Read the latest Ward 5 news in the
Councilmember’s weekly newsletter:
Read the latest Ward 5 news in the Councilmember’s weekly newsletter:
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LATEST WARD 5 WEEKLY NEWSLETTER
February 20, 2026
Dear Ward 5 neighbors,
On Wednesday, I was proud to stand shoulder to shoulder with many neighbors and community organizations as we rallied for DC families, making it clear that we will not accept an austerity budget that puts low-income and working-class families on the chopping block. At the recent Mayor-Council breakfast, the Mayor previewed many of the challenges she anticipates in this year’s budget. However, the two programs she proposed for cuts as a result are two of our most important social safety nets: healthcare and childcare subsidies. I believe this is a false choice. While cuts may be needed, I believe we can look elsewhere, and that the District’s most vulnerable shouldn’t be the first to hurt when the fiscal belt is tightened.
LATEST WARD 5 WEEKLY NEWSLETTER
Potomac River Update, Rev. Jesse Jackson, Rally for DC Families, and More
February 20, 2026
Dear Ward 5 neighbors,
On Wednesday, I was proud to stand shoulder to shoulder with many neighbors and community organizations as we rallied for DC families, making it clear that we will not accept an austerity budget that puts low-income and working-class families on the chopping block. At the recent Mayor-Council breakfast, the Mayor previewed many of the challenges she anticipates in this year’s budget. However, the two programs she proposed for cuts as a result are two of our most important social safety nets: healthcare and childcare subsidies. I believe this is a false choice. While cuts may be needed, I believe we can look elsewhere, and that the District’s most vulnerable shouldn’t be the first to hurt when the fiscal belt is tightened.
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.
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Building a stronger, healthier Ward 5 every day.
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