Opinion

We are fortunate to live in a city where we invest in our children across their lives. From universal public prekindergarten to robust social supports, young people in the District benefit from meaningful public funding. Mayor Muriel…

The DC Board of Elections collaborated in the disenfranchisement of thousands of District voters when it upheld a complaint filed by Bruce Spiva that asserted DC Council member Kenyan McDuffie did not meet the statutory qualifications to…

Public safety has become a dominant theme this election season, with questions related to gun violence and carjackings a regular feature of candidate forums, community meetings and constituent emails. And no wonder: A…

When their schools reopened for in-person learning, my five boys were excited to return. They’ve been happy to be back in the classroom as a more normal school year has progressed, though their enthusiasm has occasionally waned — like when…

Salah Czapary is telling a story about the time when he, as a member of the DC Metropolitan Police Department, responded to a 911 call at a nail salon where a customer was engaged in a dispute. “The lady was upset that they didn't offer a…

District leaders say they understand how difficult the past two years of the COVID-19 pandemic have been for District residents, especially the Black and brown families who have borne the brunt. They say our recovery plans should touch…

I’ve been around DC politics long enough to know that when a candidate goes negative, whether directly or indirectly, it’s usually because that person’s campaign is having a tough time gaining traction. The aim is to knock the opponent off…

The opening salvo in the anticipated fight over the executive’s fiscal year 2023 budget and financial plan came quickly. On March 16, seated inside the auditorium of the newly renovated Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library,…

In recent weeks a unanimous recommendation by the District’s State Board of Education (SBOE) and new research from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology have reinforced the Office of the DC Auditor’s finding a year ago that school…

When governments run by prudent decision-makers have money to spare, they generally opt for big investments that will significantly enhance community assets while raising the quality of everyone’s future reality. Mayor Muriel Bowser’s…

DC Attorney General Karl Racine may have crossed an ethical line when he endorsed Brian Schwalb as his successor. One of four candidates in the AG race vying for the Democratic Party nomination in the June 21 primary, Schwalb previously…

Mayor Muriel Bowser’s administration appears to be ready to follow through on plans to terminate 913 formerly homeless families this year from a time-limited housing program called rapid rehousing. The Department of Human Services (DHS),…

A publicly governed, managed and funded system for public education is a critical part of our democratic system of government. Here in Washington, DC, this is the District of Columbia Public Schools (DCPS). This citywide system must…

Back during the opening months of the COVID-19 pandemic, everyone seemed to be condemning the deplorable health disparities and inequities in the nation’s capital: Better services were sorely needed for low-income and working-class Black…

District officials, including DC Council members, may believe they have helped design an effective public safety model, replete with interrupters, interventionists, and a sprinkling of police officers on the streets. However, this…

That’s the question many people were initially asking after The Washington Post released poll results that seemed to be a two-step takedown of incumbent Mayor Muriel Bowser. After all, 74% of the 904 people surveyed between Feb. 2 and Feb.…

A few days after the DC Office of the Chief Financial Officer (OCFO) released the city’s annual comprehensive financial audit, the agency’s spokesperson sent out a one-page announcement celebrating the fact that the District had received a…

That French phrase came to mind in recent weeks as I discovered that DC Deputy Mayor for Health and Human Services Wayne Turnage and other officials in Mayor Muriel Bowser’s administration seemed to be up to their old shenanigans around a…

While the omicron wave appears to have peaked in the District, residents are still staring in the face of calamity unless Mayor Muriel Bowser and the DC Council act to head off an eviction crisis. Tens of thousands of households could be…

In 2022 we have a big opportunity to start implementing a comprehensive Green New Deal for DC. In revisiting this exciting prospect, we should take note of efforts elsewhere.  The global vision expressed by C40, an international network…