The Fair Budget Coalition recently released its annual budget report that lays out its funding priorities for fiscal year 2020. Mayor Muriel Bowser is slated to present her budget plan in late March. (Photo by Chris Kain)

Stephanie Sneed: Mayor Bowser needs to live up to her rhetoric and put people first in upcoming budget

By Commentary On Feb 15, 2019 Last updated Feb 15, 2019

“We are only as strong as a city as the ward that struggles the most. You cannot represent the District of Columbia as a whole and not reflect that in your words, actions and budget decisions.”

These were Mayor Muriel Bowser’s words on Jan. 2 as she began her second term in office — a promise to District residents that her budget decisions would align with the words she’s spoken vowing to make DC an equitable city.

As anyone who follows politics is well aware, public officials may spout progressive rhetoric, but they reveal their true commitment — or lack thereof — when it comes down to funding. Mayor Bowser is no exception, and her upcoming budget proposal will show whether she lives up to her rhetorical commitment.

In order to ensure that real change can happen, it is simply not enough to champion rhetoric without adequate funding. Similar to someone labeling themselves socially liberal or progressive but fiscally conservative — it doesn’t work.

Since our founding in 1994, the Fair Budget Coalition has brought together human and legal service providers, community members directly impacted by poverty, professional advocates, faith organizations and concerned DC residents to advocate for a District budget and public policies that address poverty and human needs. Now composed of nearly 100 members, we were born out of the belief that when all stakeholders working to alleviate poverty come together to promote a shared agenda, everyone benefits. Our budget platform reflects our multi-issue coalition and seeks to address housing security, food access, health care, community safety, and economic justice through fair taxes and public deals. We agree with Mayor Bowser’s comments at her inauguration: True commitment to racial and socioeconomic equity is inherently connected to funding.

Prior to the release of the mayor’s annual budget proposal late next month, the Fair Budget Coalition recently distributed our annual budget report, which outlines critical funding priorities for fiscal year 2020. The document describes our budgetary priorities, as well as funding mechanisms that we believe should be a priority when determining the forthcoming budget. We have determined these priorities through a collaborative decision-making process that evaluates whether the proposed policies create systemic changes, advance racial justice, enjoy broad support, build power and are guided by impacted constituencies.

In 2016, the Urban Institute commissioned a study called “A Vision for an Equitable DC.” What would we see if the District were a truly racially equitable city?

57,300 more Black households and 5,900 more Hispanic households would be living above the poverty line;
2,200 more Hispanic residents and 24,000 more Black residents would be employed, including more than 17,000 Black residents in wards 5, 7 and 8;
26,300 more Black households and 6,200 more Hispanic households would be earning a living wage; and
968 more Black mothers and 189 Hispanic mothers-to-be would be receiving adequate prenatal care.

The study went on to show huge racial disparities, particularly in housing. In 2016, a first-time homebuyer from the average Hispanic household could afford 29 percent of homes sold, and a first-time homebuyer from the average Black household could afford only 9.3 percent. In comparison, a first-time homebuyer with an average white household income could afford 67 percent of the homes sold between 2010 and 2014, including all homes sold in wards 7 and 8. Very low-income families could afford fewer than 7 percent of rental units west of Rock Creek Park. Among Black families, 54 percent paid more than one-third of their income in rent, while 33 percent paid more than half of their income in rent.

In order for Mayor Bowser and the DC Council to champion a truly equitable city, DC’s budget must prioritize the most marginalized communities in DC. We cannot continue to subsidize developers, finance stadiums and lower taxes for the most wealthy individuals and businesses. These actions stand in direct contradiction to a fair and equitable DC. If our politicians are truly committed to protecting DC residents from President Donald Trump and bad federal policies, they must act to protect those most adversely affected by draconian cuts to social service programs.

We will measure the mayor’s second-term success by the material improvement in the lives and communities in the wards whose residents are struggling the most. We will not consider it a success if DC builds a new stadium for the Washington football team while thousands remain homeless. We will not consider it a success if DC builds 36,000 new units of housing over the next 10 years, with only a small percentage affordable to people living on extremely low incomes. We will not consider it a success if we see an influx of hundreds of new residents while continuing to see the forced migration of Black residents and other people of color.

What would success look like? It would mean the creation of community-owned, full-service grocery stores while avoiding neighborhood displacement. It would mean families having adequate housing when they are trying to find safety from abuse. It would mean a school system in which a Black child is not suspended from school for the same behavior exhibited by a white peer who goes without punishment. It would mean immigrant families being able to rely on their health care provider without having to re-register with the bureaucracy every six months. And it would mean ensuring that our young people have adequate access to in-school mental health care when they need it.

Throughout the 2020 budget process, the Fair Budget Coalition will hold Mayor Bowser and the DC Council accountable to putting their money where their mouths are. Join us and tell Mayor Bowser to put people first!

Stephanie Sneed, a full-time mom and advocate for racial equity, is executive director of the Fair Budget Coalition, having joined the group’s staff in January 2017. Sneed previously worked in school and out-of-school settings as a youth developer, and she has experience with nonprofits as a staff member, a volunteer and a recipient of services.

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The DC Line welcomes commentaries representing various viewpoints on local issues of concern, but the opinions expressed do not represent those of The DC Line. Submissions of up to 850 words may be sent to editor Chris Kain at chriskain@thedcline.org.