A month before the Nov. 5 General Election, the landscape of the Ward 8 race for DC Councilmember is constantly shifting. At the same time as Ward 8 Councilmember Trayon White, Sr. (D) faces federal charges, he remains the frontrunner.
The Front Runner Is Indicted
White was indicted on a single charge of bribing a public official Sept 5, a few weeks after his arrest. The DC US Attorney’s Office (USAO-DC) alleges that beginning in June, White agreed to accept $156,000 to use his position to pressure employees at the Office of Neighborhood Safety and Engagement and Department of Youth Rehabilitation Services to extend contracts with companies providing violence interrupter services.
When DC Council reconvened three days later, on Sept. 17, they voted to hire an outside firm to assist an ad hoc committee to assess “the evidence available” and recommend whether White be expelled, reprimanded or censured. The committee has until Dec. 16 to file a report; expulsion would trigger a special election. That, ANC Commissioner Robbie Woodland (8C06) said, is when Democrats should consider another candidate, with more time for the electoral process to play out.
Republican & Write-In Opponents
In the General Election White will appear on the ballot to represent Ward 8 along with Republican nominee Nate Derenge.
White’s “selfishness may result in the ward being unrepresented for a period of time after he wins and gets removed from the council for his crimes and violation of the Council’s code of conduct,” Derenge said.
In addition to Derenge, five candidates have ed as write-in candidates. Write in campaigns are notoriously difficult; experts say people are more likely to check a name on the ballot than write one in—and when they do, the name written must be absolutely accurate.
As of Sept. 23, DC BOE listed the write in candidates as electrician Michael Brown, ANC Commissioner Olivia Henderson (www.oliviahenderson.org), Veteran and advocate Khadijah A. Long, June Sherman and Michael Reese.
Three write-in candidates appeared at a Sept. 8 meeting of the Congress Heights ACLU alongside Derenge. White was absent. Many acknowledged that they would have to learn about the legislative process, with Commissioner Henderson saying the ANC gave her some familiarity with District Government.
A common theme was the need for integrity and transparency in DC government, which candidates said needs to rebuild trust with constituents.
These issues were neither new nor a surprise, 63-year Ward 8 resident Khadijah Long said. “We need to clean house.” Long hoped that an investigation would be thorough, “and reveal the truth, don’t just shove this under the table,” she said.
“Government transparency is everything,” said Olivia Henderson. She said that people need to stop leaning on leaders and the community needs to do get together and do the work.
However, most itted that they had little experience with the legislative process, with candidates like Brown saying they would learn on the job. Long said she would surround herself with people on her team that would trust her to create action. Henderson cited her experience working as a 14-year ANC 8D commissioner. She argued for restorative justice programs and additional resources for non-profits doing anti-violence work.
“I’m hearing a lot of policy, policy,” Long said Sept. 11. “but what have you been doing before you got up here to run for Council?” Long said she had fostered children, taught in training programs and has welcomed homeless people in her home. She said the young people interacting with the justice system have been through trauma and the District’s agencies are not effectively helping. The community needs to step up and help those children rather than being afraid of them, she said.
“What’s been going on now going on back then when I was coming up,” Michael Brown said, “same old thing.” An electrician by trade, Brown argued for opportunities for young people to become entrepreneurs. That, he said, would help kids understand that they are part of the city, channeling their energy in more positive directions. Brown promised to get Ward 8 the funding it deserves.
An Invisible Incumbent Stands on His Record
During the run-up to the primaries, White stood by his record. The District needs to infuse capital in order to keep businesses in Ward 8, White argued, citing the struggle to keep the Giant open on Alabama Avenue SE and the 20 new businesses opening at Sycamore & Oak, 1110 Oak Dr. SE. In of wider public safety, White believes the District needs a comprehensive plan. “Every other month there’s something new,” he said, referencing Building Blocks, a program intended to provide intense wraparound services for 151 city blocks identified as high need. “We haven’t heard about it in four years,” he said.
At an April 12 forum, White took credit for securing increased funding for Ward 8 schools after deep cuts in the 2020 budget. White worked with Ward 5 Councilmember Kenyon McDuffie (D) to get violence prevention programs in Ward 8, he said. He pointed to new recreation centers in Ward 8 including Ferebee-Hope, Anacostia, Congress Heights and Fort Greble.
”I’m not just talking the talk but I’m working each and every day to fulfill those promises here in our ward,” White said.
Post Indictment Politics
White “could simply go on vacation between now and the primary and he’d be fine,” one wag wrote on social media prior to the councilmember’s arrest. White has put that to the test in the campaign since his arrest, when he has been largely absent from s and politicking.
At the Sept. 11 forum, Derenge came out swinging. He pointed to differences between himself and White. Derenge lives in Ward 8, he noted, White was arrested outside a building he was staying at in the Ward 6 portion of Navy Yard. “A final thing that makes me different —less important— I’m a professing Christian; I think he converted to Islam and I’m just kind of curious about that with him; [I have] multiple questions,” Derenge said.
Derenge called for a stop to subsidizing households that are making our neighborhoods more dangerous and “trashy.” His intention is not to punish those with fewer resources, but “to make our social programs contingent on not having any criminal activity for a meaningful period of time.” His most audacious proposal is to sell the residents of DC public housing their units at a discount as a means of creating inter-generational wealth. He also wants to deny unhealthy food such as soda from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).
Asked what he would like to tell Ward 8 voters, Derenge said, “[If I win], I’m ready to unite the ward, answer questions, and work with the strong political and non-political organizations in the area to bring about better outcomes.”
“I’m not a bribe-taker,” Derenge added.
