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A CEREMONIAL RESOLUTION
21-92
IN THE COUNCIL OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
July 14, 2015
To posthumously honor the life of David F. Conn, Esq., for his exceptional commitment and service to tenants and the tenant community and to all District of Columbia residents, and to declare September 26, 2015 – the day of the 8th Annual D.C. Office of the Tenant Advocate Tenant and Tenant Association Summit – as “David F. Conn Day” in the District of Columbia.
WHEREAS, David Franklin Conn of Silver Spring, Maryland, was born to Elaine R. Conn and the late Robert E. Conn on January 23, 1956, and passed away on June 4, 2015;
WHEREAS, David Conn was the beloved companion for 23 years of Betty Sellers, the loving brother of the late Lawrence Conn, and the uncle of Alexander Conn-Svendsen;
WHEREAS, David Conn abhorred injustice and discrimination and – knowing as a law student that he was risking disqualification from taking the DC Bar examination – nevertheless protested South African apartheid and was arrested for his principles;
WHEREAS, David Conn’s work on behalf of renters in the District of Columbia began when he was a law student, when he led fellow tenants at the Berkshire Apartments at 4201 Massachusetts Avenue, N.W., Washington, D.C., in successfully challenging proposed capital improvement surcharges;
WHEREAS, while simultaneously serving as a federal competition attorney at the U.S. Federal Trade Commission, David Conn became a tireless pro bono advocate for District renters for over 25 years;
WHEREAS, David Conn helped tenants organize and assisted tenants and tenant associations in litigation; generously mentored and advised countless numbers of tenant attorneys; served as pro bono legal advisor for the Tenants’ Organizations Political Action Committee and the Tenant Action Network ; and in 1995, founded the Tenant Action Network ; and
WHEREAS, David Conn’s ever-brilliant, forceful, insightful, sensible, and steadfast advocacy was indispensable to the success of numerous legislative efforts in the realm of tenant rights, which included strengthening the tenant right of purchase law in 2005, creating the DC Office of the Tenant Advocate as an independent voice for tenants within the District government in 2005, and reforming the District’s rent control law in 2006.
IT IS HEREBY RESOLVED, BY THE COUNCIL OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, that the Council of the District of Columbia recognizes, honors, and celebrates the life of David F. Conn, Esq., for his distinguished service and extensive contributions to the tenant community and all District of Columbia residents, and declares September 26, 2015 – the day of the 8th Annual D.C. Office of the Tenant Advocate Tenant and Tenant Association Summit – as “David F. Conn Day” in the District of Columbia.
Sec. 2. This resolution may be cited as the “David F. Conn, Esq., Posthumous Recognition Resolution of 2015”.
Sec. 3. This resolution shall take effect immediately upon the first date of publication in the District of Columbia Register.
