DC voters fill the seats at ‘Ask a D.C. Candidate Mayoral Forum’

By D. Kevin McNeir
Special to The AFRO

Six candidates for the 2026 Washington, D.C. mayoral race answered questions on topics ranging from affordable housing, high utility bills and child care costs, to the budget and working with the federal government, during a recent two-hour forum – and voters showed up in force.

More than 300 people attended the event held in the auditorium of the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library in downtown Washington on April 20. 

Co-sponsors for the “Ask a D.C. Candidate: A 51st Mayoral Forum,” included The 51st, The Washington Informer, SpotlightDC and the DC Public Library. 

Questions for the candidates were aggregated from over 200 queries submitted by residents in the Greater Washington Area. Those questions, according to a spokesperson for The 51st, were then summarized by topic and the frequency with which they were asked, and then given to a trio of moderators. 

Candidates who participated in the forum included three current or former D.C. Council members, Janesse Lewis George, Kenyan McDuffie and Vincent Orange, as well as three others, Gary Goodweather, Rini Sampath and Hope Solomon. Ernest Johnson, who has declared his candidacy for D.C. mayor, did not attend. 

On the question of creating greater revenue for the District in a political season in which the federal government has slashed budgets, Goodweather, a seasoned business executive and military veteran, encouraged voters to review his campaign agenda.

“If D.C. is going to survive and remain a leading U.S. city in the future, we must consider new ways to reduce costs and increase revenue,” he said. “One of those ways is to look at the clean energy industry, especially given the huge bills people are now facing from companies like Pepco. 

“We often hear residents express the need for more affordable housing. Again, when we can generate more community capital, we can afford to build more housing for those who face financial challenges,” he continued. “In some cases, it costs more to build and maintain affordable housing than it does for market-priced housing. So, D.C. needs a mayor who can think creatively and knows the business terrain.” 

McDuffie said he’s concerned about the cost of child care, and he has good reason to be.

According to a 2025 report published by the Economic Policy Institute, the average cost of infant care in the District is $28,356 – that’s $2,363 per month. A minimum wage worker in D.C. would need to work full time for 41 weeks, or from January to October, just to pay for child care for one infant. In other words, a median child care worker in Washington, D.C. would have to spend 73.7% of their earnings to put their own child in infant care. (epi.org/child-care-costs-in-the-united-states/#/DC) 

“A lot of folk want to raise taxes to pay for the services we know are necessary for D.C. residents,” he said. “And child care costs can be overwhelming with some families paying more for child care than their mortgage. D.C. already has universal pre-K, which was one of the benefits my wife and I took advantage of with our own children.

“But I want to create a child care center which I believe – by placing services under one roof – would allow us to reduce the barriers to entry for those who want to provide child care services. And with the amount of unused property which is sitting vacant in downtown D.C., there are buildings in which new child care agencies could be placed.”

Lewis George said the funds which D.C. receives for its budget must be managed with greater efficiency.

“As mayor, I would close the tax loopholes and stop federal budget waste,” she said. “D.C. has not done its best at leveraging all of our federal dollars. When I look at our neighbors like the state of Maryland, I see where they’ve taken full advantage of federal dollars and that has benefited all of their citizens. We can’t just wait for federal dollars. D.C. has to grow its economy.” 

Meanwhile Orange, who repeatedly emphasized his stellar business acumen and ability to work within the limits of any budget, was highly critical of the Bowser administration. 

“Residents want to feel safe in their homes and when they move about the city – and they should feel safe,” he said. “This stuff that’s going on at National Harbor among youth, and in other parts of the city, could be resolved with a full police force. We’re taking far too long to make decisions. When a person is bleeding you need to stop the blood flow first. Then you can look to longtime solutions.

“The Council bought into the trend of defunding the police movement and now we’re down 1,400 officers, so we’re paying exorbitant amounts of money for overtime. In turn, that limits our ability to provide resources that are needed elsewhere. D.C. has the revenue but it’s not being used efficiently because we have a management problem.” 

Some readers may recall a fiery exchange that took place between candidates Lewis George and McDuffie earlier this year during a Free D.C. candidates forum as reported in the AFRO. But on the evening of April 20, all the forum participants remained civil. 

However, when the question on how candidates would work with the president and the federal government was posed, candidates had a wide range of answers. Some of the candidates even became more animated as they gave their replies. 

Lewis George said she would seek to build better relationships with Congress and the president. 

“I was speaking to someone in Congress who said from what they could recall, I was the first person from the D.C. government who they’d ever seen in the halls,” she said.

“Compromise is possible and sometimes the only way to resolve issues. That’s why D.C. must do better in establishing and maintaining more positive relationships with the president and members of Congress, no matter who’s in office.” 

Near the conclusion of the forum, McDuffie seemed to segue into political rally form with words that he’s shared along the campaign trail.

“I believe in hands-on accountability and listening to residents so that I’m better informed,” he said. “Believe me, I know what we need in Washington, D.C., and I know how to get it done because I deliver.”

Whether residents vote in this year’s primary election by mail, through early voting (June 8 – 14), or in person on Election Day, June 16, they will need to be prepared to follow a new voting procedure: ranked-choice voting. 

And because of the large number of seats in city government that are open for reelection, voters should request a sample ballot so they know the layout, as well as the views and plans of the candidates so they can make better-informed choices. 

The post DC voters fill the seats at ‘Ask a D.C. Candidate Mayoral Forum’ appeared first on AFRO American Newspapers.