jonetta rose barras: Mayor Bowser’s election-year risk

Without serious opposition, Mayor Muriel Bowser is inoculated against defeat in next week’s general election. That comfortable perch undoubtedly was one consideration in her decision to shine her political light on relative newcomer Dionne Reeder, a former staffer in Mayor Anthony A. Williams’ administration who is running against at-large DC Council member Elissa Silverman.

That at-large race has become the epitome of the slogan “go big or go home.” Bowser has spared no expense, literally and figuratively. She has helped Reeder raise large sums of money while welcoming her to campaign rallies and including her pictures in printed mailers. Those actions have helped Reeder garner citywide attention she likely would not have received but needed in order to be perceived as a serious candidate.

Don’t think Silverman, nearing the completion of her first term, is without friends. After she blasted the mayor’s muscular moves during a conversation with Craig Holman, the government affairs lobbyist with Public Citizen accommodated an ally and filed a formal complaint with the DC Office of Campaign Finance (OCF).

You read correctly: Notwithstanding claims that she was just seeking an “expert opinion,” the legislator who has railed ad nauseum about the corroding and corrupting effects of lobbyists in government and politics called up one, according to news reports, to do her bidding against a political opponent. Holman may have been seen as acceptable since he works for a nonprofit organization; the city’s budget, however, offers ample evidence of how nonprofit organizations — and their lobbyists — influence decisions made by elected officials. Equally important, Public Citizen has lobbied heavily for so-called reforms to the city’s campaign finance laws — changes that, in my opinion, are mostly about constructing a plank in its national agenda.

Unsurprisingly, William SanFord, general counsel for OCF, said earlier this week that “a public statement by the mayor regarding whom she intends to cast a vote in favor of in an election at a [Get Out The Vote] rally does not represent an in-kind or excessive contribution to the campaign of the mayor’s expressed preference.” He concluded that Public Citizen had not produced evidence to the contrary and that it had not met the burden of proof.

From where I sit, the complaint seemed like an ill-conceived and desperate attempt to foment the perception that Bowser was doing something illegal. The hope was to spray stink on both the mayor and her protégé.

That plan may have fallen short of its mark, but it has invited additional questions about Bowser’s unprecedented, all-in approach and whether it could jeopardize her own showing in next week’s election. Further, if the mayor’s candidate isn’t victorious, will that embolden Silverman and her allies, many of whom are spendthrifts, advocating for far-left public policies that could, in some instances, harm segments of the DC community, including small and local businesses?

I don’t always agree with Bowser. Over the years, however, she has proved a fairly shrewd politician. Despite a mayoral tenure that has lacked any memorable innovation and has been marked by several scandals, Bowser has managed to keep her favorability rating high.

During this campaign, she has not just inspired her supporters to pull out their wallets; she also has helped Reeder win endorsements from the city’s newspaper of record, The Washington Post, neighborhood publications like The Georgetowner and The Current and writers like the Washington Blade’s Mark Lee.

The Georgetowner and The Current are neighborhood publications that serve communities considered to be part of Silverman’s base. Many of the residents there are not intimately involved in the daily operations of the government, but they are conscientious about their civic obligation to vote. They rely, therefore, on the editorial pages of publications to help inform their choices. That Reeder, with Bowser’s assist, received accolades from credible institutions and writers has intensified the at-large council fight.

Even if Reeder loses but garners a sizable share of the votes, Bowser could receive the credit and may have achieved one of her objectives: rattling Silverman. Equally important, Bowser would have signaled to other, more vulnerable council members that she is able to and willing to play hardball.   

Politics is not for the faint of heart. As a former Washington Post reporter, public policy analyst and City Paper political columnist, Silverman knows that better than most. She has been a scrappy fighter throughout her tenure. This campaign has been no different.

She has tried to put her opponent in the anti-paid-leave straitjacket, casting Reeder as a pawn of the business community. Reeder owns a restaurant in Ward 8 and stresses a strong interest in the state of the economy and the local people who help to keep it churning. Moreover, she has made clear she supports paid leave — just not the fiscal formula advanced by Silverman and the council. Let’s remember Chairman Phil Mendelson also didn’t favor the tax on businesses that ultimately passed the legislature.

None of that matters. This week a ton of negative campaign mailers hit the mailboxes of DC voters, most paid for by Silverman’s union backers, claiming that “Reeder’s campaign is bankrolled by unaccountable developers and corporate executives,” or that “For those struggling to buy or stay in a home, Dionne Reeder is a risk we can’t afford.” Not unlike Silverman, Reeder has identified affordable housing as one of her top priorities.

Some in the media have aided Silverman’s maneuver. They have suggested that Reeder is the puppet and Bowser the ventriloquist. People who have spoken to Reeder, including myself, know she is no one’s mouthpiece.

Silverman has said she is no enemy of the business community. However, Mendelson was sufficiently worried about the adverse impact of council-approved proposals, many supported by Silverman, that he proposed a moratorium on regulatory changes until 2019.

Allowing the discussion to be diminished to a single issue has done a disservice to everyone, particularly District residents. The city may be dripping money, but there are myriad challenges that have not received sufficient attention.

Undoubtedly Silverman and Reeder will continue to duke it out in these final days of the campaign. What will be more interesting is how many bruises Bowser will have as a result of that scrimmage.

jonetta rose barras is a DC-based freelance writer and host of The Barras Report television show. She can be reached at thebarrasreport@gmail.com.