Opinion

On Sunday, just two days before the DC Council voted unanimously to give initial approval to the city’s nearly $22 billion Fiscal Year 2027 Budget and Financial Plan, I asked Chair Phil Mendelson whether it would be fair to say that he and…

We are parents of public charter school students from different wards, different schools and different backgrounds. But this week we are joining together with families from across the District to demand that the DC Council treat our…

Next week, the DC Council is expected to take the first of two votes on Mayor Muriel Bowser’s proposed $21.2 billion Fiscal Year 2027 Budget and Financial Plan. Don’t expect a smooth landing. The budget, combined with concerns…

“While change is good, prepared leadership is better,” Kevin Chavous said as he introduced himself during the DC Office of Campaign Finance’s at-large primary debate late last month. He is one of nine Democrats hoping to hit the lottery…

“It’s nice to see everyone so willing to work together,” journalist Michael Brice-Saddler quipped while moderating the recent debate sponsored by the DC Office of Campaign Finance principally for candidates certified under the Fair…

At a recent mayoral forum, moderator Dwayne Lawson-Brown asked the candidates to use three words to describe their political style. “Principled. Resilient. Effective,” said Ward 4 DC Councilmember Janeese Lewis George. “Bold.…

Last month, DC Justice Lab convened nearly 30 organizations to stand together on the steps of the Wilson Building and release the 2026 DC Public Safety Policy Agenda, a set of recommendations developed by policy experts, individuals…

Earlier this week, Wesley Williams, operations and policy officer for the DC Office of Campaign Finance, confirmed that his agency has opened an investigation into whether the relationship between Janeese Lewis George’s mayoral campaign,…

A diverse crowd of nearly 300 people squeezed into the auditorium at the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library on Monday evening; it was a standing-room-only setting at the latest DC mayoral forum, one sponsored by The 51st, The…

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,…