Recently, GGWash’s elections committee circulated questionnaires to candidates on the ballot for the June 2 Democratic primary. That includes races in Ward 4, Ward 7, and Ward 8, and the at-large seat currently held by Councilmember Robert White.

As with our candidate introduction posts (read at-large and Ward 4 here; Ward 7 and Ward 8 coming soon), we emailed the questionnaire to the address on file with the Board of Elections of each candidate. Candidates had until March 24 to return their filled-out questionnaires; as always, we’ll post their responses here. As we have done in years past, we also wanted to let you see the questions.

If you’re running and didn’t receive a questionnaire, please email abaca@ggwash.org.

Questionnaires were written by the GGWash elections committee and are designed to suss out how possible future councilmembers might handle the housing, transportation, and land-use decisions that are relevant to our interests. The questionnaires are split between questions that we asked all candidates, regardless of which race they are in, and questions that are tailored to specific races.

At-Large

  1. Do you support building more housing in DC? In particular, do you support the Mayor’s goals to add 36,000 units of housing by 2025? Would you support a more ambitious target than 36,000 new units of housing?
  2. Do you support increased protections for pedestrians, such as those within the Vision Zero Enhancement Omnibus Amendment Act, which would reduce speed limits, ban right turns on red, and increase investments in sidewalks? What else would you do to increase pedestrian safety?
  3. Would you support removing on-street parking for dedicated infrastructure, such as bus lanes and bike lanes? If not, why not? If yes, can you give an example of where you would remove parking for a bus or bike lane?
  4. Many developers in DC have gone through the Planned Unit Development process in order to add additional density beyond what is allowed by the zoning code. In exchange, PUDs must provide amenities like affordable housing or improved public space. But PUDs also take a long time and are subject to lawsuits, which ultimately makes the housing that they do deliver more expensive than it could be. How, if at all, would you improve this process?
  5. Councilmember Charles Allen recently proposed that DC provide most residents with up to $100 per month on their SmarTrip cards. Should you serve on the council, it’s likely that you’ll have the chance to vote on this legislation. Would you support it? If not, why not? What changes would you make to the bill?
  6. The DC housing market’s growth has been uneven and particularly concentrated in certain neighborhoods. Do you support the mayor’s goal to set production targets in each area of the city to evenly disperse new housing?
  7. Would you encourage further growth along transit corridors? If not, where would you prefer?
  8. Much of DC’s public housing is in disrepair. However, renovating or redeveloping this housing has historically meant disrupting the lives of its residents, if not outright displacing them. What, if anything, would you change about DC, and DCHA’s, redevelopment plans, such as the New Communities Initiative led by DMPED and DCHA?
  9. Do you support the Mayor’s decision to declare the sidewalks along K Street NE under the railroad tracks “pedestrian passageways” and permanently clear the sidewalks of persons experiencing homelessness? What, if anything, would you change about how the city performs the periodic clearing and cleaning of sidewalks that have become the site of similar encampments?
  10. DC had an over $300 million surplus last fiscal year, which went to funding a rainy day fund, affordable housing, and infrastructure projects. Would you change anything about the current DC budget? How would you support using the District’s budget surplus for DC’s affordable housing and transit needs?
  11. The District continues to face significant income inequality. What specifically do you think the District should do to close this gap?

Ward 4

  1. Do you support building more housing in DC? In particular, do you support the Mayor’s goals to add 36,000 units of housing by 2025? Would you support a more ambitious target than 36,000 new units of housing?
  2. Do you support increased protections for pedestrians, such as those within the Vision Zero Enhancement Omnibus Amendment Act, which would reduce speed limits, ban right turns on red, and increase investments in sidewalks? What else would you do to increase pedestrian safety?
  3. Would you support removing on-street parking for dedicated infrastructure, such as bus lanes and bike lanes? If not, why not? If yes, can you give an example of where you would remove parking for a bus or bike lane?
  4. Many developers in DC have gone through the Planned Unit Development process in order to add additional density beyond what is allowed by the zoning code. In exchange, PUDs must provide amenities like affordable housing or improved public space. But PUDs also take a long time and are subject to lawsuits, which ultimately makes the housing that they do deliver more expensive than it could be. How, if at all, would you improve this process?
  5. Councilmember Charles Allen recently proposed that DC provide most residents with up to $100 per month on their SmarTrip cards. Should you serve on the council, it’s likely that you’ll have the chance to vote on this legislation. Would you support it? If not, why not? What changes would you make to the bill?
  6. The DC housing market’s growth has been uneven and particularly concentrated in certain neighborhoods. Do you support the mayor’s goal to set production targets in each area of the city to evenly disperse new housing?
  7. Would you encourage growth along transit corridors, such as Georgia Avenue? If not, where would you prefer?
  8. Much of DC’s public housing is in disrepair. However, renovating or redeveloping this housing has historically meant disrupting the lives of its residents, if not outright displacing them. What, if anything, would you change about DC, and DCHA’s, redevelopment plans?
  9. In October 2019, the District closed Georgia Avenue to cars for an inaugural open-streets event. Do you think the District should hold more events like this? Further, should the city take steps to reduce the speed of traffic on Georgia Avenue or take other steps to reduce the number of cars on Georgia Avenue?
  10. Residents of historic districts, like Takoma Park, often take pride in preserving their neighborhoods, but historic preservation regulations as they are written can make it difficult to build more housing. Do you support new housing development in historic districts? If so, in what form?

Ward 7

  1. Do you support building more housing in DC? In particular, do you support the Mayor’s goals to add 36,000 units of housing by 2025? Would you support a more ambitious target than 36,000 new units of housing?
  2. Do you support increased protections for pedestrians, such as those within the Vision Zero Enhancement Omnibus Amendment Act, which would reduce speed limits, ban right turns on red, and increase investments in sidewalks? What else would you do to increase pedestrian safety?
  3. Would you support removing on-street parking for dedicated infrastructure, such as bus lanes and bike lanes? If not, why not? If yes, can you give an example of where you would remove parking for a bus or bike lane?
  4. Many developers in DC have gone through the Planned Unit Development process in order to add additional density beyond what is allowed by the zoning code. In exchange, PUDs must provide amenities like affordable housing or improved public space. But PUDs also take a long time and are subject to lawsuits, which ultimately makes the housing that they do deliver more expensive than it could be. How, if at all, would you improve this process?
  5. Councilmember Charles Allen recently proposed that DC provide most residents with up to $100 per month on their SmarTrip cards. Would you support it? If not, why not? What changes would you make to the bill?
  6. The DC housing market’s growth has been uneven and particularly concentrated in certain neighborhoods. Do you support the mayor’s goal to set production targets in each area of the city to evenly disperse new housing?
  7. Would you encourage growth along transit corridors, such as Minnesota Avenue and Benning Road? If not, where would you prefer?
  8. Much of DC’s public housing, such as Lincoln Heights, is in disrepair. However, renovating or redeveloping this housing has historically meant disrupting the lives of its residents, if not outright displacing them. What, if anything, would you change about DC, and DCHA’s, redevelopment plans?
  9. Mayor Bowser has said she would like Washington’s NFL team to return to the RFK site, which is located in Ward 7. Do you support or oppose building a new football stadium at the site? Would you support or oppose taxpayer subsidies for a stadium? If not a stadium, what else would you do with land around RFK?
  10. Do you support funding the DC Streetcar to extend east to Benning Road Metro in Ward 7? What other infrastructure to improve access to jobs, schools, and businesses would you support funding?
  11. What steps would you take to bring neighborhood retail, like grocery stores, to Ward 7? What other sorts of retail do you think Ward 7 needs?

Ward 8

  1. Do you support building more housing in DC? In particular, do you support the Mayor’s goals to add 36,000 units of housing by 2025? Would you support a more ambitious target than 36,000 new units of housing?
  2. Do you support increased protections for pedestrians, such as those within the Vision Zero Enhancement Omnibus Amendment Act, which would reduce speed limits, ban right turns on red, and increase investments in sidewalks? What else would you do to increase pedestrian safety?
  3. Would you support removing on-street parking for dedicated infrastructure, such as bus lanes and bike lanes? If not, why not? If yes, can you give an example of where you would remove parking for a bus or bike lane?
  4. Many developers in DC have gone through the Planned Unit Development process in order to add additional density beyond what is allowed by the zoning code. In exchange, PUDs must provide amenities like affordable housing or improved public space. But PUDs also take a long time and are subject to lawsuits, which ultimately makes the housing that they do deliver more expensive than it could be. How, if at all, would you improve this process?
  5. Councilmember Charles Allen recently proposed that DC provide most residents with up to $100 per month on their SmarTrip cards. Would you support it? If not, why not? What changes would you make to the bill?
  6. The DC housing market’s growth has been uneven and particularly concentrated in certain neighborhoods. Do you support the mayor’s goal to set production targets in each area of the city to evenly disperse new housing?
  7. Would you encourage growth along transit corridors, such as Good Hope Road and Martin Luther King, Jr., Avenue? If not, where would you prefer?
  8. Much of DC’s public housing, such as Barry Farm, is in disrepair. However, renovating or redeveloping this housing has historically meant disrupting the lives of its residents, if not outright displacing them. What, if anything, would you change about DC, and DCHA’s, redevelopment plans?
  9. Do you think Ward 8 needs more connections with the neighborhoods across the river? Do you support expanded pedestrian and bicycle access through projects like the 11th Street Bridge Park project or the Frederick Douglass bridge replacement? How should these projects be connected to the rest of the ward?
  10. Ward 8 has some of the largest amounts of subsidized, affordable housing in the District. Would you like to see subsidized, affordable housing more equitably distributed across the city? If so, what would you do to make that happen? If not, why not?
  11. What steps would you take to bring neighborhood retail, like grocery stores, to Ward 8? What other sorts of retail do you think Ward 8 needs?
  12. The development of Poplar Point, which has been on-again, off-again for over a decade, will likely be of greater interest as projects like Capitol Riverfront, the 11th Street Bridge, and the South Capitol Street bridge are completed. How will you approach development pressures on this site? What would you want to see there?

Thoughts? Post them in the comments.

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Tagged: 2020 primary, at large districts, dc council, politics, ward 2, ward 4, ward 7, ward 8

Alex Baca is the DC Policy Director at GGWash. Previously the engagement director of the Coalition for Smarter Growth and the general manager of Cuyahoga County's bikesharing system, she has also worked in journalism, bike advocacy, architecture, construction, and transportation in DC, San Francisco, and Cleveland. She has written about all of the above for CityLab, Slate, Vox, Washington City Paper, and other publications.