Native Washingtonian Robert White announced that he will run for Mayor of DC. With a concrete understanding of what DC needs, White is a well-equipped candidate with nuanced policies, ready to execute his vision for a safer and more successful city.  

White has a strong background in politics: he worked on the legislative counsel to Eleanor Holmes Norton in 2008, he has a bachelor’s degree in political science, a doctorate in law, and served five years on DC’s city council. He brings with him the experiences of being born and raised in DC as well as an experienced politician’s perspective. 

Even after his loss in the 2014 election for an at-large seat on the Council of the District of Columbia (low donations having a large impact on the outcome), White is committed to being a “people-powered” campaign, advocating against corporate and private political donations, and not accepting donations over $200. Although this may harm his campaign, White sticks to his scruples.

White’s dedication to his beliefs are shown time and time again throughout policies he acknowledges are of great importance. The housing crisis is one of these top policy focuses for White.

Secure, safe, and affordable housing is proving more difficult to find every year, and the effects are detrimental to native Washingtonians, predominantly Black citizens. White supports the construction of more housing throughout all neighborhoods in DC, and while serving as Chair of the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments Board of Directors, he pushed hard to address the housing crisis, leading the board to a unanimous decision to committing the region to build 320,000 new housing units over the course of ten years. White also plans to repurpose vacant buildings to expand housing. 

In an interview with Greater Greater Washington, White said, “If [elected], I would like to work to transfer unused government properties to organizations that can develop affordable housing.”

The mayoral candidate also recognizes the geographical importance of affordable housing developments including zoning changes to evenly disperse housing developments. Constructing them in close proximity to public transportation is part of White’s long term solution to systemic problems in DC, such as limited access to job opportunities, childcare, and grocery stores. 

White is also able to see issues from multiple perspectives. Although he previously advocated for a dedicated bus lane on 16th Street, White realized that the number of parking spots along 16th Street had to remain the same in order to prevent the displacement of places of worship.

“We have seen churches… displaced by development and parking. The very institutions that the Black community has relied on during really tough times… are struggling to keep their place in our community. So when we talk about infrastructure, we have to recognize that sometimes a parking issue is larger than the few 9 x 18 spots” said White in the same Greater Greater Washington Article. White consistently works to bring everybody to the table proving again that his mayoral debut will uplift the voices of all residents.

White has accumulated endorsements from The Washington Post, DC tenants rights groups, and LGBTQ activist organizations. Praise for his legislative and economic skills demonstrate time and time again that he has a plan for numerous local issues. Robert White as mayor is what DC needs. •