As D.C. Councilmember Trayon White (D-Ward 8) continues to reel from a federal bribery charge, his political future and that of Ward 8 remain unclear. What’s far from unclear, however, is the apprehension that many Ward 8 residents have about a Republican representing them on the D.C. Council.
With only White and Nate Derenge, the Republican nominee, on the general election ballot, a contingent of Ward 8 residents are calling on their neighbors to usher White into another council term while the judicial process and the council’s ad hoc committee investigation are still in motion.
“If we throw Trayon to the wolves and sanction these write-in campaigns, then we bring in a Republican who’s aligned with [former President Donald J.] Trump,” Stuart Anderson, a Ward 8 resident and D.C. Democratic state committeeman, told The Informer.
On Monday night, Anderson, a political opponent of White, counted among several Ward 8 residents who converged on the Black Box Theater in THEARC West Campus in Southeast. That’s where Bro. Attorney Malik Zulu Shabazz and The Black Men’s Movement hosted a community gathering for residents who, in the aftermath of White’s arrest, had pressing questions and thoughts about the current state of affairs in Ward 8.
Throughout much of the evening, community members varied on what they believed to be the best response to White’s alleged actions. Many comments centered on the question of White’s innocence, the FBI’s history of targeting Black leaders, and alleged corruption of other public officials.
However, Anderson counted among those who encouraged residents to vote for White. On June 4, the Ward 8 council member won the Democratic Party nomination when he defeated Rahman Branch and Salim Adofo, the latter of whom Anderson supported. For Anderson, a write-in campaign is not only an affront to the Democratic process, but a surefire way to split the vote and guarantee Derenge an electoral victory.
“If you don’t want to set the stage for that type of leadership, you gotta respect the process,” Anderson said. “None of the names [for write-in campaigns] will appear on the general election ballot. People mad [about] Trayon will vote for Nate.”
A Free-for-All in the Making
Should White not drop out of the race before Sept. 12, his name will appear on the general election ballot alongside Derenge.
Since Aug. 19, when White appeared before a federal judge, there have been rumblings about whether he would resign from his seat. People have also mulled over the question of who would launch a write-in campaign and whether doing so could prevent Derenge’s victory in the general election.
As explained in a memo that D.C. Chairman Phil Mendelson (D) circulated on Aug. 23, D.C. Councilmember Kenyan McDuffie (I-At large) will chair the ad-hoc committee that, by the general election, would likely still be compiling and analyzing findings related to White’s allegations and residency.
With the 90-day timeline for the council investigation starting on Sept. 16, that means that the ad-hoc committee wouldn’t come to the conclusion of whether to reprimand, censure or expel White until Dec. 16.
Last week, after White’s office canceled its annual back-to-school event, Ward 8 leaders started launching write-in campaigns, or at least hinted at their intentions. Phil Pannell, a decades-long activist and executive director of the Anacostia Coordinating Committee, threw his hat in the ring, partially as a means of encouraging others to do the same.
Pannell would later suspend his campaign to support another candidate: Markus Batchelor.
Batchelor, 31, ran for the Ward 8 council seat earlier this year before dropping out of the race. When The Informer spoke with him last week, he, like Anderson and other District Democrat leaders, was in Chicago during the Democratic National Convention.
Upon returning to the District, Batchelor continued speaking with neighbors about the write-in campaign. For him, time’s of the essence, especially with the legal and political processes putting the Ward 8 council office in a state of limbo.
“Six months ago, I wanted the job. I thought we needed new leadership committed to moving us forward faster with the experience to hit the ground running on day one,” Batchelor told The Informer, emphasizing his political experience. “I served on the ward level as an advisory neighborhood commissioner. I’ve worked in the Wilson Building. I know the agencies. I’ve been a leader with integrity who brought people together to do things for Ward 8 residents.”
Other potential write-in candidates include Branch and D.C. Democratic Party Chair Charles Wilson.
Wilson declined to speak in much detail about a write-in campaign, though he mentioned being in conversation with others about the endeavor.
D.C. Women in Politics will soon launch a campaign of their own in support of a female candidate.
While Branch, one of two candidates White defeated in the June 4 primary, acknowledged that some people have approached him about launching a write-in campaign for the Ward 8 D.C. Council, he stopped short of saying he’s throwing his hat in the ring once again.
Branch’s focus, he told The Informer, is more so on how White’s federal bribery charge affects Ward 8 residents.
“We do need to consider what happens in respect to … addressing the ward’s needs on the council,” Branch said, alluding to Eagle Academy Public Charter School’s recent closure. “Families are still in crisis. Schools are closing and parents don’t have answers about where their children are going. I’m concerned that our representative can’t be a voice for those sorts of things.”
As it relates to White’s future in the John A. Wilson Building, Branch said that the Ward 8 council member has to do some “soul-searching … and come to an understanding within himself” about his next move.
“I know how much he loves the ward,” Branch said. “I know how much passion he has for his community. I wonder what his thoughts are around that move to step down and allow the ward to get support. I choose not to make those decisions, but I have confidence that that’s something he’s considering.”
Community Members Continue to Try to Fill in the Gaps
On Aug. 27, Sandra Seegars and Ronald Williams Jr. of Concerned Residents Against Violence conducted an online meeting where community leaders, business leaders and activists discussed Ward 8’s future. That meeting, along with the forum Bro. Atty. Shabazz facilitated, bore some similarity to a meeting that Adofo, chairman of Advisory Neighborhood Commission 8C, conducted with other Ward 8 ANC chairs on the evening of Aug. 21.
As Adofo recounted, he and his ANC colleagues outlined a strategy in advancing budget recommendations and boosting constituent services in their jurisdictions.
Adofo also expressed plans to invite Mendelson to explain to the community the actions that the council will take in response to the allegations against White. He described this as part of a greater effort to work more closely with Mendelson and the at-large council members.
That same courtesy, he said, extends to White’s office.
“He’s still a council member until he’s not,” Adofo said. “We talked about him being afforded the opportunity for due process. We want to support him as a human being [who’s] going through something mentally, physically and spiritually.”
Adofo, who White also defeated in the June 4 primary, said he has no plans to launch a write-in candidacy for the Ward 8 D.C. Council. He called the move cumbersome and premature, given the current stage of the investigation.
“You never want to jump out there without all the facts,” Adofo told The Informer. “Many Ward 8 residents are aware of the FBI Counterintelligence Program that sought to neutralize our leaders from the Black freedom struggle and that never left us.”
Adofo said that Ward 8’s tenuous relationship with law enforcement continues to this very day.
“Though we are deemed conspiracy theorists, there are conspiracies to diminish our community and we must acknowledge them,” Adodo said. “That’s why some people would feel uneasy about believing an FBI investigation.”