Dear Ward 5 neighbors,  The Council headed back to the dais this week for our first Committee of the Whole meeting and Legislative Meeting since July. We voted on several measures, but I want to highlight a few bills we considered and voted on Tuesday.  First, the Council took up consideration of a bill introduced by…

Dear Ward 5 neighbors,  Tomorrow is the biggest party of the year celebrating all things Ward 5! I hope to see you there. We'll have food from more than a dozen Ward 5 restaurants (oxtail pizza, anyone?), live go-go from Sirius Company, a soccer clinic with DC United, go-karts and moon bounces, line dancing, community…

Dear Ward 5 neighbors,  September 11, 2026 Dear Ward 5 neighbors, There's a lot to talk about this week. The Council returns from recess next Tuesday, September 15, and that means the calendar of hearings and markups is getting full again. There is one markup in particular I want residents to pay attention to, but more on…

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,…

Ward 5 Day is just around the corner (September 19!) and that means Ward 5 Week is, too! One of the highlights of Ward 5 Week each year is our community night at Nationals Park, with free tickets for hundreds of Ward 5 neighbors. Sign up now to join me and my team for the Nationals game…

It's one of my favorite times of year: back to school! While it can be hard to say goodbye to the flexible schedules and vacations of summer, back-to-school time also means reconnecting with friends, settling into more predictable routines, and the joy of learning.  Some of our public charter schools are already back in the…

Dear Ward 5 neighbors,  There are times in my work representing Ward 5 neighbors when I see or hear something that truly stops me in my tracks. I had one of those experiences this week when my team and I continued our Ward 5 Housing Conditions Tour with a visit to 1400 Florida Ave NE in Trinidad.  My team had…

Dear Ward 5 neighbors,  Oversight is year-round. While the early months of the year are loaded with performance oversight hearings, giving way to budget oversight hearings in spring, there is also the real, behind-the-scenes work of visits to agency facilities, neighborhood walks, and many meetings. All of this is oversight as we hold District government accountable and ensure…

Dear Ward 5 neighbors,  The District's waterways, forests, and native gardens are precious commodities that drive our well-being. They are nature's air conditioning, filters, and ecosystem regulators that set the tone for how our communities feel and function.  So when entities profiting off of District residents and business directly harm those natural resources, they are…

Dear Ward 5 neighbors,  You may have heard rumblings this week that Congress is—yet again—threatening DC's autonomy and dollars. A bill introduced and passed through committee in the House of Representatives would fundamentally undermine our fiscal autonomy, mandating Congressional approval of any changes to fees or taxes in the District. This would complicate even attempts to lower taxes or issue tax…