Image courtesy of candidate's campaign.

A small field for Democratic nominee for DC Attorney General shrank last month when current Ward 5 Councilmember Kenyan McDuffie was ruled ineligible to run, leaving three candidates on the ballot. Greater Greater Washington is endorsing Bruce Spiva for his experience and alignment on our housing and transportation priorities.

View the responses Bruce Spiva and Ryan Jones submitted to our questionnaire. Brian Schwalb’s campaign submitted partial questionnaire responses to GGWash via email after the deadline for submission had passed. As a result, Schwalb is not eligible for GGWash’s endorsement; however, his questionnaire responses are visible here.

Housing

Spiva’s description of the Office of Attorney General (OAG) as the “largest public interest law firm in DC” and a check on the executive builds on some of the more notable roles the office has played since its creation seven years ago. Spiva’s priorities in housing follow his public interest background, with his responses focused on legal action on behalf of tenants looking to find and stay in quality housing, a crucial anti-displacement component of a comprehensive approach to the housing crisis.

Addressing obstacles to the production of subsidized affordable housing, Spiva offered that he’d “seek quick resolutions to lawsuits that seek to stymie the production of new affordable housing.” And he disagrees with the growing trend in which the Zoning Commission looks for Councilmember approval of individual PUDs because “no one party should have veto power over the approval of PUDs.” Both of these trends contribute to delay and increased costs for affordable housing projects. It’s a big plus to see Spiva attuned to that impact and committed to countering it.

On balance, Spiva’s focus on subsidized affordable housing and the rights of tenants is a shared priority of GGWash. We do wish, however, his questionnaire had also included reflection on legal obstacles to, and strategies to address, the overall housing supply shortage.

Transportation

The avenues for an OAG to support the District’s traffic safety efforts are limited. It’s essential that the AG understands and is prepared to engage with them constructively.

Spiva noted those limitations, but expressed his support for Council and executive initiatives to proactively redesign streets for safety and build a more equitable and effective traffic enforcement system. For items more within the OAG purview, Spiva supports decriminalizing fare evasion, endorses a plan to create a regional task force charged with crafting a traffic fine reciprocity program, and expresses a willingness to increase, rather than discount, penalties for delivery companies that flagrantly treat tickets as a cost of doing business.

Ryan Jones’ questionnaire responses were both less comprehensive and less compelling, particularly on transportation. Jones opposes the decriminalization of fare evasion and seems to desire greater leniency for drivers who break the law (including an apparent call for higher speed limits). These stances embody the inequitable, shortsighted windshield perspective away from which the District must move, and swiftly.

Overall, Spiva makes for a qualified, GGWash-aligned candidate to guide OAG into its next chapter. We’re excited to explore with him additional ways the office can impact housing, land use, and transportation.

Visit our 2022 elections hub, where you’ll find candidates’ responses to our questionnaire, information about who we are endorsing, how we arrived at our decision, recordings of our candidate forums, and ways you can get involved.