Opinion

It was a breathtaking revelation: In a clear violation of local ethics laws, DC Council Chair Phil Mendelson used government resources, including equipment and staff, as he engaged in prohibited political campaign activities in his office…

I never planned to be an early educator. In 2018, I was working as a cashier and knew I needed a change, so I applied to be an assistant teacher at a child care center. Once I started, everything clicked. It felt natural to work with…

One of the more fascinating races in the June 16 Democratic primary may be the contest for DC Council chair. Incumbent Phil Mendelson is pitted against his former colleague and friend, Jack Evans, who represented Ward 2 for nearly three…

In DC, many people have asserted that the June primary will usher in a generational shift in the city’s political class. What does that really mean? Is it simply that several politicians who have been around for decades are finally leaving…

When DC for Democracy, a far-left-leaning local political advocacy group, held a virtual forum earlier this year, candidates for DC delegate repeatedly used the words “fight” and “statehood.” Were they simply tapping into a key policy…

In Congress Heights, a stretch of Alabama Avenue SE has been fenced off for construction of a new 179-unit apartment building planned entirely as affordable housing. On paper, it’s exactly the kind of investment Ward 8 has been promised…

There is no escaping this reality: The midterm elections are months away and even if the Democrats win the U.S. House of Representatives, as many predict, they won’t take control until January 2027. During the interim period, District…

Washington, DC, is one of the most opportunity-dense cities in the country. It is home to federal agencies, global employers, research institutions and fast-growing industries. But along with opportunity density comes a high degree of…

Just as Mayor Muriel Bowser and the DC Council were ending their breakfast meeting earlier this month, at-large Councilmember Anita Bonds asked her how she intended to handle funding for the city’s Fair Elections Program — a…

Earlier this week, during a breakfast meeting with members of the DC Council, Mayor Muriel Bowser and senior managers of her administration reported on the dismal state of the District’s current and future finances, going into particular…

Last year, during the city’s annual budget deliberations, Ward 5 DC Councilmember Zachary Parker was on the hunt for money to fund a local child tax credit; undoubtedly, he hoped it would be the signature legislation for his first term,…

Even before at-large DC Councilmember Kenyan McDuffie announced his resignation last month, everyone inside the John A. Wilson Building knew it was coming, especially his staff. But what did the general public — the taxpayers who fund the…

When it comes to ethics, the DC Council appears to be going from bad to worse: Last year, it trashed local open meeting laws. After unanimously voting in February 2025 to expel Ward 8’s Trayon White Sr., the legislature permitted his…

On Christmas Eve, DC Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton announced she had reintroduced legislation to allow the DC mayor and council to determine the salary of the city’s chief financial officer. “Giving the District the ability to raise the pay…

District residents who have closely followed the recent debate around the start of ranked choice voting (RCV) in the 2026 primary and general elections surely aren’t surprised that the majority of the DC Council voted against legislation…

Former DC at-large Councilmember Bill Lightfoot declared during an interview with me that this moment in the city’s political life is “an opportunity.” Is that an understatement? After all, Mayor Muriel Bowser and Councilmembers…

“My kids are not being prepared to keep up with a changing world,” a parent told me at a recent PTO meeting. As I’ve talked with families and educators about DC’s Reimagining High School Graduation Requirements initiative, I’ve heard…

“Honoring the will of the voters means protecting voter access, voter understanding, and voter confidence — especially for communities that have historically been disenfranchised in our election systems,” Ward 7 DC Councilmember Wendell…

I was born in 1986. Marion Barry had just started his third term as mayor. The space shuttle Challenger disaster had shocked the nation. The Washington football team made it to the NFC championship game as a wild card. And, while seatbelts…

The longer my interview went on with Robert “Bob” King about ranked choice voting, the more animated he seemed to become. He raised concerns about the potential negative effect of that system, which allows voters to choose multiple…