Wendell Felder, a 33-year-old local political leader in Ward 7, has narrowly clinched the Democratic nomination in the heated Ward 7 D.C. Council race, the Associated Press projected Thursday — making him the likely successor to retiring council member Vincent C. Gray.
Washington, D.C
Wendell Felder projected to win D.C. Council Ward 7 nomination
Because of the relatively thin margins, the race took longer to call, as ballot-counting proceeded slowly at the D.C. Board of Elections after initial tabulations Tuesday night. Declaring victory at his watch party before the race had been called Tuesday night, Felder acknowledged the big shoes to fill as he thanked Gray, who endorsed Felder to succeed him.
“As the next Ward 7 council member, I have a lot of hard work ahead of me, and look forward to building on his legacy,” Felder said.
The crowded Ward 7 race was the banner contest in an otherwise low-key election year for D.C., which had just a few other local lawmakers on the ballot along with nonvoting federal representatives. Yet at a time when two other council members are facing recall efforts — and as residents have voiced escalating concerns about crime or issues such as education disparities — voters broadly opted for the status quo as incumbents coasted to victory. Council members Trayon White Sr. (D-Ward 8), Janeese Lewis George (D-Ward 4) and Robert C. White Jr. (D-At Large) held off challengers, while council member Brooke Pinto (D-Ward 2) was unopposed. Ankit Jain, a voting rights attorney, is likely to join the federal delegation after his projected victory in a competitive Democratic nominating race for shadow senator against Eugene Kinlow, a former Bowser administration federal lobbyist.
The Ward 7 seat was open after Gray, the former mayor and council chair who has held public office since 2005, announced in December he would not seek reelection amid ongoing health challenges. Gray had a stroke in 2021, and another in late April, and has generally been less visible in the ward as a result of mobility and speech difficulties.
For some voters, Gray’s endorsement sealed their vote — especially as they were otherwise bombarded by mailers and campaign ads and calls and texts from the candidates.
“I just felt like with Vince Gray’s endorsement, it kind of leaned it more in his direction, especially given how crowded the field was,” said Larry Evans, a 50-year-old social worker who said hearing Felder discuss initiatives to reduce crime — a top issue for Evans — “resonated with me.”
Several voters who selected Felder said they believed he had the political connections needed to be effective on the council and described a retail politics style that felt personal.
Colleen Kincaid, who has lived in Hill East since 2016, said that after a shooting on her block in February, Felder showed up on her doorstep to see how she and her husband were doing. It was one of a number of shootings in her neighborhood this year, and their cars were pocked with bullet holes, she said.
“People were scared, looking for support, looking for ideas. He was the first one to show up,” she said at Felder’s election night party, blocks from her home. “That’s not just good politics — that’s good people.”
Felder’s campaign was not without stumbles. He raised eyebrows among Democrats and home-rule advocates when he told the ACLU in a questionnaire that if the D.C. Council passed a law with which he disagreed, he’d advocate for Congress to overturn it. Felder later called the response a mistake, while insisting in “no way, shape or form do I support congressional interference” — but overall, the flap didn’t prove consequential.
In an interview at his election night party, Felder cited aggressive canvassing and relationship-building as key to his victory, with a message that blended focusing on turning around public safety problems, boosting economic development and improving neighborhood schools. He said he had “a pair of shoes with a hole in them” due to hours spent door-knocking each week in the lead-up to the election.
Felder had previously worked in the administration of Mayor Muriel E. Bowser (D) as a community relations representative and in project management in her economic development office. Those roles, combined with some of the flashiest endorsements, made Felder the closest thing to the establishment candidate in the race, and moments after Felder declared victory, Bowser arrived to congratulate him Tuesday night.
But Felder’s win is far from decisive. He was projected to win with significantly less than 50 percent of the vote, according to unofficial returns from the D.C. Board of Elections — indicative of a highly splintered electorate that Felder will need to get behind him. Felder said the work to unite the ward was “just beginning,” adding he would also be reaching out to each of his opponents.
Ebony Payne, the founder of a medicinal herb business and a Kingman Park advisory neighborhood commissioner, and Eboni-Rose Thompson, president of the State Board of Education, were each trailing Felder by several hundred votes, according to unofficial returns.
For Ward 7 voters eager for change, some weren’t yet sure what to think about Felder but were willing to hear him out.
“For Wendell, I wondered if are there ways in which he’s an extension of Gray,” said Erin O. Crosby, a newer Ward 7 resident. “I think about my community and the changes that I would love to see, and I wonder if the community that I have is the result of past representation. Would Wendell be a changemaker, or an extension of that?”
Jasmine Hilton and Omari Daniels contributed to this report.
WASHINGTON – A sunny, dry and mild Tuesday for the Washington, D.C. region, with highs near 71 degrees.
What we know:
The day starts chilly, with temperatures in the 40s and a few upper 30s in the area. Plenty of sunshine with some light winds that will make for a pleasant afternoon. FOX 5’s Taylor Grenda says it’s a good day for outdoor plans, with temperatures climbing into the low 70s by mid‑afternoon. Winds may turn a bit breezy overnight, but conditions will remain cool and dry.
Rain chances return Wednesday as clouds increase. The morning and early afternoon look mostly dry, but the evening commute could turn soggy on Wednesday. Grenda says to expect two rounds of showers tomorrow – one around 5 p.m. and another after sunset – with a slight chance of isolated thunderstorms. The severe weather threat appears to be limited.
Behind the system, Thursday turns cooler and breezy, with highs only in the mid‑60s. Temperatures rebound into the 70s Friday before a warm, more humid stretch arrives over the weekend. Highs could reach the 80s by Saturday and Sunday and the 90s by Monday.
The Source: Information in this article comes from the FOX 5 Weather Team and the National Weather Service.
Washington, D.C
Nonprofit sues the federal government over plans to paint Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool blue
With a blue sky above the Lincoln Memorial, people walk along the reflection pool in Washington, D.C., on June 9, 2023.
Jose Luis Magana/AP
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Jose Luis Magana/AP
A nonprofit is suing the National Park Service, the Department of the Interior and Interior Secretary Doug Burgum over the decision to resurface the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool at Washington D.C.’s National Mall, and to paint the pool’s basin blue.
The suit was filed Monday in U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia by The Cultural Landscape Foundation (TCLF), an education and advocacy organization. In the suit, TCLF is asking a federal judge to halt the project, saying that the Trump administration failed to have the project reviewed federally, as is dictated by the National Historic Preservation Act.
President Trump revealed his plans for the pool do-over last month in “American flag blue,” saying that the project would take one week and $2 million, and that it would be completed in time for the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence on July 4. A few days later on Truth Social, the president posted a fake image of himself and several of his administration officials in swimsuits, along with an unidentified woman in a gingham bikini, lounging in the water with the Washington National Monument at the rear. (Swimming in the reflecting pool is prohibited by federal law.)
In a YouTube video posted by the White House on April 23, Trump called the pool “filthy dirty” and said it “leaked like a sieve.” In that video, Trump said he was going to call three companies that he has worked with in the past – “all they do is swimming pools” – and say, “Give me a good price.”
The New York Times reported last Friday that the contract for the reflecting pool’s resurfacing was awarded in a $6.9 million no-bid contract to a company called Atlantic Industrial Coatings, which previously has never held any federal contracts.
An employee at the Atlantic Industrial Coatings confirmed in a telephone call on Monday that it has been contracted for this project, but referred all other questions to the Department of the Interior.
The Times reported on Monday that the final cost of the project could be upward of $13 million, per documents it says it has obtained. The Department of the Interior did not confirm the cost of the project, but wrote: “The contract price reflects the effort necessary to expedite the timeline of completing the leak prevention coating project—more people, more materials, more equipment and longer hours ahead of our 250th.”
In an unsigned statement emailed to NPR Monday afternoon, the Interior Department wrote: “The National Park Service chose the best company to expedite the repair of the iconic Reflecting Pool ahead of our 250 celebrations. The choice of American Flag Blue will enhance the visitor experience by making the pool reflect the grand Lincoln Memorial and Washington Monument. NPS is also investing in a state-of-the-art ozone nanobubbler filtration system and will now have a dedicated crew who will maintain the grounds’ from wildlife. The Department is proud of the work being carried out by our Park Service to ensure this magical spot can be enjoyed for not only our 250th, but for many generations to come.”
Critics of the project, including TCLF, don’t share that vision – and are taking particular umbrage at the color.
“The reflecting pool should not be viewed in isolation; it is part of the larger ensemble of designed landscapes that comprise the National Mall,” Charles A. Birnbaum, the president and CEO of TCLF, said in a statement emailed to NPR Monday. “The design intent, to create a reflective surface that is subordinate, is fundamental to the solemn and hallowed visual and spatial connection between the Washington Monument and the Lincoln Memorial. A blue-tinted basin is more appropriate to a resort or theme park.”
The National Park Service regularly cleans out algae, goose droppings and other detritus from the reflecting pool. The last major renovation of the reflecting pool, which included the installation of a new circulation and filtration system, took place during the Obama administration at a reported cost of $34 million.
Before founding TCLF in 2008, Birnbaum served for 15 years as the coordinator of the Historic Landscape Initiative for the National Park Service.
TCLF has another open lawsuit against the federal administration: it is one of eight cultural and architecture groups currently suing President Trump and the Kennedy Center board over the planned renovations of the complex, which are planned to start in July.
The memorial service will be held at the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial at 1 p.m.
WASHINGTON D.C. – A brave K-9 hero from the region will be honored at the Annual National Police K9 Memorial Service on Monday afternoon.
K-9 Knox died in the line of duty last year after he was accidentally hit by a police vehicle while pursuing a suspect involved in a stolen vehicle incident. He was a 3-year-old German shepherd and had served as a narcotics detection and patrol apprehension K-9 for the Roanoke Police Department since May 2023.
The memorial service will include a wreath-laying ceremony and will be held at the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial in Washington, D.C., at 1 p.m. The event will open with a musical performance by Frank Ray, and the guest speaker will be Deputy Jared Hahn of the Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office K-9 Unit.
The San Antonio Police Department Blue Line Choir will sing the national anthem, and the Emerald Society Pipes & Drums band will also perform.
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