

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
February 21, 2025
Dear Ward 5 neighbors,
As this week comes to a close, I know many of you are feeling on edge about the future of the District. While these are uncertain times, the threats we face are also a reminder to deepen our resolve and reassert our commitments to caring well for one another. This is not the time to check-out, lose hope, or put our heads in the sand.
One primary way we can stay focused and invested is through DC’s upcoming budget process. I want to make sure I have your priorities top-of-mind as we prepare for budget season. To this end, I invite you to complete the Ward 5 Budget Priorities Survey if you haven’t already done so. This is a great way to make your voice heard on what you want to see DC invest in. In addition, please make plans to join us—in-person or virtually—for the Ward 5 Budget Forum coming up this Tuesday, February 25 at 6:30 p.m. The forum is an interactive session to learn more about the budget process, share your ideas, and ask questions. The Council’s Budget Office will be in attendance, too. I hope to see you there!
LATEST WARD 5 WEEKLY NEWSLETTER
We Stand as 700,000
February 21, 2025
Dear Ward 5 neighbors,
As this week comes to a close, I know many of you are feeling on edge about the future of the District. While these are uncertain times, the threats we face are also a reminder to deepen our resolve and reassert our commitments to caring well for one another. This is not the time to check-out, lose hope, or put our heads in the sand.
One primary way we can stay focused and invested is through DC’s upcoming budget process. I want to make sure I have your priorities top-of-mind as we prepare for budget season. To this end, I invite you to complete the Ward 5 Budget Priorities Survey if you haven’t already done so. This is a great way to make your voice heard on what you want to see DC invest in. In addition, please make plans to join us—in-person or virtually—for the Ward 5 Budget Forum coming up this Tuesday, February 25 at 6:30 p.m. The forum is an interactive session to learn more about the budget process, share your ideas, and ask questions. The Council’s Budget Office will be in attendance, too. I hope to see you there!

Progress Report: January 2023 - January 2025
Check out the latest Progress Report from Councilmember Parker! Our office has been hard at work alongside Ward 5 neighbors to build healthy communities through transformative policy, fighting for Ward 5, and making government accessible and transparent. 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

District Programs
The district has lots of programs available to residents – from utility bill discount programs, to tenants’ advocacy, to events and activities for children and more.
Click here to view a full list of District programs you may be able to take advantage of.
Building a stronger, healthier Ward 5 every day.
VISIT OR MAIL OUR OFFICE:
John A. Wilson Building
1350 Pennsylvania Ave NW
Suite 102
Washington, DC 20004