OUR PLATFORM
Accessible Democracy and Good Governance
DC residents pay taxes, serve in the military, and show up for jury duty, but still live under the thumb of congressional veto. Expanding democratic access here isn’t just policy, it’s a moral correction. Together, we can create people-first ways to open the doors wider to our democratic process.
DC isn’t lacking in civic passion, what it needs now is to turn that energy into power.
As the At-Large Councilmember, I will enhance democracy and support good governance by:
🏛️ Building a civic tech platform for lawmaking to make the DC Council more transparent and interactive. Residents should be able to track bills, propose amendments, and engage in public comment without wading through PDFs or showing up in person at 10 a.m. on a Tuesday.
🏛️ Lowering barriers to running for office like reforming ballot access and public financing, so working-class candidates, especially in Black and brown communities, can run viable campaigns. Democracy can’t thrive if only the wealthy can afford to compete.
Home Rule
Being quiet is not an option. We must defend, protect, and expand DC’s Home Rule.
Today, DC residents pay the highest taxes per capita in the nation, yet we remain beholden to federal control in ways our neighboring states do not. Our limited autonomy continues to face attacks from Congress, the courts, and from those who seek to stop our local governance.
As the At-Large Councilmember, I will defend DC’s democracy by:
📣 Advocating against Republican overreach in Congress that undermines our self-governance, like: roll backs of laws passed by our elected representatives, forced mid-year spending reductions of our local funds, and installation of Trump’s political appointees to control DC institutions.
🛡️ Defending our local Sanctuary City protections from attacks by Congress and from fellow elected leaders who are quick to compromise our values. I will ensure DC remains a safe place for immigrant communities and families seeking refuge.
💪 I will also continue the fight for DC statehood, ensuring District residents gain the autonomy and representation we have long deserved. Statehood would allow us to:
Protect our budget and police department from federal control.
Guarantee fair pay and protections for working families, immigrants, and our LGBTQ neighbors.
Secure our rightful voice in Congress with full congressional voting representation.
Until that day comes, I will refuse to preemptively comply with any Trump administration overreach, standing firm for the people of DC, our democracy, and our dignity.
Housing
Quality, affordable housing is a human right.
I believe every DC resident deserves to be able to stay rooted in their community. As rent drastically increases and homeownership becomes increasingly out of reach, we must protect residents from bad actors and negligent landlords. DC’s diversity of homes, from co-ops and apartments to single family homes and condos should reflect opportunity, not displacement.
As At-Large Councilmember, I will fight to:
🏢 Expand rent stabilization to support affordable and stable rents for working families as more buildings are constructed. DC residents deserve safe, stable, and affordable housing.
🏢 Strengthen Tenants Opportunity to Purchase Act (TOPA) and give tenants a fair chance to stay in their homes.
🏘️ Increase funding for housing programs like housing vouchers, Emergency Rental Assistance, Rapid Rehousing, and DC Flex.
🏢 Protect unhoused neighbors from inhumane encampment evictions and expand wraparound services for healthcare, employment, legal services, and education.
👵 Support residents who are homeowners through energy saving programs, home repair funds, and expand pathways to homeownership (i.e., fully funding the Housing Production Trust Fund and First Right to Purchase Program).
📣 Advocate for improved public housing conditions and demand accountability from the DC Housing Authority.
Education
Everyone in the District deserves a quality education.
I believe learning is one of the best parts of living. I would help lead a transformation of the District’s education system to take a cradle to retirement approach. Education nurtures people, and our ability to learn should be supported throughout our life. Whether it’s early childhood education, Pre-K to 12, adult literacy programs, trade, and vocation school or college – it is my goal to make sure that residents have the opportunity to succeed at each step of their lifelong learning.
As At-Large Councilmember, I will:
🏫 Work with the DC Council to reestablish the standalone Education Committee – a crucial piece of the Council’s performance oversight of the full education ecosystem in DC.
🧑🏫 Develop a collaborative relationship with the Washington Teachers Union to help reduce teacher turnover, improve performance, and ensure fair pay.
🎒 Build a culture of lifelong learning in the District that encourages residents of any age to continuously learn as an opportunity for personal and professional enrichment. This would help us tackle adult literacy at a time when more than 199,000 residents have low literacy rates in DC, which includes nearly half of adults in wards 7 and 8.
Fair Wages and Stable Jobs
A legacy of labor, a Councilmember for workers.
I am a legacy of labor not just in words, but in lived experience. I come from a union family and I am a former member of AFGE Local 1000. I have seen first-hand the benefits strong unions make possible for individuals, families, workplaces, and communities committed to DC.
I will not treat labor as an interest group to be managed. I will treat workers and their unions as partners in governing the District, because a city that works for workers is a city that works for everyone.
As At-Large Councilmember, I will:
💵 Fight for a living wage for all – everyone with a full-time job should be able to afford to live, raise a family, and thrive in our city. I fully support the creation of the Labor Advisory Council and believe it will be instrumental in helping the mayor and the DC Council propel the city toward a living wage for all.
🔧 Support strong, union-backed public service jobs. Together, we can preserve and expand good-paying union jobs across the DC government, strengthen apprenticeships and internal promotion pathways. Combined, this would ensure people employed by the DC government have access to meaningful job training and professional upward mobility. I will support labor-management committees, lead the repeal of anti-union laws on the Council, and guarantee timely, good-faith contract negotiations so workers are respected and fairly represented.
🏛️ Bring real accountability and strengthen worker protections. I will work to establish the DC Department of Labor & Workers Rights to enforce labor standards, prevent retaliation, and make sure people employed in DC know their rights. I will champion a Workers’ Bill of Rights to guarantee dignity, safety, and fairness on the job, and I will ensure that public dollars are never used to undermine union organizing or worker power.
🛡️ Build a stronger safety net. I will strengthen unemployment insurance so workers aren’t punished during economic downturns or for struggling to navigate a complicated system. No resident should fall through the cracks during moments of crisis and my policies will reflect that.