BUILDING OUR FAMILIES AND SCHOOLS
Building a Better Ward 5
Read the latest Ward 5 news in the
Councilmember’s weekly newsletter:
Read the latest Ward 5 news in the Councilmember’s weekly newsletter:
Constituent Services - Submit A Request
Need help with an issue? Let us know!
LATEST WARD 5 WEEKLY NEWSLETTER
September 4, 2026
Dear Ward 5 neighbors,
Last night’s storm left many neighbors waking up to power outages, downed trees and power lines, and property damage. My team has been in touch with Pepco, DDOT, and DPW throughout the day. Unfortunately, damage is widespread throughout the District and clean-up may take a few days. While power has been restored in several areas, I know many neighbors are still waiting. My team and I are continuing to press Pepco for prompt resolutions and will provide updates via social media as we receive them. If you haven’t yet, please be sure to report any downed trees to 311 and downed power lines to 311 or Pepco at 1-877-737-2662. If you need my team’s assistance escalating concerns, don’t hesitate to contact us at ward5contact@dccouncil.gov. Please also take care when getting around the city the next few days and check on neighbors who may need an extra hand.
Looking ahead, I’m excited to share the fun-filled schedule for Ward 5 Week, September 13-18! These events take place across Ward 5 and offer a variety of activities so there is a little something for everyone. It’s all in preparation for Ward 5 Day on September 19 at Turkey Thicket (1100 Michigan Ave NE). Join us in this annual celebration of all things Ward 5!
All events listed are free and open to the public except for one—the Commanders Watch Party with National Links Trust at the Langston Golf Course for the Commanders season-opening game. We have a very limited set of tickets to give away for free to neighbors, so if you are interested in joining us at the Watch Party on Sunday, September 13 at 4:00 p.m., sign up here now!
LATEST WARD 5 WEEKLY NEWSLETTER
Storm Recovery, Ward 5 Week Schedule, and Labor Day
September 4, 2026
Dear Ward 5 neighbors,
Last night’s storm left many neighbors waking up to power outages, downed trees and power lines, and property damage. My team has been in touch with Pepco, DDOT, and DPW throughout the day. Unfortunately, damage is widespread throughout the District and clean-up may take a few days. While power has been restored in several areas, I know many neighbors are still waiting. My team and I are continuing to press Pepco for prompt resolutions and will provide updates via social media as we receive them. If you haven’t yet, please be sure to report any downed trees to 311 and downed power lines to 311 or Pepco at 1-877-737-2662. If you need my team’s assistance escalating concerns, don’t hesitate to contact us at ward5contact@dccouncil.gov. Please also take care when getting around the city the next few days and check on neighbors who may need an extra hand.
Looking ahead, I’m excited to share the fun-filled schedule for Ward 5 Week, September 13-18! These events take place across Ward 5 and offer a variety of activities so there is a little something for everyone. It’s all in preparation for Ward 5 Day on September 19 at Turkey Thicket (1100 Michigan Ave NE). Join us in this annual celebration of all things Ward 5!
All events listed are free and open to the public except for one—the Commanders Watch Party with National Links Trust at the Langston Golf Course for the Commanders season-opening game. We have a very limited set of tickets to give away for free to neighbors, so if you are interested in joining us at the Watch Party on Sunday, September 13 at 4:00 p.m., sign up here now!
2026 Progress Report
Entering the fourth year of his first term, Councilmember Parker shared a Progress Report looking over all we’ve accomplished together since 2023. These years have been marked by resilience and results. Councilmember Parker has been focused on Standing Up for DC, Serving the Community, Advancing Bold Policy, and Fighting for DC Youth. View the full report and see more of what we achieved together here.
COUNCILMEMBER ZACHARY PARKER
Since taking office in January of 2023, Zachary has delivered for Ward 5 residents through responsive constituent services and significant budget wins. He has introduced dozens of transformative pieces of legislation, including bills to establish the District’s State Superintendent of Education’s School Support Office to improve low-performing schools, and the District Child Tax Credit which provides low-income and middle-class families fully refundable tax credits for children 17 years of age and younger.
LEGISLATION
Since taking office, Councilmember Parker has introduced more than 30 pieces of legislation, and co-introduced more than 150 additional bills. Learn about Councilmember Parker’s legislation, co-introductions, and committee assignments on the Legislation page.
COUNCILMEMBER ZACHARY PARKER
Ward 5 Councilmember Zachary Parker is an educator and a public servant. He taught 7th-grade math in New Orleans, post-Katrina, with Teach For America, and spent nearly a decade supporting DC school administrators at Ward 5 schools like Dunbar High School and Mundo Verde PCS.
Zachary sees firsthand the human impact of a system that leaves our most vulnerable behind. He grew up watching his oldest brother struggle with a one-size-fits-all school system that did not have the resources to support him, and now sees the challenges he faces in life because of it.
And Zachary suffered alongside his middle brother through a long and exhaustive battle with a healthcare system that treated him more like a problem than a patient before he ultimately passed away at 36 from kidney failure. These shouldn’t be the experiences families have when interacting with our public institutions. Zachary has dedicated his life’s work to transforming the systems that failed his brothers and so many like them.
The latest on the Councilmember’s Social Media
Building a stronger, healthier Ward 5 every day.
VISIT OR MAIL OUR OFFICE:
John A. Wilson Building
1350 Pennsylvania Ave NW
Suite 506
Washington, DC 20004