Watch: DC Council Chair and Mayoral candidates’ in-person forum on transportation
DC Council Chair forum gets underway at Metrobar in Northeast DC on March 29, 2022. Left to Right: Alex Baca (GGWash), Jordan Pascale (WAMU/DCist), Amanda Michelle Gomez (WAMU/DCist), Council Chair Phil Mendelson, Commissioner Erin Palmer, Jeremiah Lowery (WABA). Image by Chelsea Allinger used with permission.
Candidates for two of 2022’s biggest races in DC – Mayor and Council Chair – took to an actual stage on March 29 to discuss their views on transportation. Mayoral candidates James Butler and Councilmember Robert White attended (incumbent Mayor Muriel Bowser, also in the running, was otherwise engaged), as well as Council Chair candidates Erin Palmer and incumbent Chair Phil Mendelson.
You can view the recording of the Mayoral and Council Chair candidate forum below:
Amanda Michelle Gomez and Jordan Pascale, both of WAMU and DCist, moderated the panels. The forum was cosponsored by WABA and Greater Greater Washington, and cohosted by Black Millennials 4 Flint, Moms Clean Air Force DC Chapter, Coalition for Smarter Growth, DC Environmental Network, Sunrise DC, Friends of the DC Streetcar, and Citizens’ Climate Lobby – DC.
The evening’s proceedings at an outdoor NoMa bar were temporarily interrupted by demonstrators from Stomp Out Slumlords, an advocacy group, who voiced frustrations with the city’s implementation of STAY DC. The temporary housing and financial assistance program’s funds ran out late last year, removing a safeguard against homelessness on which many residents have relied during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Both leadership races come with high stakes for the future of the District’s transportation system. In the current stage of the pandemic, a combination of pandemic-related stigma and Metrorail’s underperformance due to the 7000-series problems may steer would-be transit riders to cars. At the same time, as pedestrians venture out to social, recreational, and job activities and cyclists take advantage of the District’s growing bike network, an increase in reckless driving, which has seen an increase in traffic-related fatalities, is putting more people at risk.
GGWash is involved with a number of candidate forums this spring, including an event that was held in mid-March for Ward 5 Council candidates. These educational events are intended to help voters to learn more about the views of candidates in the DC Democratic primary elections. GGWash will also endorse candidates in the primaries, and in DC’s general election, principally based on their answers to our questionnaires, which address housing, transportation, and land use.
Don’t forget to sign up for the next virtual forum we are hosting for the At-large Councilmember seat, which focuses on transportation, housing, and land use and is moderated by Washington City Paper’s Alex Koma on Tuesday, April 19, at 7 p.m. Register here.
Forums are being recorded, and we’ll provide recaps here and via email.