Bowser pitches plan to revitalize downtown as new D.C. lawmakers are sworn in

Brianne Okay. Nadeau (D-Ward 1) was sworn in Monday and first elected to the council in 2014. Beforehand the chair for the human providers committee, Nadeau has sought to assist these experiencing homelessness in addition to undocumented and low-income residents within the District. After being sworn in for her third time period Monday, Nadeau recalled main the cost on a tax enhance on rich residents that helped the town pay for brand spanking new housing vouchers.

Priorities: Nominated to grow to be the council’s new chair of the committee centered on public works and operations, Nadeau stated Monday that she appears to be like ahead to overseeing companies that deal with all facets of day by day residing and fundamental providers within the District. (Observe: All committee assignments are tentative and have to be voted on by the complete council earlier than taking impact.)

Brooke Pinto (D-Ward 2) was first elected to the council in 2020, and because the lawmaker who oversees a lot of downtown, Pinto has typically centered on points and laws that have an effect on housing and the District’s small companies. She has additionally championed insurance policies aimed toward growing protections and sources for girls and women.

Priorities: Now the probably chair of the judiciary committee, Pinto says she’ll work with D.C. police, the lawyer normal’s workplace and different companies to sort out maybe the town’s most vexing problem: gun violence.

Matthew Frumin (D-Ward 3) is new to the council this 12 months, changing Mary M. Cheh, who introduced her retirement in 2022. A longtime neighborhood organizer in Ward 3, the town’s wealthiest ward, Frumin has labored on reasonably priced housing initiatives within the space and is called an schooling advocate.

Priorities: Frumin on Monday mentioned the significance of restoring downtown to maintain up with elevated competitors from different cities, in addition to figuring out and remedying disparities and trauma confronted by District residents through the pandemic, notably in low-income areas. As a freshman legislator, Frumin was not chosen to move a committee.

Janeese Lewis George (D-Ward 4) was elected in 2020. A self-identified democratic socialist, Lewis George has pushed for reforms and modifications aimed toward providing extra residents reasonably priced housing. She pitched a plan for social housing, the place low-income folks dwell in publicly owned housing alongside increased earners who pay lease to fund the venture — an bold concept that has obtained assist from another members of the council, although it didn’t obtain a vote earlier than the tip of the session.

Priorities: Lewis George has promised to reintroduce the “Inexperienced New Deal” social housing proposal within the coming months. She was additionally nominated to chair the Services and Household Providers Committee, which incorporates oversight of the Division of Common Providers, which handles repairs and upkeep for the town’s public colleges and recreation facilities.

Zachary Parker (D-Ward 5) is one other new face on the council this 12 months. Beforehand a trainer, Parker was elected in 2018 because the D.C. State Board of Training’s Ward 5 consultant. He would be the council’s first brazenly homosexual member since 2015.

Priorities: After he was sworn in Monday, Parker vowed to be a “accountable steward of the District’s sources” by analyzing how the town is spending taxpayer cash, searching for to make sure that {dollars} go to these most in want. He lamented how some within the metropolis have “bastardized phrases like fairness whereas upholding techniques that drawback Black of us and Brown of us.” As a freshman legislator, Parker was not chosen to move a committee.

Charles Allen (D-Ward 6) was sworn in for a 3rd time period Monday and ran unopposed final 12 months. Beforehand the chair of the judiciary and public security committee, Allen has just lately led payments to make D.C.’s vote-by-mail system everlasting, revise D.C.’s legal code and make bus journeys free within the metropolis.

Priorities: Chosen to chair the brand new transportation and setting committee, Allen stated he’ll look to make use of incoming funds the town will obtain via the federal infrastructure invoice to discover new methods to enhance transit and fight local weather change.

Vincent C. Grey (D-Ward 7), a former mayor, has in recent times centered on well being fairness in Ward 7 and different communities east of the Anacostia River which have lengthy been marginalized and underserved. He’s additionally helped oversee progress on the Cedar Hill Regional Medical Heart, one of many metropolis’s largest health-care expansions, scheduled for completion in 2025.

Priorities: Grey says he desires to develop community-based psychological well being providers and assist onboard the town’s subsequent well being director, a place that’s presently vacant however that he expects to be crammed within the coming weeks. However Grey has clashed with Mendelson just lately, in protest of a proposed committee reassignment that may shrink Grey’s portfolio from all well being issues to a particular deal with hospitals and fairness.

Trayon White Sr. (D-Ward 8), like Grey, is a recognized advocate for communities within the metropolis’s jap sector, typically pitching and supporting concepts to handle the inequitable allocation of metropolis sources. He ran unsuccessfully for mayor final 12 months.

Priorities: He has just lately led the cost on an effort to rename a serious thoroughfare in Southeast Washington, Good Hope Street SE., in honor of Barry. He additionally just lately criticized some proposed offers to promote metropolis property to builders and stated he’ll enter 2023 with a continued deal with boosting housing whereas stopping displacement. He has been nominated to guide the committee for recreation, libraries and youth affairs.

Anita Bonds (D-At Massive) has been a council member since 2012 and was reelected final 12 months. She is most frequently related together with her efforts to guard and supply sources for the town’s seniors; she additionally just lately oversaw the council’s housing committee and has touted her efforts to develop homeownership.

Priorities: As the town’s housing authority drew elevated scrutiny in latest months, so too did Bonds. Wanting towards the long run, Bonds on Monday listed a number of priorities for the council, together with enhancing infrastructure and air high quality, and boosting academic outcomes “with intentional investments” in youths, educators and colleges. She has been nominated to guide the committee for government administration and labor

Christina Henderson (I-At Massive) was elected to the council in 2020. In her tenure to date, she has centered on childhood schooling and helped lead an effort to develop paid household depart for D.C. authorities staff, amongst different initiatives associated to maternal well being and dealing households.

Priorities: Because the nominee to guide the well being committee, Henderson says she’ll reintroduce a number of measures that didn’t get a vote within the final council session, together with a measure that expands medical health insurance protection via non-public insurers to incorporate fertility analysis and remedy.

Kenyan R. McDuffie (I-At Massive) was first elected as Ward 5 council member in 2012 and located an unconventional path to turning into an at-large lawmaker, altering his social gathering affiliation to impartial after a failed run for lawyer normal. He has written laws that calls on the town to view violent crime as a public well being problem; one other measure required the town authorities to place a better emphasis on racial fairness in its typical operations.

Priorities: McDuffie will stay chair of the enterprise and financial growth committee. Within the function, he’ll proceed to answer the wants of enterprise homeowners within the District whereas shifting his constituency to deal with all District residents.

Robert C. White Jr. (D-At Massive) After operating towards Bowser within the Democratic mayoral main final 12 months, coming in second, White is again to complete up his remaining two years on the council. He has championed an array of payments, together with a measure that makes homelessness a protected class to forestall discrimination, and a plan to transform vacant downtown buildings into reasonably priced housing.

Priorities: White, beforehand chair of the federal government operations and amenities committee, made housing coverage a key element of his mayoral run and may have an opportunity to construct on that portfolio because the housing committee chair.