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
June 12, 2026
Dear Ward 5 neighbors,
The Council took its first vote on the FY27 budget this past Tuesday. We made significant progress considering where we started when we first received the Mayor’s proposal in April. Complete cuts to essential lifelines like Family Success Centers, the Credible Messengers Program, Access to Justice, Alliance, and housing vouchers would have meant displacement, deepening poverty, and unnecessary hardship for thousands of District families.
In addition to restoring funding for those critical citywide programs, I am also proud of the targeted investments we secured for Ward 5. While I am sharing an overview of our budget wins below, you can also check out this video for a more fun review of all the Council’s efforts at Tuesday’s vote.
In all the budget talk, school graduations and end of school year busyness, don’t forget that it’s time to vote! Early voting for the DC Primary Election began this past Monday, June 8. Early voting continues through this weekend on Saturday and Sunday at early vote centers (in Ward 5 – the Woodridge Neighborhood Library and Turkey Thicket Recreation Center) from 8:30 a.m. – 7:00 p.m. No polls will be open on Monday. Your last chance to vote will be on Tuesday, June 16 from 7:00 a.m. – 8:00 p.m. at election day vote centers. You can also mail your mail-in ballot (postmarked by June 16, 2026) or drop off your mail-in ballot at any drop box across the city. However you choose to weigh in, make sure your voice is heard and VOTE!
LATEST WARD 5 WEEKLY NEWSLETTER
What's in the Budget, and Time to VOTE!
June 12, 2026
Dear Ward 5 neighbors,
The Council took its first vote on the FY27 budget this past Tuesday. We made significant progress considering where we started when we first received the Mayor’s proposal in April. Complete cuts to essential lifelines like Family Success Centers, the Credible Messengers Program, Access to Justice, Alliance, and housing vouchers would have meant displacement, deepening poverty, and unnecessary hardship for thousands of District families.
In addition to restoring funding for those critical citywide programs, I am also proud of the targeted investments we secured for Ward 5. While I am sharing an overview of our budget wins below, you can also check out this video for a more fun review of all the Council’s efforts at Tuesday’s vote.
In all the budget talk, school graduations and end of school year busyness, don’t forget that it’s time to vote! Early voting for the DC Primary Election began this past Monday, June 8. Early voting continues through this weekend on Saturday and Sunday at early vote centers (in Ward 5 – the Woodridge Neighborhood Library and Turkey Thicket Recreation Center) from 8:30 a.m. – 7:00 p.m. No polls will be open on Monday. Your last chance to vote will be on Tuesday, June 16 from 7:00 a.m. – 8:00 p.m. at election day vote centers. You can also mail your mail-in ballot (postmarked by June 16, 2026) or drop off your mail-in ballot at any drop box across the city. However you choose to weigh in, make sure your voice is heard and VOTE!
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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