As Mayor Muriel Bowser (D) prepares to pass the baton to the District’s next mayor in January, organizations are honoring her footprint across the nation’s capital.
With food and drinks flowing and go-go music cranking, District political, business and community leaders sailed along the Potomac River for the 33rd Annual Luncheon Cruise on Oct. 3, an event that particularly highlighted Bowser’s contributions east of the Anacostia and rallied attendees to work toward progress for the District’s future.
“We’ve endeavored to do all that we can do to change people’s lives, to provide opportunity, and to make sure that our residents are equipped and ready for the opportunity our city creates,” Bowser told the crowd.
The event also emphasized the major transition ahead for the District, with not only the end of Bowser’s administration, but also 30 years of Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton representing the District in Congress.
“You have to promise me this, Ward 8 — that you all will remember how bad this girl is. Eleanor Holmes Norton is a bad girl and [has] been bad for years … brilliant, feisty and she has delivered jobs and economic development for Ward 8,” Bowser told the crowd.
As residents brace for new leadership across the District, the event underscored the work necessary to provide more opportunities for those living in Ward 8.
“The overwhelming majority of residents that I’ve talked to think that the city needs to do more in this community. We need a full-service grocery store. We still need better services at the hospital that came,” Ward 8 ANC Commissioner Salim Adofo told The Informer, a member of the ACC board. “We still need some more improvement on infrastructure, we have slumlords that are still able to function. So, there’s still some investment that needs to happen.”
While she has a few months left in office, the mayor emphasized her work in the District will continue beyond her mayoral tenure.
“Just know this – Washington, D.C. is my home. This is where I’m born and raised, and this is where I will always invest my talents and treasures and always be watching,” Bowser said. “So count me as taxpayer number one.”
