Ward 6, please join me tonight to watch election results come in! I'll be at Big Board, 421 H St NE at 8:30pm. pic.twitter.com/Vdcjlnqzst
— Charles Allen (@CharlesAllenW6) June 14, 2016
Councilmember Charles Allen of Ward 6 is planning to toast election results with locals on the H Street corridor tonight.
Allen earlier today tweeted that he intends to wait for the D.C. Democratic primary results at Big Board, the stock exchange-themed bar at 421 H St. NE, starting at 8:30 p.m.
Though the councilmember isn’t up for reelection, five of his peers on the D.C. Council are. (They, too, will meet constituents for beers across town tonight.)
Registered Democrats can cast their votes today until 8 p.m.
Changing Voter Demographics in NoMa, H Street Corridor — Young, mainly white voters surged to the polls in gentrifying D.C. neighborhoods including NoMa and the H Street Corridor, according to an analysis of Nov. 2014 election data and U.S. Census Bureau data. District-wide, African Americans and senior citizens lost their majority among voters. [Washington Post]
Relisha Rudd Report Recommendations — Most of the recommendations D.C. government officials made after the disappearance of Relisha Rudd have been completed. [Washington City Paper]
Fox Spotted Near RFK Stadium — Photographer Jim Havard photographed a fox at sunset near the Anacostia River. [Twitter/Jim Havard]
Streetcar Poll Results So Far — We published a poll yesterday afternoon asking whether you think D.C. should scrap the H Street streetcar project. As of this morning, 63 percent of respondents said no.
While Hill residents cast their votes in local and citywide races, they selected Advisory Neighborhood Commission representatives, too.
The ANCs will have 16 new commissioners among 38 total, Board of Elections results show. ANC 6A and 6B will have the largest overhauls, with 5 out of 8 and 7 out of 10 members set to be new, respectively.
Here’s how the ANC candidates stacked up, with incumbents indicated with an asterisk.
ANC 6A 01: Omar Mahmud (34.1 percent)*
ANC 6A 02: Phil Toomajian (72.6 percent)
ANC 6A 03: no candidate; write-in winner to be announced
ANC 6A 04: Matt Levy (61 percent)
ANC 6A 05: Patrick Malone (50.4 percent)
ANC 6A 06: Stephanie Zimny (47 percent)
ANC 6A 07: Sondra Phillips-Gilbert (79 percent)*
ANC 6A 08: Calvin Ward (74.4 percent)*
ANC 6B 01: Jennifer E. Samolyk (69.5 percent)
ANC 6B 02: K. Diane Hoskins (49.7 percent)
ANC 6B 03: James Loots (29 percent)
ANC 6B 04: Kirsten Oldenburg (78.4 percent)*
ANC 6B 05: Steve Hagedorn (48.8 percent)
ANC 6B 06: Nick Burger (43 percent)
ANC 6B 07: Daniel Chao (72.3 percent)
ANC 6B 08: Chander Jayaraman (69.6 percent)*
ANC 6B 09: Brian Flahaven (85 percent)*
ANC 6B 10: Kathryn Denise Rucker (49.4 percent)
ANC 6C 01: Daniele Megan Schiffman (67.3 percent)*
ANC 6C 02: Karen J. Wirt (70.3 percent)*
ANC 6C 03: Scott Price (72.8 percent)*
ANC 6C 04: Mark Eckenwiler (71.7 percent)*
ANC 6C 05: Chris Miller (43 percent)
ANC 6C 06: Tony T. Goodman (81.4 percent)* Read More
Voters in Ward 6 supported Rep. Eleanor Holmes Norton and marijuana legalization, but were split between Mayor-elect Muriel Bowser and opponent David Catania.
More than 34 percent of registered voters in Ward 6 participated in the election, slightly beating citywide turnout of 32.5 percent, Board of Election data shows.
Beyond the local races for City Councilman and Board of Education member, here’s how residents cast their ballots in the ward, which includes the Capitol Hill Historic District, Hill East, Navy Yard, the Southwest waterfront, NoMa and the H Street NE area.
Mayor — Voters were about evenly split between Bowser, who got nearly 45 percent of votes, and Catania, who got nearly 46 percent of votes. Less than 6 percent of ward residents chose Carol Schwartz. (Bowser won nearly 54 percent of votes citywide.)
Attorney General — Attorney General-elect Karl Racine won 35 percent. He was followed by Edward “Smitty” Smith (16 percent) and Paul Zukerberg (15.4 percent). These local results were about the same as those across the city.
Marijuana — More than 67 percent of locals supported Initiative 71, exceeding citywide support of 64.6 percent.
At-Large Council Members — Hill resident and City Councilwoman-elect Elissa Silverman received nearly 17 percent of votes locally, and 12 percent citywide. Councilwoman-elect Anita Bonds came in first place, with 20 percent of votes in the ward and 24 percent citywide.
City Council Chairman — Phil Mendelson won nearly 75 percent of votes in the ward.
U.S. Delegate — Norton won more than 72 percent of voters, falling short of the 81.5 percent of voters citywide who chose her. Ward 6 resident Tim Krepp won almost 12 percent of votes in the ward and 5 percent citywide.
U.S. Shadow Senator — Paul Strauss was chosen by 61percent of local voters. He received about 66 percent citywide.
U.S. Shadow Representative — Franklin Garcia got about 60 percent of local votes and 64 percent citywide.
Photo via Flickr/laughingsquid
(Updated at 8:55 a.m. Wednesday) Democrat Charles Allen has declared victory in the race to represent Capitol Hill in City Council.
He told supporters at his results viewing party at the 8th Street SE bar Molly Malone’s that he was honored to replace Ward 6 City Councilman Tommy Wells, for whom he was chief of staff.
“I am humbled and challenged to step into this job,” he said to cheers on the bar’s packed second floor.
A final count of all precincts showed a landslide win for Allen. He commanded 81 percent of votes, Board of Elections data shows.
Libertarian candidate Pranav Badhwar won 10 percent of votes.
Allen said he would defend the city against Congress.
“We have some incredibly hostile neighbors down on Pennsylvania Avenue,” he said. “We’re going to have to do a lot of work … But we’re not going to let some congressman from Texas determine what we do in D.C.”
Allen ran on promises to reform city schools, create affordable housing and increase government accountability.
In other Ward 6 results, Joe Weedon was elected D.C. State Board of Education member for Ward 6. He won 45.5 percent of votes. Mark Naydan received 26 percent.
Voters of all stripes headed to polls across Ward 6 on Tuesday morning and afternoon. Hill Now spoke with volunteers and voters about what they’re seeing across the neighborhood.
At Watkins Elementary School (420 12th St. SE), campaign volunteers reported a constant flow of voters.
“It’s been slow but steady,” said Yvette Dowell, a volunteer for mayoral candidate Carol Schwartz. “We’re hoping things will pick up when a lot of the federal employees get off work.”
Schwartz, a Hill resident for almost 3 years, said she hoped her older neighbors would remember Schwartz’ record.
In Southwest, Paul Kuntzler, a volunteer for the David Catania campaign, waited for voters at Friendship Baptist Church (900 Delaware Ave. SW) with a pale blue sign attached to his body. Kuntzler, 72, is the co-founder of the Gertrude Stein Democratic Club, the LGBT political group.
“David Catania is the most qualified candidate ever in D.C,” he said. Kuntzler praised the mayoral candidate’s record on education and health care, and outlined how much money Catania’s prescription drug legislation has saved for seniors.
At King Greenleaf Recreation Center (201 N St. SW), voter Amy Patton said she headed to the polls to try to build strong schools. She said she’s a regular voter, but none of the candidates in this election cycle excited her.
Further east, Donna Hart campaigned for her son Josh Hart, a candidate for the ANC 6D07 seat, outside Van Ness Elementary School (1150 5th St. SE). She said her son is a born leader.
“When he was 5 years old, he would stand in front of the TV and criticize Ronald Reagan. He watched CSPAN so much he knew the reps by their voices,” she said.
Josh Hart, who previously served as an ANC commissioner in Northwest, supports mixed-income development.
At Eastern Market, Melvin Clay, a volunteer for the D.C. Cannabis Campaign, spoke with voters and said he hoped people who used the paper ballot would read the entire thing.
“Fingers crossed that people just look at the back of the ballot,” Clay, 20, said. “If we do lose, being on the back might be the reason why.”
Almost 65 percent of registered voters in Ward 6 voted in the 2012 general election, surpassing the citywide figure of about 61 percent, Board of Elections records show.
Neal Shelley, an emergency room doctor, said he voted at Eastern Market to fulfill a basic civil duty.
“You can’t really complain about anything unless you take the time to vote,” he said.
People trying to vote in Southwest first thing this morning faced a long wait after equipment at one polling site malfunctioned.
Two out of three check-in computers at Friendship Baptist Church (900 Delaware Ave. SW) were out of service for about an hour, site captain Steven Washington said.
The computers stopped working about 7:30 a.m., leaving about 20 voters in line.
“I kept folks informed the whole time,” Washington said.
The polling place had no line at about 10:45 a.m. By then, 158 people had voted using paper ballots and 95 had voted electronically, Washington said.
We asked candidates for the Ward 6 City Council seat to tell in 750 words or less why Hill residents should vote for them tomorrow (Tuesday).
Here is Democratic candidate Charles Allen’s unedited response:
Having served my Ward 6 neighbors in a variety of roles over the last decade, I am ready and excited to take on the challenge of representing your interests as the next Ward 6 member of the DC Council.
People choose to call Ward 6 home because our neighborhoods are an extension of our living rooms – with great schools we can walk to, parks to gather in, and local businesses that know us by name. These serve as anchors for our community and we must ensure that all residents see this vision realized.
But Ward 6 is more than a sum of its great places. The true spirit of Ward 6 lies with its people. Each person adds to the strength and diversity of our neighborhoods and I want to make sure that Ward 6 is a place we can always call home. For those like myself with young families, this means bringing great schools to all corners of the Ward. We’ve seen a transformation in our neighborhood elementary schools and I will bring the same energy and urgency to improve our middle and high school choices. For others, this means fighting for affordable family-based housing, and ensuring that we can successfully age in our homes. For everyone, this means a safe neighborhood with small businesses that support our lives. These will be my priorities.
Ward 6 has a great story to tell, but we also have new challenges to face. I’m a problem solver and reformer by nature, and I’m excited to take on this next role. I know I can bring people together to find common sense solutions because I’ve done it before – whether as Chief of Staff for our Ward 6 Councilmember Tommy Wells, as policy director for the DC Primary Care Association, or simply as your neighbor. I look forward to continuing to be a voice for progressive priorities and seeking solutions to the social justice issues facing our city.
I hope I can count on your support and I ask for your vote as we work together for a better Ward 6 and a better city.
Photo courtesy of Charles Allen
We asked candidates for the Ward 6 City Council seat to tell in 750 words or less why Hill residents should vote for them tomorrow (Tuesday).
Here is Libertarian candidate Pranav Badhwar’s unedited response:
After speaking extensively to residents of Ward 6, I’ve based my platform on the positions that matter most to our citizens. My solutions include helping improve our public schools, spurring entrepreneurship and creating more jobs, reducing crime, easing transportation costs, and expanding affordable housing –all while reducing the DC Council’s spending.
You should vote for me because my …
Qualifications and Experience Extend Beyond Politics:
- I have over 20 years of professional experience in strategy, technology, and operations. I know how to listen to people, build consensus and make good investments. Anyone can spend other people’s money, but making sure investments payoff is hard work, and the skills required are not only political, but professional skills I have honed in effectively developing, coordinating, and operating large-scale services.
- I also have experience with what is being called “Smart Cities.” Experts say that the next 10 years will bring more technological change than the last 100. At least one D.C. Councilmember should understand how to harness technologies to improve services and reduce costs, and to make sure that people do not get left behind.
Solutions Are Win-Win:
- Traditional D.C. policies exclude our citizens from opportunity through failing schools, excessive job licensing requirements, and a counter-productive drug war. These policies treat symptoms, but maintain barriers to opportunity, causing persistent poverty, homelessness, and crime. DC then raises taxes to pay for failed programs, leading to higher prices for rent and basic goods and services, making city life unaffordable for many, including seniors on fixed incomes and the poor.
- One hundred percent of my solutions remove barriers at the root of the problem AND reduce spending. As the only candidate with two children in DC public traditional and charter schools, I know both systems well and my uniquely transformative schools solution is a win-win for teachers, students, and society. The only candidate with the courage to call for a total end to the drug war, which criminalizes non-violent behavior and severely restricts employment, I offer better alternatives to spending vast police and judicial resources only to destroy human potential. My affordable housing policies offer many choices, more realistically conforming to human need and emphasizing urban revival over government-sponsored gentrification. Please see www.Pranav4DC.com for details.
Accountability Rules Build Better Government:
The District of Columbia government paid a settlement earlier this year for abusing civil asset forfeiture rules, which allows police to seize people’s personal property on mere suspicion of wrong-doing, without even filing charges against them. But no public officials were liable, so city taxpayers ultimately paid the cost. The public pays the penalty for being abused by public officials. This is plain wrong. Read More
Early voting kicks off at neighborhood voting centers around the District tomorrow (Saturday) morning.
District officials are promoting early voting, but they’re backing off their push to increase early voting ahead of April’s primary election. They’ve cut the number of early voting centers from 13 for the primary to nine for next month’s election.
Officials are decreasing the number of early polling places because early voting accounted for only 14.8 percent of votes cast during the primary. A District Board of Elections report found that this was “significantly lower than expected.”
The District Board of Elections is still promoting early voting through social media and a website with live estimated wait times and webcams that monitors lines.
There will be two early voting centers in Ward 6:
King Greenleaf Recreation Center
201 N Street SW
Closest Metro station: Waterfront-SEU
Sherwood Recreation Center
640 10th Street NE
Closest Metro station: Union Station
The Kennedy Recreation Center will not be used as an early voting site, but Ward 6 residents in Northwest will be able to cast their early ballots at One Judiciary Square (441 4th Street NW) instead.
The hours for all of the neighborhood voting centers will be 8:30 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. and they will be closed on Sundays. D.C. citizens can vote at any of the centers until Nov. 1. People must cast ballots at their local voting place if they vote on Nov. 3.
The Old City Council Chambers has been open for early voting since Monday.
Week Ahead on the Hill — Capitol Hill Corner wraps up notable ANC activity for the week. [Capitol Hill Corner]
Terrorism Exercise at Navy Yard — Last night and this morning D.C. first responders held a “full-scale terrorism exercise” at Navy Yard and several other sites around the District. “This exercise is crucial in ensuring that all of our public-safety personnel are working efficiently and effectively together and with the many local, regional and federal agencies that keep us safe when any emergency happens in our city,” said Mayor Vincent Gray, in a statement. [DC.gov]
ANC 6B Candidates — The Hill Is Home has a recap of ANC 6B candidates. [Hill Is Home]
Two Robbed Near H Street — Two people were robbed at gunpoint on the 1100 block of G Street NE early this morning. The teenage suspects allegedly stole cash and cell phones. Police arrested two people and seized a black plastic BB gun. [Washington Post]
License Apps for H Street Restaurants — Two recently-opened restaurants on the 1300 H Street NE are applying for license, one for a license to open a “summer garden” and the other a liquor license. [PoPville]
WaPo Profiles Navy Yard — The Washington Post profiles the Navy Yard neighborhood, also known as Near Southeast or the Capitol Riverfront, depending on who you’re talking to. “This is the best of all worlds in urban living,” said one resident, a parent of two young children. [Washington Post]
Construction Photos in JDLand — There’s lots of construction activity in the area around Nationals Park, and JDLand has the photos to prove it. Among other notable developments, there is now a news ticker outside the new CBS Radio space at 1015 Half Street. [JDLand]
David Catania and Carol Schwartz told Southwest and Navy Yard residents that if elected mayor they would manage the area’s rampant development and work to fund a community center in the Navy Yard.
Catania and Schwartz laid out their plans for the neighborhoods at a forum held at Arena Stage Monday night.
Muriel Bowser (D) was invited to participate but said “her schedule did not allow for it,” moderator Shannon Vaughn said, indicating a seat left empty for her.
Both Independent candidates said they would aim to fund the operational costs of the Navy Yard community center at 5th and K streets Southeast, which is slated to open in late 2015.
“This has got to be an amenity that’s supported by the city,” Catania said, citing expected population growth and growing demand for public space.
Schwartz she didn’t “know all the details” on the center but wondered whether locals could pay fees for activities or membership.
On the future of the Southwest Neighborhood Library, Catania said he would commit to keeping the facility at its current location, rather than incorporating it into a mixed-use building.
Schwartz said she would have to evaluate the plans. “I really want to support what communities want for themselves,” she said.
On the redevelopment of the Greenleaf public housing complex, Catania said he would work to create and maintain acceptable housing for locals.
“We have to make sure that the units that are planned are comparable to the units taken off-line,” he said. “We have to build first, before we demolish.”
The city must use “every nickel” of federal funds for affordable housing, he added.
Schwartz agreed on the need to get all available federal funds for affordable housing and said she would push for tax credits to encourage displaced residents to move back to the area. She said she would support looking “a little farther from the city” for public housing and affordable housing sites.
On the proposed expansion of the CSX rail tunnel that runs along Virginia Avenue, Catania said he would fight for a community benefits package “commensurate with the imposition” on residents. Locals need more information on the safety and speed of the trains, he said. Schwartz was not asked the same question.
Catania is falling just 4 points behind Bowser, according to polling results published Tuesday by Washingtonian. Pollster Ron Lester showed Bowser commanding 34 percent of the vote to Catania’s 30. Schwartz received 16 percent, and 19 percent of those polled were undecided.
