D.C.'s socialist era is coming
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Barring major surprises, Janeese Lewis George will walk into the mayoral suite in January with a powerful hand, thanks to new democratic socialist allies joining the D.C. Council.
Why it matters: The leftist surge reshapes D.C. politics, and shores up JLG's wish list of affordable child care, confronting utility companies and ending cooperation with federal law enforcement.
The big picture: With expected wins in November, the next mayor's allies include democratic socialists Aparna Raj (Ward 1) and Oye Owolewa (at-large) and progressive Elissa Silverman (at-large).
- Catapulting leftists into office is D.C.'s new political machine: An alliance of labor union muscle and money and the canvassing hustle of the Democratic Socialists of America.
- And next year, they'll set their sights on two more openings — to fill Lewis George's Ward 4 seat and the at-large seat of Congress-bound Robert White.
Zoom in: Under the most rose-tinted scenario, JLG's coalition swells to seven* out of the council's 13 members.
- Council Chairman Phil Mendelson, the Wilson Building's middle-man between mods and progressives, will get swarmed by the left.
- ArentFox Schiff alerted its K Street clients that Mendelson will serve as the "counterweight to this progressive bloc."
Last year, I wrote that President Trump's return to Washington derailed local progressive politics.
- Next year, it could be D.C.'s democratic socialist era.
What's ahead: I asked JLG what she wants to get done with that power.
- Lowering utility costs through "expanding government solar," she said at last Thursday's victory news conference, and "balcony solar" for apartment dwellers.
- Running agencies more efficiently, she continued, and not squandering federal grants for housing.
- What about her headline campaign promise, capping any family's child care expenses to 7% of their income?
- It's looking like a multi-year ramp-up, through expanding the city's existing subsidy. "We are aggressively trying to get this done," she said.
What I'm watching: Wealth tax and rent caps.
- Lawmakers will mull tax increases this fall, trying to plug recurring budget gaps that widened to $1.1 billion. There's one idea to tax investments at 3% for joint filers making over $500,000, the Washington Business Journal reports.
- Raj floated the idea of freezing commercial rents to help small businesses.
Yes, but: "We are facing down a really big economic crisis" and a "hostile federal government," Raj told me on the "Dream City Podcast," acknowledging challenges ahead of being able to "govern in the way we want to."
💬 Zohran's first year brought an NBA Championship. No pressure, JLG... Town Talker is a column about money and power in Washington. Takes and tips to: [email protected]
*In this count: The newly elected three; incumbents Charles Allen and Zachary Parker, who endorsed her for mayor; and two hypothetical allies who'd fill empty seats.