very friendly. I like that it’s diverse and kind of laid back.

People are community-minded. It’s convenient, too. There are a lot of great aspects about this community. We are right by D.C. and you don’t have to drive a million miles to get to a grocery store.