WASHINGTON, DC — Beau Finely, a 42-year-old legal professional and resident of the Cleveland Park neighborhood, says crime is the primary concern amongst constituents in Ward 3.

Finley is on the poll for the June 21 Democratic Get together Major. He is operating towards eight different candidates to fill the vacant Ward 3 seat on the D.C. Metropolis Council: Tricia Duncan, Henry Z Cohen, Matthew Frumin, Eric Goulet, Ben Bergmann, Deirdre Brown, Monte Monash and Phil Thomas. The winner will sq. off towards Republican David Krucoff within the Nov. 8 normal election.

Patch has requested every of the candidates operating in choose races to fill out a questionnaire, sharing info about themselves and why voters ought to select them to characterize their celebration in November.

Identify
Beau Finley

Marketing campaign web site

Beau Finley For Ward 3

DC Neighborhood

Cleveland Park

Workplace sought

DC Council, Ward 3

Get together affiliation

Democrat

Schooling

College of Maryland, B.A., Economics, 2002; Georgetown College Regulation Middle, J.D., 2007

Occupation

Lawyer (14.5)

Household

My spouse, Laura (37), is an architect. I am very fortunate to have my dad and mom (Mike and Julia) and youthful sister and her husband (JC and Patrick) close by, too.

Does anybody in your loved ones work in politics or authorities? No.

Age
42

Earlier public workplace, appointive or elective

• Sure. Advisory Neighborhood Commissioner for 3C04. Elected 2016, 2018, and 2020.
• Advisory Neighborhood Commissioner – ANC 3C04, elected 2016, 2018, and 2020. Chair of ANC 3C, elected 2021 – current – two phrases.
• Vice Chair of ANC 3C, elected 2017-2019 – two phrases.
• Vice President for HQ – NTEU 209, elected 2018 – 2022 – one time period, left to run for DC Council.
• Ward 3 Committeeman to the DC Democratic State Committee, elected – 2018 – current.
• Precinct Delegate to the Ward 3 Democrats, elected – 2016-2018, ex officio 2018 – current.

Why are you looking for this workplace?

I imagine strongly within the dignity of the particular person – that’s the impetus for why I’m operating to characterize Ward 3 and the font from which my proposals circulation. Our authorities shouldn’t simply be aware of our present wants but additionally plan for our future wants. It should present alternatives for all in order that we, our kids, and our grandchildren can thrive. We have to elect leaders with expertise, imaginative and prescient, and integrity, who will combat for all of us.

Please full this assertion: The one most urgent problem dealing with my constituents is ___, and that is what I intend to do about it.

Public security is the most typical reply I hear from constituents.

All of us need to be protected. The latest enhance in crime, particularly alongside Connecticut Avenue in Van Ness and Forest Hills, has rightfully led to emphasize and anxiousness amongst these of us who frequent the hall. Ward 3 deserves a response that may get outcomes and never simply make headlines. And, over the long run, we have to deal with the basis causes of crime in order that we are able to forestall violence on our streets and in our neighborhoods.

We now have the sixth largest police pressure within the nation, however we’re solely the 20th largest metropolis. Because of this we have to focus our strategy to policing, fairly than specializing in the scale of the police pressure. I’ve lengthy argued that the easiest way to extend public security is thru neighborhood policing. MPD presently has particular liaison models which might be examples of neighborhood policing. As well as, we used to do neighborhood policing a few decade in the past underneath Chief Cathy Lanier to nice impact. Neighborhood policing means getting our police again on patrol in our neighborhoods, of their autos and on foot. Our police spend ~22% of their time on patrol, which is far lower than the nationwide common. Extra frequent patrols by way of neighborhood policing implies that our police shall be higher deterrents and have higher response instances as a result of the police shall be in our neighborhoods the place crime happens, not on the precinct on Idaho Avenue.

As well as, we have to spend money on assist companies that put behavioral specialists on the entrance strains of serving to folks in want fairly than counting on our police to deal with all the pieces – our police ought to be policing, not dealing with psychological well being crises the place nobody is in bodily hazard. Requiring our police to deal with psychological well being crises and site visitors enforcement retains our police from the constructive neighborhood engagement needed to resolve crimes.

What’s your place on DC statehood?

I’m in assist of DC Statehood and have labored exhausting to put the groundwork for us to have full illustration.

We can’t obtain statehood on our personal, so many people have been working to construct nationwide assist for our illustration. We are able to obtain statehood solely by way of a constitutional modification or by way of congressional assist. Both manner, we’d like the assistance of these exterior the District.

I checked out this problem and decided the easiest way for me to work towards statehood was to work towards flipping GOP-held state legislatures for Democrats. This meant figuring out Democrats who assist statehood who run towards Republican incumbents on the state legislative stage. In 2017, I based the Blue Wave Job Drive in my native Democratic membership — the Ward 3 Democrats. I recognized seven candidates in Virginia for us to assist. Six of these seven gained. In 2018, I made a decision to carry this profitable mannequin to the DC Democratic State Committee. As soon as elected to the DC Democratic Get together, I based the DC Democrats’ Blue Wave Job Drive. In 2018, we recognized candidates in Pennsylvania, North Carolina, Michigan, and Wisconsin who assist statehood. We had been profitable in electing a lot of them. In 2019, we went again to Virginia and elected Dan Helmer and Joshua Cole. (The Honorable Joshua Cole not too long ago endorsed me.) In 2020, we centered on North Carolina and Pennsylvania, recognizing that our down-ballot efforts would have constructive results for Joe Biden and Kamala Harris on the high of the ticket. Each single candidate we supported is now an advocate for DC statehood. Because of this work on my own and others, assist for DC statehood is now a litmus check for a lot of Democrats.

Along with my work electing Democrats who assist statehood, I kicked off the dialogue amongst presidential main candidates concerning statehood. In a CNN City Corridor in early 2020, which I used to be invited to as an elected member to the DC Democratic Get together, I requested Senator Sanders if he helps DC statehood. He emphatically stated sure. Over the next few days, each Democratic candidate launched statements saying additionally they assist DC statehood.

How would you deal with the issue of gun violence within the District?

Gun violence is a tough matter provided that we dwell subsequent to a state, Virginia, with notoriously lax gun legal guidelines. Weapons utilized in crimes within the District usually tend to come from Virginia than anyplace else within the nation. Absent strong nationwide gun management, we have now to deal with gun violence by way of a public-health lens, which is able to result in evidence-based strategies of lowering crime and creating higher outcomes for our at-risk youth. The District has begun adopting new measures to determine seemingly members in gun violence. As well as, we all know that over 80% of violent crime within the District takes place throughout 450 blocks. This concentrating on, mixed with increasing our violence interruption applications and our after-school applications, ought to have a salutary impact on gun violence in our metropolis, stopping a few of it earlier than it might happen.

We additionally have to vigorously prosecute those that commit violent crimes and get them off our streets and into the rehabilitation they want. Over the long run, nevertheless, we have to deal with each the structural causes of crime and embrace profitable enforcement methods similar to neighborhood policing. As your Councilmember, I’ll push MPD to comprehensively undertake a neighborhood policing mannequin to get cops out of automobiles and into constructive interactions with the communities they serve.

We have to lengthen our restorative justice applications which lead to higher, extra simply outcomes for victims. We’d like data-driven methods to attenuate recidivism, particularly amongst at-risk youth. And at last, we have to deal with the first reason for violent crime within the District: poverty.

We have to win the struggle on poverty, be it by way of housing help, money transfers, or different revolutionary strategies. I imagine that we are able to make our communities extra simply, extra equitable, and most significantly, safer.

What are the key variations between you and the opposite candidates looking for this put up?

The distinction between me and the opposite candidates looking for this place is that they’re the explanation I selected to run to characterize Ward 3. I noticed who was operating, what they had been proposing (or failing to suggest), spoke to a number of of them at size, and determined that Ward 3 and the District can be higher served by my expertise and imaginative and prescient, so I resigned my place as a senior legal professional on the Federal Communications Fee and jumped into the race.

Now that we’re two and a half months in, it is clear that, on a whole lot of points, I seem like the one one who has given critical consideration to the issues Ward 3 households face, from inexpensive housing to rising daycare prices to transportation. It has been a welcome expertise listening to my coverage proposals introduced at one discussion board echoed again to me on the subsequent as my opponents undertake my concepts. In the event you examine my general platform to any candidate’s, you may see that 1) I’ve considerate, particular proposals protecting a variety of points dealing with Ward 3 and the District and a couple of) my values are mirrored in these proposals.

I stay the one candidate with a platform on defending LGBTQ+ rights, on furthering racial fairness, and on enhancing labor rights. For a very long time, I used to be the one candidate with a devoted environmental platform. At present, I’m nonetheless one among solely two candidates with a platform devoted to seniors’ points.

My expertise as a federal auditor in an Inspector Basic’s workplace, main a workforce in analyzing a $2 billion capital program, provides me the background needed to ensure our budgets make sense and to carry District businesses accountable. Over my fourteen years on the FCC, I gained vital expertise crafting coverage, guaranteeing compliance from multibillion greenback firms, and dealing by way of inventive options to advanced issues. I am able to deal with the challenges dealing with Ward 3 and the District.

In case you are difficult an incumbent, in what manner has the present officeholder failed the neighborhood?

N/A

What different points do you plan to deal with throughout your marketing campaign?

Constructing extra housing together with inexpensive housing, public security, overcrowding in our faculties, the achievement hole, environmental sustainability, downtown redevelopment, small companies, Senior points, enhancing racial fairness, defending LGBTQ+ rights…

In the event you go to my web site – www.beaufinley.com – you’ll be able to see that I am addressing all the pieces from inexpensive housing to bettering transportation to strengthening our faculties and assuaging overcrowding. As well as, given latest nationwide information, I’ve a considerable plan to make sure ladies nonetheless have the suitable to decide on and be protected in a post-Roe world.

What accomplishments in your previous would you cite as proof you’ll be able to deal with this job?

In 2016, I ran for Advisory Neighborhood Commissioner in my district (3C04). One of many primary items of my platform was to make sure that the Ward 3 Brief-term Household Housing facility, a shelter for households, would open as quickly as doable. There was a vocal group against the shelter who argued that it will damage property values and be an eyesore. At present, property values have continued to skyrocket and the ability is among the most profitable shelters in our system.

I drafted the modifications to the Complete Plan’s Future Land-Use Map in order that we are able to construct extra housing, together with inexpensive housing, on Connecticut Avenue in Cleveland Park. I ushered these proposals by way of the Workplace of Planning, ANC 3C, and Councilmember Cheh’s workplace, constructing assist and getting them adopted at every step.

Whereas all the Democrats on this race have publicly acknowledged repeatedly that they strongly assist the Connecticut Avenue bike lanes, I’m the one candidate who made them occur. I started this work in 2017, and, just like the amendments to the Complete Plan, drafted the proposal, organized the neighborhood, and persuaded many, together with small companies in Cleveland Park, to assist the proposal.

I helped discovered Cleveland Park Essential Road, a neighborhood group that helps our small companies navigate District paperwork, coordinate promotions, and be certain that our enterprise neighborhood is actively engaged in our broader neighborhood. I knew the Future Land-Use Map modification course of would take years to bear fruit, so our neighborhood would want to give you a short-term resolution to assist our small companies. After settling upon a Essential Road format, I chaired one of many 4 committees essential to standing up a Essential Road. In 2020, Cleveland Park Essential Road launched, which is able to assist our companies by way of the upcoming DDOT Cleveland Park Streetscape Undertaking (additionally one thing I’m proud to have labored towards!) and into the long run as extra housing comes on-line alongside the hall.
In my reply concerning DC statehood, I touched upon my work organizing Ward 3 and DC Democrats to elect Democrats exterior of DC in Republican-held districts. I’m very pleased with this work as a result of it has resulted in Medicaid enlargement in Virginia, defending hundreds extra folks from being uninsured or underinsured and prevented the enlargement of gun rights in Virginia and North Carolina.

The entire above accomplishments are exterior of my many work accomplishments, together with increasing phone and web entry to low-income households, helping Tribal governments with financial improvement tasks, and ensuring our nation’s 911 networks are strong and prepared for the challenges of the long run.

What’s the finest recommendation anybody ever gave you?

At all times keep in mind “there however for the grace of God go I.”

Is there anything you prefer to voters to find out about your self and your positions?

I hope my values are nicely represented above.

I stay up for serving Ward 3 and offering robust constituent companies.

In case you have an concept for the way we are able to enhance Ward 3 and the District, please let me know. In the event you see one thing in my proposals that you simply suppose can be dangerous for Ward 3, let me know, inform me what the issue is. My cellphone quantity is 202-743-0454.

Candidate Profile: Monte Monash For Metropolis Council In Ward 3

Candidate Profile: Phil Thomas For Ward 3 DC Metropolis Council Seat