TONIGHT: Loose Lips D.C. Council At-Large Candidates' Debate @ Black Cat

In case you haven't had enough of local politics (and, really, CAN you get enough with all the theater DC politics is providing right now?), head out to the Black cat this evening for the Washington City Paper/Loose Lips At-large Candidates City Council Debate.

The forum runs from 7p - 9p. No word on whether the forum will be followed by a set from a promising up-and-coming indie band.

Details from the City Paper's website:

Washington City Paper, NBC4, and WPFW’s DC Politics show are sponsoring an At-Large D.C. Council candidates’ forum on Tuesday, April 12, from 7–9 p.m. Our gracious host is the Black Cat, 1811 14th St. NW.

Loose Lips columnist Alan Suderman, NBC4’s Tom Sherwood, and “DC Politics” host Chuck Thies will ask the tough questions. Former Loose Lips writers may drop by for a zinger, too.

Lots of Talk, Few Surprises at Council Candidate's Forum

Those who attended this evening's DC Council candidate's forum in Dupont were treated to some candid discussions from eight candidates, but little in the way of differentiation between them.


(Apologies for the poltergeist appearing next to Alan Page--blame the lighting, not the old church.)

The candidates in attendance were all vying for the open at-large seat on the City Council left vacant by Kwame Brown when he assumed the Council chairmanship. At-large special elections tend to present very low voter turnout, meaning that darkhorse candidates, or candidates with particularly diligent supporters, have a much better chance of winning than they might otherwise in a general election.

The event, which was moderated by Tom Hay of Borderstan, took a bit of time to get going, as several of the candidates were late in arriving (both Tom Brown and Vincent Orange arrived nearly 45 minutes into the event, excuses in tow). And while the forum did witness a few standout moments, for the most part the candidates spent time hashing over the key issues (education, small businesses) and struggling to differentiate themselves from each other.

Some, notably Republican candidate Patrick Mara and Statehood Green candidate Alan Page, attempted to portray themselves as outsiders to the DC political establishment and capable of addressing issues in ways the other candidates could not. Former two-term councilmember Vincent Orange played up his previous tenure on the Council, and his strong showing for Council Chairman in the recent general elections. Sekou Biddle has the advantage of being the "incumbent" in this race, since he was selected by the DC Democratic Party to temporarily fill the vacant seat, but it's clear that his name does not resonate as strongly as Orange's.

Below are some of the highlights from this evening's forum:

Most Successful in Differentiating Oneself From Other Candidates

Patrick Mara reminded the crowd approximately 257 times that he is a Republican running in a town where Democrats essentially enjoy one-party rule. Stating that he was a socially progressive, fiscally responsible Republican, Mara stated that he wouldn't be beholden to special interests if elected to office. "What would they do, threaten to not endorse me?" he asked rhetorically. "Because they aren't endorsing me now."

Alan Page took a similar tact in playing up the fact that as a member of the Statehood Greens, he too wouldn't have to play the Party game.

Line of the Night

This one came from Vincent Orange, who took a jab at Kwame Brown while summarizing his qualifications for the seat: "50,000 people in the last election thought I should have been the Council Chairman. Turns out they were right." (Ouch.)

Runner-up goes to Patrick Mara: "The District looks at businesses as piggy banks."

Most in Need of a Speechwriter

By all rights, Dorothy Douglas seems like a lovely woman, but her answers were difficult to follow and lacking coherency. I had a difficult time determining her platform, other than that she wants to serve DC residents.

Most Contentious Issue

Everyone seemed to agree that Crime Is A Problem, Small Businesses Need to Be Helped, and the Deficit Must Be Addressed Fairly. One of the few items to draw sharp distinctions among the candidates was the issue of school vouchers, particularly when they are applied to private or parochial school that violate the city's anti-discrimination laws. Bryan Weaver, Joshua Lopez and Page are opposed to them, while Biddle, Douglas and Mara support them. (Brown and Orange had not yet arrived when this issue was raised.)

Alan Page also wins for having the most honest answer to a question, when addressing the issue of school vouchers. After listing several reasons why he opposes them, he paused and said "I just hate this program." Can't get much clearer than that.

Overall Impressions

While the differences between the candidates may not be great, this is a field with several competent canditates who could fill the role very well--which is a nice problem to have. Of all of them, my personal feelings were that Weaver, Biddle, Mara and Orange were the strongest candidates. Weaver's focus on corruption and accountability rings true in light of the current Council and mayoral scandals, while Orange's reminders of his past experience lend credibility and security to his campaign--even if those factors work against him as well. Biddle came off as a knowledgeable and polished candidate who has the support of the DC Democratic Party--another helps him/hurts him attribute--while Mara made a convincing case for being a legitimate outsider who would be free to pursue his own agenda (it's no coincidence that he conjured up David Catania's name during his remarks).

Tom Hay mentioned that all Ward 2 polling stations would be open for the election (as opposed to the idea of opening a mere handful, as had been bandied about earlier), so please make sure you vote in the April 26 election.

Back From Spring Break: DC At-Large Council Candidate Forum Tomorrow Night

The 14thandyous are back and feeling refreshed from a spring break trip to London (where, on Friday, it was sunny and 72 degrees--I've never gotten sunburned in London before). There's a lot of news to catch up on over the past couple of weeks, but one timely bit of information to pass along is for the DC Council At-Large Candidate's Forum taking place tomorrow evening.

For those who aren't aware, or who may be only vaguely aware of the process, the citizens of DC will be electing an at-large councilmember to fill Chairman Kwame Brown's seat, which was vacated when Brown was elected to head the Council. The DC Democratic party, through a completely backroom transparent process selected Sekou Biddle to temporarily fill the seat in January, making him the incumbent. However, there are a number of other candidates seeking the seat as well.

It's worth noting that these at-large special elections can have some significant results for the city, as the winning candidate frequently prevails with only a few thousand votes. For example, current at-large councilmember David Catania, one of the Council's fiercest questionners and a leader in the drive to legalize same-sex marriage in the District, was elected via a special election that saw only 7% voter turnout.

Tomorrow evening, from 6:00 - 8:30 PM at Church of the Holy City at 16th and Corcoran streets NW, you will have the opportunity to observe more than a half-dozen candidates engage in a forum discussion of the issues leading up to the April 26 election.

Confirmed candidates who will be appearing include:

Sekou Biddle
Dorothy Douglas
Joshua Lopez
Patrick Mara
Vincent Orange
Alan Page
Bryan Weaver

Interestingly, Mara and Weaver were among those candidates whose petitions were challenged by Biddle on the basis of valid signatures--both of which were denied. It's not a reach to say that they, along with Orange (who was not targeted by Biddle's campaign) will be the strongest challengers to the "incumbent" Biddle. (The Current recently described Weaver as "the most knowledgeable challenger" in the race.)

Annie's Steakhouse will be providing complimentary appetizers at tomorrow evening's event, and there will be a cash bar as well. Hope to see you there!

Logan resident, real estate broker Wayne Dickson enters DC Council race

For those who keep up with citywide politics, a brief note of interest to pass along. According to the Washington Post, longtime Logan Circle resident Wayne Dickson announced yesterday that he was throwing his hat into the ring for the at-large DC Council position.

Dickson, who is a real estate broker and community activist whose advocacy was instrumental to bringing Whole Foods to their P Street location, is a close associate with Jack Evans and former chairman of the Ward Two Democratic Committee.

From the Post story, Dickson said "I think development and new businesses are very important; it also translates into jobs and increased tax base. As a commercial real estate broker, I am well aware of the value of great business development."

Dickson's wife, Carol Felix, was recently involved in the graphic design for the recent branding of the DC Arts District.

DC Council Special Elections can be notoriously difficult to predict, as they frequently attract many candidates who need only attract a few thousand votes to win what is typically an election with very low turnout. Current DC councilmember David Catania was first elected in 1997 in a special election that generated only a 7% turnout. In a tight and difficult vote, DC Democrats recently elected school board member Sekou Biddle over Vincent Orange to temporarily fill the role until the April 26 election.