Tag Archives: politics

December 18, 2025 · 2:12 pm

DC Delegate Norton Challenger Emerges from Ward Six

Vince Morris, Candidate for DC Delegate to the U.S. House of Representatives

DC Delegate Norton Challenger Emerges from Ward Six

by Larry Janezich

Posted December 18, 2025

Ward Six resident Vince Morris says he is uniquely qualified to succeed DC’s Congressional Delegate Eleanor Holms Norton.  He says he is the only candidate to have worked on key Congressional Committees – both the House Rules and the Senate Appropriations Committees.  He was appointed to serve on DC Sports Entertainment Commission by Mayor Adrian Fenty and the DC Public Library Board of Trustees by Mayor Vincent Gray.  More local volunteer work in the city included president of the PTA, the LSAT, and Friends of NE Library – the latter for the past 16 years.

He worked for DC Mayor Tony Williams as spokesperson and Communications Director.  Over  a decade of working for Congress he served as either spokesperson or communication director for members, including Senator Bernie Sanders, Representative Barbara Mikulski, and Senators Jay Rockefeller and John Kerry. 

Prior to working in government, Morris was a newspaper reporter for 15 years – many of them covering Congress.  Since leaving government Morris has been in public affairs and media relations.

This is his first run for political office.  Asked why, Morris said that he had needed to balance his work load with his role of being a father to three kids and wanting to be present for them – that he had always been wary of time committed to activities that would pull him away from them.  He says, “Now I have bandwidth because all my children are grown up – they’re all in college or out of college and I have time to really devote to something like this.” 

So, why is he running?  He says it’s frustration with our representation in Congress… he has respect for what Eleanor Holmes Norton accomplished early in her career, but he’s been disappointed because of missed opportunities:  “We’ve allowed our relationship with other members of Congress and with the Congress generally to decline and wither and I’ve watched that happen in real time… our relationship now is worse than it’s ever been, so clearly what has been happening in the past is not working and I have ideas for how it can get better.  It it would start with developing relationships and ntroducing members of Congress to the community and just educating people on what this city stands for…  As the only candidate who has worked both for the District government and for Congress … I really feel like I bring to the table a close understanding of how the process works … so I know how things get done.”

Morris adds that listening to the way the other candidates talk about this campaign, “I know my approach is going to be very different.  It’s going to be about building bridges –  building relationships and then nurturing those relationships so that when we do have someone else in the White House and when the makeup of the Congress changes we will have more allies who will stand by the city and we can work towards statehood.”

Morris’ first hurdle will be collecting 2,000 signatures on a nominating petition to get on the primary ballot.  He says, “We can’t start collecting signatures till January 26th – that’s when the petitions become available … I will be all out on 4th week in January.  I’m fortunate in that because I’ve lived on Capitol Hill here in Ward 6 since 2000 and have been very active in the community through volunteer work and I easily know 2000 people right here in Ward 6 but I’m going to – of course – work around the city to get petitions signed by residents from all 8 wards.”

Looking forward to the social media battle, and asked if he has a thick skin, Morris says, “I do have a thick skin.  One of the things that you gain when you work in the news businesses, you get used to editors telling you what you wrote is terrible … I have worked I worked in Congress for members of the leadership and you very quickly get adjusted to subsuming your ego for their needs…if you take things personally you don’t survive very long on the hill … I think I can handle anything that everyone says and I actually would love the opportunity to talk to people and have them ask tough questions.”

Morris says, “I look forward to that process and I think that’s really how you separate the wheat from the chaff – the other thing I’ll say on that you know, I was a Division One football player and if you’re an athlete at a very high level you get very used to not having an ego because it’s all about the team and you have to sacrifice for the greater good of your teammates and I feel like a big part of my personality was shaped by that experience.  It’s also a bonding experience but the main thing is it’s a reminder that the team can’t succeed if one person is doing their own thing and so you need to work together towards a common goal.  That’s been my philosophy for a lot of things in life and I would apply some of those same lessons to this challenge.”

During the interview for this article, CHC asked Morris about how he thought DC had changed under President Trump.  He answered and later elaborated on the answer in a video posted to his campaign site on Facebook – see here:  https://bit.ly/4j8jyzs

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December 15, 2025 · 1:51 pm

Photo Essay: Wreaths Across America at Congressional Cemetery Honors Veterans

Photo Essay: Wreaths Across America at Congressional Cemetery Honors Veterans

by Larry Janezich

Posted December 15, 2025

It was cold Saturday morning, but some 200 community members turned out to pay tribute to the 1700 plus veterans – some dating to the Revolutionary War – interred at Congressional Cemetery.  The volunteers also served to place wreaths purchased by the community through donations to Wreaths Across America on the graves of veterans whose remains are buried here. 

The Presentation of Colors by members of the DC National Guard.

SGT Vicky Golding (vocalist) sings The National Anthem.

Mark Hudson, Executive Director of Congressional Cemetery, reminded those attending that at its core, Congressional Cemetery is a historic and active burial ground “and all of our efforts support the mission to preserve and protect these hallowed grounds while we respectfully celebrate the lives of those whose remains lie in eternal rest here.”

Hudson’s remarks were followed by Colonel Vincent A. Cummings, Command Chaplain for DC National Guard who stood in as keynote speaker for DC National Guard Commander Brigadier General Leland Blanchard II.  In his remarks, he said, “Our support of Wreaths Across American reinforces the unique role the National Guard plays in our community.  We’re part of the society we serve and those relationships build trust, strengthen connections, and ensure we remain ready and always there for the people of DC….

Congressional Cemetery’s Program Director A.J. Orlokoff called each service to step forward and place a commutative wreath to those assembled.

Volunteers receive wreaths to place on graves.

A member of the National Guard speaks the name and salutes the memory of a veteran after placing the wreath. 

Wreaths Across America is a nonprofit founded to continue and expand the annual wreath laying at Arlington as well as at thousands of veterans’ cemeteries and across the country and abroad.

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October 29, 2025 · 9:35 am

Office of DC Attorney General Under Seige, AG Schwalb Tells ANC Committee

L-R, DC Attorney General Brian Schwalb; Commissioner Brian Gorman, Chair, ANC6B Public Safety Committee; Commissioner Sam Pastore. 

Office of DC Attorney General Under Seige, AG Schwalb Tells ANC Committee

by Larry Janezich

Posted October 28, 2025

DC Attorney General Brian Schwalb attended ANC6B’s Public Safety Committee meeting Monday night.  He summarized what his office does for the city:  serving as its law firm, serving as a public advocate defending and protecting the public interest, and protecting public safety – which he said was broader than prosecuting crime.

He defended the independence of the Attorney General’s Office noting that “our Mayor has never been a fan of an independent Attorney General” but it’s a necessary check on executive power.  Currently, he said, his office was very much under siege and an attack from the federal government.  For example, after filing lawsuits against the federal government for taking over the MPD and deploying out-of-state National Guard in the city, Schwalb said a member of congress introduced a bill – in collaboration with the White House – to change the independent elected DC attorney general to a presidential appointed attorney general with no Senate confirmation.  The proposed law would make the attorney general accountable to the President – which allows for the office to be weaponized.  The bill has passed the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform and will come up on the House floor at the discretion of the Speaker of the House.

He cited another bill which reflects the administration’s hostility to the District – supposedly in the interest of public safety which Schwalb termed a “ruse” used to attack home rule – the Judicial Nominations Reform Act which would abolish the District’s Judicial Nomination Commission which currently vets and recommends candidates for DC’s local courts.  The bill would shift shift this power to the President with confirmation by the Senate.

He also pointed to the House of Representatives’ passage of the Juvenile Sentencing Reform Act that would – at the discretion of the US Attorney General – lower the age from 16 to 14 for prosecution of District juveniles as adults for some violent crimes, including murder, first-degree sexual assault, first-degree burglary, and robbery while armed or assault with intent to commit any of these offenses.

Schwalb criticized the District’s bifurcated criminal justice system which provides for the prosecution of adults by the District’s US Attorney and juveniles by the DC Attorney General.  He says we need a local prosecutor accountable to the people of the District.

He said that there are 16 bills* before Congress that would change the way home rule operates in the District and debate on all of them is on-going.  He urged residents to support home rule. 

Appearing under a time constraint, Schwalb took several questions from members of the public and the Public Safety Committee.  On the issue of enforcement against reckless moped drivers, he offered criminal prosecution where warranted and a potential investigation of the questionable operation of problematic third party providers – neither suggestion provided much satisfaction to the father of a child who had received a concussion from a recklessly operated food delivery moped.  (See CHC post here:  http://bit.ly/3WtcTW0 )  Similarly, he could not offer much insight with respect to a question about the performance of Department of Youth Rehabilitation Services owing to the “difficulty in measuring recidivism,” or much hope with respect to a question of progress on renovating the DC Jail, noting “it’s in our interest to get jail repaired – but not easy with tight dollars.”

*In addition to the bills affecting home rule mentioned by Schwalb, some of the other 16 bills pending in Congress which would affect DC home rule include:

  • Repeal of policing legislation: Overturns police reform legislation the D.C. Council passed after the murder of George Floyd.
  • D.C. Policing Protection Act: Expands the circumstances under which police officers are allowed to engage in vehicular pursuits.
  • Amendments to the Youth Rehabilitation Amendment Act:  Would eliminate judicial discretion to sentence eligible youth offenders below a mandatory minimum and restrict youth offender status for individuals convicted of certain crimes. 
  • Repeal of the Incarceration Reduction Amendment Act: Nullifies a D.C. law that allows juveniles to petition for early release after serving 15 years.
  • Bail system overhaul: Requires pretrial detention for anyone charged with a “violent or dangerous offense,” including some felony drug charges, and brings back the use of cash bail for certain crimes.
  • Criminalizing homelessness: Makes it illegal to sleep in public places, including in a car.

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October 17, 2025 · 5:09 pm

Update on ANC6B and National Guard Beautification

Update on ANC6B and National Guard Beautification

by Larry Janezich

Posted October 17, 2025

Marcus Hunt, Office of the Deputy Mayor’s Director of DC Government Operations for the DC National Guard, makes a presentation to ANC6B.  Hunt has been billed in local media as “Director of the National Guard.” 

Wednesday night, at its hybrid October meeting, ANC6B re-affirmed its decision not to place a discussion of the National Guard on the meeting’s agenda.  The genesis of the proposed discussion was an offer from the Guard – via Marcus Hunt, DC’s liaison to the Guard – to help with beautification projects in ANC commissioners’ single member districts.  The offer was sent to individual ANC commissioners across the city.  Some commissioners suggested that since Hunt’s offer was sent to individual commissioners, the decision should be left to them, and as such, there was no role for the ANC in this matter. 

Commissioner David Sobelsohn continued to push to hear from two individuals on the subject. First, from Marcus Hunt, who was billed as the Director of the National Guard, but who is actually an employee of the Office of the Deputy Director of Public Safety.  He is the city’s liaison with the National Guard on the issue of beautification efforts.  And while he is also a Lt. Col. in the National Guard he did not appear in uniform and is currently not acting “under orders.”  Second, from ANC2G01 Commissioner Howard Garrett who authored a letter opposing Commissioners accepting the offer for the Guard to assist in beautification projects because that would “normalize” the Guard for tasks that belong to civilian agencies. 

It is routine for the commission to provide a period for “Community Announcements” and it was the consensus of the commission that Hunt and Garrett could use this time to discuss the National Guard.  Comments are usually limited to three minutes, but the Commission agreed to a motion to allow discussion at the beginning of the period and then subsequently set a time limit of 20 minutes. 

As it turned out, the discussion lasted some 40 minutes, but produced little clarification on beautification possibilities as Hunt discussed his background, history of the Guards and its relation to DC, his job with the Deputy Mayor’s Office and some of the beautification activities the Guard has undertaken.  He referred questions regarding the safety activities of the Guard to Master Sergeant Arthur Wright (who was not present), saying he could only speak at tonight’s meeting to talk about beautification.

During the Q&A, the meeting turned confrontational as some of the dozen community members attending in-person challenged the legitimacy of the deployment of the National Guard on DC streets – a subject on which Hunt could not comment.  One member of the audience expressed his appreciation for the Guard’s presence in the community.  Afterward, Commissioner Howard Garrett, appearing on-line, read a prepared statement reiterating the points of his letter (which many ANC Commissioners have signed) opposing requesting assistance for beautification efforts. 

Following the discussion, Sobelsohn proposed two more motions.  The first asked the ANC’s Public Safety Committee to make a recommendation about what commissioners should do regarding the Guard’s offer to help with beautification projects.  When that motion failed for lack of a second, the second motion asked for a recommendation from the ANC’s Parks and Public Spaces Task Force.  That motion also failed for a lack of second. 

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October 9, 2025 · 10:59 pm

National Guard Director’s Q&A with ANC6C 

ANC6C meeting on October 8, 2025. National Guard Director Lt. Col. Marcus Hunt is at center. Chair Karen Wirt is top, center.

National Guard Director’s Q&A with ANC6C 

by Larry Janezich

Posted October 9, 2025

National Guard Official’s Q&A with ANC6C 

Wednesday night, ANC6C heard a short on-line presentation from Lt. Col. Marcus Hunt, DC National Guard Director of Government Operations, on how the National Guard connects to the DC community.  The occasion was the ANC’s October meeting, conducted virtually and chaired by Commissioner Karen Wirt. 

Hunt is the liaison between the Guard’s commander – Brigadier General Leland Blanchard – and Lindsey Appiah, DC Deputy Mayor of Public Safety and Justice.     

In a 20 minute session ANC commissioners Hunt stressed the home-grown character of the National Guard, presenting them as neighbors who like himself live in the community.  Commissioners heard how the Guard’s beautification program works, asked questions about what kinds of beautification assistance the Guard could provide and expressed concerns about the Guard’s role as a military presence in the city. 

Hunt explained the current mission ordered by the President on August 11, has two components: Task Force Safe and Task Force Beautification.  He said he was at the ANC meeting to discuss Task Force Beautification and that any questions on Task Force Safe should be submitted to National Guard Master Sergeant Arthur Wright, whose email he provided. 

He said Task Force Beautification has three components:  resilience, opportunity, and community and each of these components has two subsets:  food/housing, youth/jobs, and help/safe and public spaces.  He spent considerable time on the youth/jobs component and the Guard’s efforts to provide opportunities for and mentoring of at risk youth. 

With respect to the help/safe and public spaces subset, in September Hunt had sent an email to all ANC commissioners in the city asking about neighborhood beautification projects and offering assistance.

On Wednesday night, Hunt emphasized that community requests for assistance must be filtered through ANC Commissioners (but apparently not through the full ANCs).  Upon receipt of the request by his office it undergoes an assessment regarding whether it is  something the National Guard can support. 

Commissioner Jeremiah Foxwell began the short Q&A by asking about the limits of what the Guard could do, specifically if that would include acting as crossing guards on H Street to provide an element of safety for school children crossing H Street NE.  Commissioner Daniela McInerney added to Foxwell’s question expressing resident’s concerns about armed National Guard in battle gear noting that “we have had the National Guard patrolling the streets around Ludlow Taylor Elementary School without the community being notified.” 

Hunt replied that he wasn’t trying to deflect the question about patrolling streets but said that any question relating to Task Force Safe should be directed to Master Sergeant Wright.  He added that what he could say regarding not notifying the community of a mission operation is that a lot of those are just not shared publicly for operational safety purposes.

Rather than giving Foxwell a specific response to the crossing guard question, Hunt said that “once I receive an email from an ANC commissioner inviting Task Force Beautification into the community to serve side by side with community members – that’s where we kind of lean forward – to go through our process to partner with the community.”  

Just how “partner with the community” is defined is somewhat uncertain, but it implies personal interaction.  Though not explicitly stated this appears to mean working alongside community members (for example in cleanup and other projects) which allow the Guard to engage directly with community. 

Hunt added, “We have been very successful in the safe public spaces subset in responding to invitations from the ANC commissioners…a half dozen Ward 8 commissioners have invited us out…we have an event in Ward 4 this Saturday at Fort Stevens Park…we also have a bit upcoming with Ward 5 to do some community clean up and partnership.”

Commissioner Andrew Hayes addressed the resentment of the presence of the Guard on city streets felt by many residents.   He acknowledged that some of the Guard are neighbors…“but at the same time I think it is unacceptable and not appropriate for our streets to be policed by people in military gear and I would really appreciate if you could take the message back that we would only be open – at least I personally would only be able to support assistance from the current beautification if those folks can work in (civilian attire)….”   

Hunt replied that if an ANC Commissioner sends an invitation with requirements regarding – for example – community clean up in civilian clothes, “I believe that’s doable.”

It appeared that Hunt had limited his availability to 20 minutes, and Chair Wirt thanked him for appearing.  He may not have still been online in the virtual meeting when former ANC6A Commissioner Drew Courtney summed up his own feelings which likely crystallized the mixed feelings many have about neighbors who are Guard members, Guard members sent from other parts of the country and the other federal law enforcement officers deployed in DC. 

Courtney said, “I am so grateful for the service of our neighbors in the National Guard and I think one of the saddest things about these recent months has been the way that the politicization of the Guard has undermined some really good efforts.  But I don’t think there’s any way right now that we can expect constituents to separate what we’re seeing from Guards who have been sent in against the will of our limited representatives from Ohio and South Carolina and from West Virginia, and the fact that this is so closely associated … with the raids that are really unconscionable being conducted by ICE…. I think we all underscore our gratitude for our neighbors in uniform but the respect for that uniform has been undermined by the political actions that have been taken by the president in this community and I think we have to recognize that.”

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September 12, 2025 · 11:18 am

Ward Six FreeDC Pushes for Community Involvement

Ward 6 Free DC organizers and Ward 6 co-leaders Anjali and Allegra

Ward Six FreeDC Pushes for Community Involvement

by Larry Janezich

Tuesday night some 200 residents turned out for the Ward 6 FreeDC September meeting in Reformation Lutheran Church a block from the Capitol Grounds on East Capitol Street.  The purpose of the meeting was to update current and prospective FreeDC members on DC home rule and the occupation of DC by federal law enforcement agents and the National Guard.

The focus of the group has continued to evolve in response to changing circumstances.  Initially their goal was to encourage Congress to restore DC’s authority to spend its own revenue by correcting an oversight which dropped that authority from a law which continued spending for agencies whose appropriation bills had not yet been passed.  Since then, the Mayor found ways to work around most of that lack of authority. 

While that was under discussion, there was a movement in Congress to repeal several DC council-passed laws, including laws on police reform, juvenile justice, and local residents’ voting rights. (Those bills and another 11 bills restricting DC Home Rule passed the House Committee on Oversight and Government on Wednesday afternoon.) 

In addition, administration declared a 30 day emergency and moved to takeover DC MPD.  Separately, federal agents including ICE and the National Guard were deployed to DC’s streets.  The emergency action by which the President took over MPD expired Wednesday night and Congress has no plans to renew that authority.  The deployment of federal law enforcement agents including ICE could continue and the National Guard presence in DC could last at least through November given the administration’s extension of the Guard’s activation through December.  

In response to these many developments, Free DC has expanded and organized several of its efforts around resistance to authoritarianism.  The Congress Working Group has been relentless in personal outreach to lobby members of Congress.  (Their other working groups include accessibility, arts and culture, communications, DC local government, popular education, safety, and tabling.) 

FreeDC is working to reach a critical number of residents who are willing to participate in “non-cooperation,” an idea based on what is known as the “3.5% rule’ in political theory.  Research shows that campaigns which engage at least 3.5% of the population in a sustained, nonviolent protest can be successful.  The figure specifically refers to nonviolent resistance because the theory goes, nonviolent movements are more likely to attract and sustain large-scale participation and support.  For DC, that number is 24,500 residents, or 3,100 per ward. 

FreeDC is providing non-cooperation training sessions.  Attendees must attend a FreeDC Orientation session prior to registering.  See Events on FreeDC at https://freedcproject.org/events

There is a Ward Six Orientation Meeting on Sunday, October 5, at 1:00pm, Westminster Presbyterian Church, 400 I Street, SW.  Register here:  https://bit.ly/3IbChvZ  

Since mid-January, when the group’s email list stood at 3,000, it has grown to more than 30,000 today. Sign up for the email list here https://freedcproject.org/  to learn more about upcoming events, actions, and ways to get involved.  (The email list does not necessarily reflect the number of those engaging in non-cooperation.) 

The presentation included emphasis of FreeDC’s Tenets:  Prioritize joy, take up space, i.e., be seen and heard, and organize.

Free DC’s Code of Conduct includes:  Respect everyone, refrain from hate speech, provide constructive feedback, and encourage participation. 

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August 19, 2025 · 7:45 pm

The Response:  Local Opposition to The Occupation – Now Including National Guards from 6 States

Sunday, August 17, 11:30am on H Street, NE. Of all the federal law enforcement agents deployed on DC streets, the actions of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) – which falls under the Department of Homeland Security – have garnered the most negative attention.  Masked ICE agents have executed aggressive enforcement actions and conducted many arrests.  Video credit: Nicky Sundt

The Response:  Local Opposition to The Occupation – Now Including National Guards from 6 States

by Larry Janezich

Posted August 19, 2025

Many readers of Capitol Hill Corner will be wondering how and where to invest their time and resources to respond to the Occupation of DC ordered by the Trump Administration.

This post, which will be updated, serves as a guide to local groups organizing on-the-ground actions designed to make visible and more effective the opposition of DC residents to the Trump Administration’s violation of DC Home Rule. 

Background

On August 11, the Trump Administration invoked a statutory emergency power and announced a takeover of the MPD in the District.  To augment this assertion of authority, the Administration deployed the DC National Guard as well as federal law enforcement, including the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Drug Enforcement Administration.  Included in that deployment was the Department of Homeland Security, under which falls the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency.  Since the August 11 order, six other states have responded to DOD request to send National Guard personnel to DC, including Ohio, West Virginia, South Carolina, Mississippi, Louisiana and Tennessee, totaling more than 1000 troops. 

The Response

FreeDC has become the leading organization which is taking direct action to oppose the federalization of law enforcement and the deployment of National Guard to DC.

Free DC is a fiscally sponsored special project of Community Change, a 501(c)(3) non-profit, and Community Change Action, a 501(c)(4) tax-exempt organization.

The organization has teams operating in all 8 Wards and has a long history of advocacy for DC Statehood and in 2023 organized a campaign in response to Congress’s overturning the DC Revised Criminal Code Act. In 2025 it organized the response to the House of Representative’s refusal to routinely authorize the city to spend $1 billion of its own revenue for city services during the remainder of the current fiscal year. 

Here are some of FreeDC’s recommendations about what to do to oppose the Occupation:

  • Organize:  Sign up with FreeDC. Visit FreeDC’s website for a calendar of events, a link to merch, and news.  Join specific campaigns and get involved.   https://freedcproject.org/    
  • Participate in FreeDC’s orientation presentations.  Get training.  Get educated.  Know your rights. 
  • Join the effort to lobby members of Congress in person, by email, or by phone.
  • Make FreeDC visible everywhere:  Make signs and posters – wear t shirts and buttons.  See FreeDC Official Merch here:  https://bit.ly/41b8LwO
  • Stay informed. Join the FreeDC communication network.
  • Urge residents and elected officials:  “Don’t obey in advance.”
  • Currently, FreeDC has no direct action planned.

Ward 6 Democrats have also launched several activities to respond to the gross violation of DC home rule, including:

  • Distributing info from the ACLU-DC, FreeDC, and the Migrant Solidarity Mutual Aid Network.
  • Urging residents to follow FreeDC’s suggested actions, including talking with your friends and family outside of DC and encouraging them to call their elected officials opposing the administration’s current efforts to take over law enforcement in the District.
  • Join the Monthly Statehood Committee Call on Wednesday, August 20.  The Statehood Committee will share the latest on what’s happening in our community, discuss what we can do and work on a plan for what to do next.
  • Time: 6:30 – 7:30pm

Location: Virtual, Zoom link provided upon registration

RSVP: https://www.mobilize.us/dcdems/event/829386/   

  • Join Ward 6 Democrats, which is free to any registered Democrat living in Ward 6. The organization does suggest a one-time donation of $51 or a monthly donation of $6. Go here:  https://www.ward6dems.org/

Resources to help keep you informed:

Some other organizations which have participated in public debates and/or offered support and advice include:

  • Defending Democracy/Capitol Hill Village
  • Neighbors United for DC Statehood
  • Ward Six Serve Your City Mutual Aid
  • ACLU-DC
  • DC Vote
  • Migrant Solidarity Mutual Aid Network
  • Black Swan Academy
  • Vera Action 
  • Georgetown Juvenile Justice Clinic
  • DC Justice Lab 
  • Alliance for Concerned Men 

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June 10, 2025 · 12:18 pm

Editorial:  My Verdict on the Stadium Deal

by Larry Janezich

Posted:  June 10, 2025

RFK Stadium. Photo: DC Events

Editorial:  My Verdict on the Stadium Deal

Development of the RFK Stadium site is like building a small city:  a vast, waterfront parcel in the heart of the capital. 

Contrary to Mayor Bowser’s public assertions, the legislation transferring ownership of the site to DC does not require the construction of a stadium.

Then why build one?

Some people will always be against a stadium.  Citing the missed chance to redevelop this parcel as mixed-use development, Greater Greater Washington calculates an “opportunity cost” totaling $3.3 billion over the course of the next 30 years.  Other opponents regard the NFL as an abomination, or maybe an enormous NFL stadium which stands empty and idle most of the year as a bad investment of taxpayer dollars.

Likewise, some people will always support a stadium on this site, particularly one that returns the Washington Commanders to DC.  Presumably Mayor Bowser numbers among this group, given the remarkably poor deal she negotiated with the Commanders.

Setting aside these two ends of a spectrum, I’d guess that most people fall somewhere in between.  This editorial is directed to them, particularly to Capitol Hill/Hill East residents. 

A Stadium, But Not on These Terms

It is not surprising to learn that the city will be on the hook for the “horizontal” costs, or the necessary infrastructure improvements, entailed in stadium construction.

But the term sheet presented by Mayor Bowser also includes a taxpayer subsidy for “vertical” costs:  stadium construction ($500 million) and parking garages ($356 million).  Somewhat lost in the outcry over this direct subsidy to billionaires are the indirect costs of the deal, including the property tax that the city will waive for the developers; the sales tax that will be collected but won’t go to the District; and the interest payments on bonds that the city will need to carry to complete this project.

Rather than defend the terms of a poorly negotiated deal, Mayor Bowser has done her best to ramrod it through the Council as currently written.  According to the term sheet, an “exclusive negotiation period” between the District and Commanders will expire by July 15 – or it will expire if the Council makes any significant changes to the term sheet.  According to Greater Greater Washington, Council chair Phil Mendelson “is signaling” that he will let the deadline pass so the Council could review the deal properly and insist on better terms.  After all, to consider the baseball field, the Council had 11 months; the Council discussed the deal on Audi Field for 7 months. 

DC has suffered enough of high-handed treatment of late.  It’s a shame that, in this, her legacy-making move, Mayor Bowser has decided to treat the Council with such contempt.  As it currently stands, given that the Mayor has tied the stadium deal to the budget, the Council cannot even hold a hearing focused only on the RFK stadium deal.

A Stadium, But Not at This Time

Regardless of the fate of the national economy, DC is now headed for a localized recession, owing to the devastating employment effects of the Trump Administration’s cuts to the federal government.

Recently, in the wake of these cuts, Moody’s downgraded DC’s bond-rating, meaning that a stadium constructed under the Trump administration will cost more than one built under an administration run by Kamala Harris. 

More important, even if Congress passes DC’s Local Budget restoring the city’s money, the city still faces an enormous budget shortfall – meaning, there will be steep cuts to city government. 

In her just-released budget, Mayor Bowser has shifted some payments to next fiscal year and declared a hiring freeze in an attempt to blunt the effects of this shortfall.  But already a new DC jail is gone from the budget. Notably, the Council has shunted aside the Mayor’s economic forecast for the stadium and commissioned their own.  

Amid turmoil and retrenchment, it is difficult to say what this stadium will “cost” the city in terms of what is defunded as a result of its construction. 

A Stadium, But One That Works for the Neighborhood

Economic research demonstrates that stadiums do not generate “new” growth or revenue.  In the best-case scenario, they just focus growth on a certain location. 

Stadiums might be worthwhile if they are used to kickstart the revitalization of a particular neighborhood, but, even then, there exists a very real danger of overreach.  An astonishing number of empty storefronts currently surround Capital One Arena, a more active stadium located in a much more commercial neighborhood.  Public officials assured us that the keeping the Leonsis’ teams and a promised stadium renovation would bring tenants back; so far, that hasn’t happened.

By and large, Hill East is not a neighborhood in need of revitalization.  The kinds of things that Hill East might need or want would be best served by a mixed-use development, not a stadium. 

In light of just what little purpose a stadium can serve, the hulking parking garages planned under the current term sheet are an affront to the neighborhood.  No stadium in the heart of a city built in the 21st century should be based on automobile traffic.  In this and in other respects – particularly in regard to the environment – the Mayor has declined to seize this opportunity to construct a stadium of the future. 

Instead, she wants to build a 20th century stadium while the city strains under the weight of a 19th century presidency. 

My Verdict on the Stadium Deal

In more stable times, the case for stadium construction would be stronger, particularly given the fact that the city has slow-walked Phase II of the Reservation 13 development, effectively tying its fate to RFK. 

At this time, facing the Trump administration, a strong case could be made for RFK redevelopment without a stadium, which would create new housing and neighborhood resources, generating growth and revenue. 

In more stable times, the case for a stadium would be stronger if it were a 21st century stadium that better harmonized with the surrounding neighborhood.

But it is bad luck for the Commanders ownership that their bid for a new stadium coincides with a crisis moment in DC history, the likes of which I have not seen since the 1980s. 

The only way to make the case for an NFL stadium at RFK at this particular moment is if the public subsidy for vertical construction is reduced to $0; the DC Local Budget Autonomy Act passes Congress and is signed by the President before the DC City Council votes on the stadium deal; and the stadium development makes better use of public transportation and green technology.

Maybe the DC City Council will move the dial on the public subsidy and a more imaginative development, both of which are under their control.  But the Commanders’ owners, who profess to love DC, would do well to pledge the necessary resources to move Republicans in Congress to respect our city a little more. 

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May 14, 2025 · 5:27 pm

CM Kenyan McDuffie on His Support for a New Stadium at RFK

by Larry Janezich

Posted, May 14, 2025

CM At-Large Kenyan McDuffie at Mr. Henry’s last night.

CM Kenyan McDuffie on His Support for a New Stadium at RFK

by Larry Janezich

Posted, May 14, 2025

Last night, CM At-Large Kenyan McDuffie appeared before a group of Ward Six Democrats upstairs at Mr. Henry’s on Pennsylvania Avenue, SE. 

In remarks, McDuffie expressed frustration on how long it’s taking to produce a budget owing to Congressional inaction to authorize DC to spend its own funds for the current FY.  He also expressed concern over the expected loss of $1 billion in city revenue over the next three FYs because of reductions in the federal workforce. 

Afterward, he made himself available for informal discussions with attendees. 

An audience member questioned McDuffie’s support for Mayor’s proposal to build a new NFL stadium to replace RFK, asking him if he is aware of any empirical evidence that a new stadium would provide new revenue or economic benefit for the city in light of economists’ assessment that there is none.  (Mayor Bowser wants the city council to approve spending $850 million in public funds for infrastructure to support a new stadium with the Washington Commanders covering the cost of building the stadium.)

McDuffie responded, “I guess my evidence that a stadium is good for DC would be what we see at Nats Stadium, what we see at Audi Field, what we see at Capital One Arena.” 

In a follow-up, he was asked, “So, you can point to (those developments) as maybe a catalyst for supporting that sort of investment.  What are you seeing at RFK that indicates that’s a similar situation?”

McDuffie replied, “What I’m seeing at RFK is 180 acres of dormant land that has been sitting idle for decades.  I’m seeing a lot of asphalt that’s collecting dust and it’s in extreme disrepair.   What I saw as a child growing up in the city were areas around SE and the Navy Yard and the Waterfront  that needed investment.  What I saw in the areas around SW was my friends who went to high school with me at Woodrow Wilson were communities that were starving for community service amenities that other parts of the city had.  What we have today (in those areas) that didn’t exist before are events coming out of those facilities that are supporting a lot of businesses around it that are giving job opportunities to residents and for small businesses the opportunity to service what is happening in and those neighborhoods. “

The Ward 6 Democrats website carries a notice inviting neighbors to a Fireside Chat on the Future of RFK:  Monday, June 2, at The Strand Restaurant, 131 Nannie Helen Burroughs Avenue, NE.  The event is sponsored by: The Hill Rag and East of the River Newspapers, The Ward 6 Democrats, and The Ward 7 Democrats. 

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April 9, 2025 · 4:40 pm

CM Allen Says City Faces Tough Economic Choices

CM Charles Allen briefing ANC6B last night on the DC Budget. 

CM Charles Allen on Monday morning in Spirit of Justice Park behind the Longworth House Office Building where FreeDC volunteers gathered before heading inside to lobby Members of Congress.  On Allen’s left are LaJoy Johnson-Law, Ward 8 State Board of Education member and Jacque Patterson, President of the State Board of Education. 

CM Allen Says City Faces Tough Economic Choices

by Larry Janezich

Posted April 9, 2025

Tuesday night, Council Member Charles Allen gave ANC6B a sobering report on the current economic situation facing the city. 

The city is facing two pressure points:  The inability of the US House of Representatives to fix their mistake in forgetting to authorize DC to spend $1 billion of its own to fund its operational budget for personnel and city services.  (If DC just went ahead and spent the money which has not been authorized it would be breaking the law.)  Second, the projected $1 billion shortfall in revenues over the next three years resulting from the thousands of residents who have lost their federal jobs and the economic fallout therefrom as the result of the administration’s efforts to reduce the size of the federal government.   

With respect to the first pressure point, Allen says he does not foresee the House acting to fix their mistake before it leaves for a two week recess at the close of business on Thursday.  Cuts in personnel and services will not start immediately but the undetermined date is fast approaching when the Chief Financial Officer (CFO) will inform the Mayor that she has to start making cuts.  The Mayor will have to submit a Supplemental Budget to the city council recommending those cuts.  Allen says, “To cut $1 billion from a $17 billion budget will be devastating…it will mean furloughs, personnel cuts, cuts in city operations and bus and Metro service.”  The police and fire departments will suffer hiring freezes – first responders could be furloughed.  Public and charter schools will be subject to staff and operational cuts – an extreme example is that the school week could be cut to 3 or four days. 

On Monday, Allen was part of the local advocacy group FreeDC’s call to action to lobby members of the House to pass the Senate-passed bill to fix the spending glitch which has been held for some three weeks at the Speaker’s desk.  This means under House Rules, it will take a two-thirds vote of the House (288) to take it up for consideration, and a simple majority of the House to pass it.  Though the bill has the support of the President and – reportedly – the chair of the House Appropriations Committee – it appears to be stalled by members of the Freedom Caucus.  Some speculate that some House members want to place conditions on DC as part of an agreement to move the bill forward. 

Allen’s team visited five Congressional offices.  He said the Republican offices were polite but he did not detect a sense of urgency.  He said he got a “warmer response from Democratic offices, but none of them felt like their hair was on fire about how this was a crushing and urgent problem”.   By the end of the day, FreeDC volunteers had visited 283 members’ offices. 

Regarding the second pressure point, Allen noted that the FY 2026 Budget process – which should have launched at the beginning of April – has not, because the Mayor is waiting on a resolution regarding  the $1 billion being held up in the House which otherwise will have to be taken into consideration in the budget for the next fiscal year. 

Assuming that gets resolved and the 2026 FY Budget process moves forward, it will have to take into account the CFO’s projection of $1 billion in lower revenue over the next three years resulting from a reduction in the federal workforce.  That will amount to a cut of around $300 million in each of the next three fiscal years.  Those cuts will come in the face of increasing costs.  Allen said, “We are facing a difficult budgeting…..We will be reducing city services and I don’t like doing that….But if the budget is balanced on the most vulnerable it is not a budget I can support.  There will be a reduction in services and benefits and every part of the city will have to be a part of what this tough moment will realize.”

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