Watch: Ward 5 DC Council candidates’ forum on transportation

Candidates vying for the Ward 5 Council seat soon to be vacated by Kenyan McDuffie took to the virtual stage on Tuesday, March 22, to talk about their ideas for transportation in a forum cosponsored by WABA and Greater Greater Washington’s policy team, and cohosted by Black Millennials 4 Flint, Moms Clean Air Force DC Chapter, Coalition for Smarter Growth, DC Environmental Network, Friends of the DC Streetcar, and Citizens’ Climate Lobby – DC.

The four candidates in attendance were: Faith Gibson Hubbard, Gordon Fletcher, Zachary Parker and Vincent Orange. WABA’s Advocacy Director Jeremiah Lowery moderated the discussion and GGWash’s DC Policy Director Alex Baca kept time.

DC’s Ward 5 includes the neighborhoods of Bloomingdale, Eckington, Stronghold, Ivy City, Trinidad, Carver-Langston, Woodridge, North Michigan Park, and Fort Lincoln. McDuffie won the Ward 5 seat in 2012 on a platform that included economic access and equity, housing, and transportation. 10 years later, as multiple candidates noted, the ward has changed significantly, heightening public interest in the race.

GGWash is involved with a number of candidate forums this spring, including next week’s council chair and mayoral forum at Metrobar, which will also focus on transportation issues. The forums which we are participating in organizing, or organizing ourselves, are intended for voters to learn more about the views of candidates in the DC Democratic primary. GGWash (minus the editorial team) will choose to endorse candidates in the primary, and in DC’s general election, principally based on their answers to our questionnaires, which address housing, transportation, and land use.

You can view the recording of the Ward 5 forum here. And don’t forget to sign up for the other candidate forums we are co-hosting or hosting:

• Tues., March 29, 7 p.m.: Council chair and mayor at Metrobar, moderated by Amanda Gomez and Jordan Pascale and cohosted with Black Millennials 4 Flint, Moms Clean Air Force DC Chapter, Coalition for Smarter Growth, DC Environmental Network, Friends of the DC Streetcar, and Citizens’ Climate Lobby – DC; register here
• Mon., April 4, 6 p.m.: Ward 3 via Zoom, moderated by Cuneyt Dil and cohosted with Ward3Vision and Cleveland Park Smart Growth; register here
• Tues., April 19, 7 p.m.: At-large Democratic primary, moderated by Alex Koma; register here

Forums will be recorded, and we’ll provide recaps on our blog and via email.