Mayor Muriel Bowser and Amber Hewitt, Director of the Mayor’s Office of Racial Equity (ORE), released the District’s first-ever Racial Equity Action Plan, a three-year roadmap outlining actions that the District will take to close racial equity gaps and measure progress toward a more equitable DC.
Residents can provide feedback on the plan by accessing the online submission form. Deadline has been extended. See below for a list of locations to obtain a copy of the plan.
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Mayor Bowser Announces Key Appointments
Tuesday, January 3, 2023
(Washington DC) – Today, Mayor Muriel Bowser announced transitions of executive leadership in the Cabinet and appointed positions.
Lindsey Appiah – Acting Deputy Mayor for Public Safety and Justice
Lindsey Appiah is appointed Acting Deputy Mayor for Public Safety and Justice (DMPSJ).
Susana Castillo, Director of Communications – Executive Office of the Mayor. Susana Castillo is appointed Director of Communications in the Executive Office of the Mayor (EOM).
Colleen Green, Acting Director – Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD). Colleen Green is appointed Acting Director of the Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD).
Courtney Hill, Director – Mayor’s Office of Scheduling and Advance (MOSA). Courtney Hill is appointed Director of the Mayor’s Office of Scheduling and Advance (MOSA).
Richard Jackson, Interim Director – Department of Energy and Environment (DOEE). Richard Jackson is appointed Interim Director of the District Department of Energy and Environment (DOEE).
Timothy Spriggs, Acting Director – Department of Public Works (DPW). Timothy Spriggs is appointed Acting Director of the Department of Public Works (DPW).
Tommy Wells, Director – Office of Policy and Legislative Affairs (OPLA). Tommy Wells is appointed Director of the Office of Policy and Legislative Affairs (OPLA).
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Meet your new and returning Advisory Neighborhood Commissioners.
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Council Period 25 Organizational Meeting
On Tuesday, January 3, 2023, the District of Columbia Council held their Council Period 25 Organizational Meeting. All members were present on the dais except for Councilmember Vincent Gray who participated via Zoom.
The Organizational Meeting is held at the beginning of each new council period for members to discuss and vote on the Council Rules and committees. In addition, members vote on committee and key staff appointments.
After a customary 2-minute moment of silence and determination of a quorum, the Chairman announced the first item on the agenda, the “Rules of Organization and Procedure for the Council of the District of Columbia, Council Period 25, Resolution of 2023”.
The new Ward 5 Councilmember, Zachary Parker proposed 2 amendments to the Rules of Organization and Procedure for the Council of the District of Columbia, Council Period 25, Resolution of 2023 the first would require the secretary to create a form on the Council website for public witnesses to sign up to testify at a committee hearing or roundtable. His second amendment required that the Mayor and all agency witnesses testify under oath instead of leaving that decision to the committee receiving testimony. Both amendments passed unanimously.
The next item on the agenda was the “Council Period 25 Appointment of Chairperson Pro Tempore, Committee Chairpersons, and Committee Membership Resolution of 2023”. The Chairman has restructured and reassigned some of the committees, including the Health Committee which had long been chaired by Councilmember Gray. The Chairman had declared the reassignment was a result of consensus concern from members about his recent health challenges. Councilmember Gray opposed this rationale as an act of discrimination. Subsequently, he introduced 3 amendments that would serve to address his concerns.
Councilmember Gray’s first amendment would add a subsection that would explicitly declare the Council’s stance against discrimination in the District of Columbia Code. The Chairman stated that this language already existed in the Code.
Councilmember Gray’s other two amendments were to PR25-0002, the “Council Period 25 Appointment of Chairperson Pro Tempore, Committee Chairpersons, and Committee Membership Resolution of 2023” to keep him as Chair of the Committee on Health and would appoint Councilmember Henderson as Chair of the newly reconstituted Committee on Education.
Each of Councilmember Gray’s amendments failed. Councilmember Trayon White, Sr. and Councilmember Janeese Lewis-George were the only members who showed support.
The final items on the meeting agenda were the reappointments of the General Counsel, Budget Director, and the Secretary to the Council of the District of Columbia.
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Legislative Meeting
Tuesday, January 3rd, legislative meeting was the first of Council Period 25. Because it was the first, no new matters were ripe for consideration, and all the items on the agenda were extensions of previously approved measures to avoid any gaps in the law.
The Attorney General Civil Rights Enforcement Congressional Review Emergency Amendment Act of 2023 and corresponding Emergency Declaration Resolution were approved, which will fill a gap while the permanent version of the bill is under review by Congress. This will clarify the available remedies for the Attorney General in the prosecution of certain civil rights violations.
The Tourism Recovery Tax Temporary Amendment Act of 2022 was approved. This legislation will increase the tax rate and revenue dedicated to Destination DC from the District’s hotels from 0.3% to 1.3% from April 1, 2023, to March 31, 2027, with compliance requirements on Destination DC to expend this revenue.
The District of Columbia Housing Authority Stabilization and Reform Temporary Amendment Act of 2022 was approved, extending legislation passed at the previous legislative meeting to establish a temporary stabilization and reform board to govern DCHA. The temporary board will consist of 9 members and remain in place for 2 years.
Finally, the Law Enforcement Career Opportunities for District Residents Expansion Emergency Declaration Resolution, Emergency Amendment Act, and Temporary Amendment Act of 2023 were all approved. These bills will extend previous legislation to remove the requirement that applicants to the Metropolitan Police Department’s cadet program must graduate from District high schools.
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Council Period 25 Committee Assignment
Councilmember Trayon White, Sr. will remain Chairman of the Recreation, Libraries and Youth Affairs Committee. He will also serve on the following three committees:
Executive Administration & Labor
Hospital & Health Equity
Public Works & Operations
| Council Period 25 Committees |
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| Committee |
Chair |
Members |
| Business & Economic Development |
McDuffie |
Allen, Bonds, Gray, Pinto |
Executive Administration & Labor |
Bonds |
Frumin, Lewis George, McDuffie, T. White |
Facilities & Family Services |
Lewis George |
Frumin, Nadeau, Parker, R. White |
Health |
Henderson |
Allen, Frumin, Gray, Parker |
Hospital & Health Equity |
Gray |
Henderson, Nadeau, Parker, T. White |
| Housing |
R. White |
Frumin, McDuffie, Parker, Pinto |
| Judiciary |
Pinto |
Allen, Bonds, Gray, Henderson |
Public Works & Operations |
Nadeau |
Lewis George, Pinto, R. White, T. White |
Recreation, Libraries and Youth Affairs |
T. White |
Bonds, McDuffie, Nadeau, R. White |
Transportation & Environment |
Allen |
Frumin, Henderson, Lewis George, Parker |
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Hours of operation:
Monday - Friday from 9:00am - 5:30pm
CLOSED Saturday, Sunday & Holidays |
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Louise Thorne: [email protected]
Constituent Services Specialist
DC Public Schools
DC Housing Authority
Department of Human Services
Utilities: PEPCO, DC Water, Washington Gas
Office of the State Superintendent of Education
Eric Cleckley: [email protected]
Constituent Services Specialist
District Department of Transportation
Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs
Department of Energy and Environment
For all other constituent services concerns, please contact Wanda Lockridge, Chief of Staff at [email protected]. |
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