In her seven years as a local fixture, Doni Crawford has garnered a reputation as a racial equity advocate with a strong command of fiscal policy matters. Time and time again, from inside and outside of the John A. Wilson Building, she’s effected change for the marginalized.
Now, as the D.C. Council’s newly appointed independent at-large council member, Crawford plans to further utilize her talents in collaboration with her colleagues and D.C. residents. With an unpredictable budget season just weeks ahead, she will have more than enough opportunity to do so.
“For much of my career, I’ve been proud to do this work behind the scenes, but now, I’m ready to step up and step forward,” Crawford told reporters on Monday. “To take what I’ve learned and to put it directly to work for the residents of the District of Columbia. I know I must earn the trust of residents, and I’m ready to do that through listening, collaboration, and service.”
During a Tuesday afternoon legislative meeting, the D.C. Council unanimously approved a resolution solidifying Crawford’s appointment. Hours later, she kicked off her council term with a swearing-in ceremony that took place in council chambers.
That ceremony attracted the likes of local organizers, council staffers, and even former D.C. Councilmember Kenyan McDuffie, under whom Crawford worked for four years as a senior policy advisor, legislative director, and more recently, a committee director.
Also sitting in Room 500 of the Wilson Building were: D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser, D.C. Councilmembers Robert White (D-At large), Anita Bonds (D-At large), Christina Henderson (I-At large), Brianne Nadeau (D-Ward 1), Brooke Pinto (D-Ward 2), Matt Frumin (D-Ward 3), Charles Allen (D-Ward 6), and Wendell Felder (D-Ward 7).
The audience watched as Crawford walked into council chambers with family members who traveled from Maryland, New Jersey, and her hometown of Pittsburgh for the momentous occasion. Crawford’s uncle, the Rev. Tim Harris, later gave the benediction.
Soon after, Crawford took an oath of office, placing her left hand on the Bible owned by her late brother Donald, who she later acknowledged in her remarks. Other people she mentioned included supporters, fellow staffers, and Bowser.
She also gave a shoutout to McDuffie, the man she said gave her a chance.
“He saw my passion for equity and racial justice and brought me onto his staff, where I’ve spent the last four years working towards a more just and resilient D.C.,” Crawford said. “He entrusted me to serve as the committee director for the Committee on Business and Economic Development, where I had the privilege of helping advance policies to make it easier for small and local businesses to start, stay, and grow in D.C.”
As an at-large council member, Crawford now has until after the June primary to participate in performance and budget oversight hearings, weigh in on and introduce legislation, and collaborate with her council colleagues in shaping the Fiscal Year 2027 budget.
With the primary five months away, Crawford hasn’t expressed a desire to participate in the contest that determines who will complete the rest of McDuffie’s term. As she told The Informer on Monday, she’s focused on the budgetary priorities of relevance to her role.
“I know that I’ll be sitting on the Committee on the Judiciary and Public Safety, so that’s definitely an area where I look to lean in and make sure that we can make the investments to keep District residents safe,” Crawford said. “I’m also sitting on the Committee on Executive Administration and Labor, so [I will focus on] workforce investments. The Committee on Youth Affairs ties very nicely to the Judiciary Committee, and then the Committee on Transportation and the Environment.”
Crawford went on to tell reporters that any decision she makes will be informed by upcoming meetings with constituents.
“Within the first 30 days, I want to make sure I’m everywhere across all eight wards,” Crawford said. “They can hear from me. They should know that I’m accessible… I will be accessible, and I want to do everything I can to make sure that they believe in me, and they want to see me do a good job.”
A Choice That United Council Members and Organizers
Crawford counted among 47 people who, since before McDuffie announced his resignation, threw their hat into the ring for a process that went on for weeks. Former D.C. Councilmember Elissa Silverman, who was on that list, has since announced her run for the at-large seat in the June primary.
Mendelson, in speaking with The Informer, said that appointing Crawford was the easiest choice.
“I just want to emphasize that there was broad support for her,” Mendelson said. “I also got a lot of favorable comments from the community, and she is experienced. I think she will be good, and she’s authentic.”
In the days leading up to D.C. Council Chair Phil Mendelson’s announcement, Crawford’s name popped up on a shortlist alongside that of: Ward 7 D.C. State Board of Education Representative Eboni-Rose Thompson; organizational leadership specialist Amy Mauro; and government affairs consultant Tonya Vidal Kinlow. However, amid the untold hours of behind-the-scenes deliberations among council members about who Mendelson should appoint, a cadre of Black female organizers and advocates submitted a letter to the council in support of Crawford.
The Jan. 9 letter — signed by D.C. Democratic Party at-large committeewoman Chioma Iwuoha, organizer and youth advocate Samantha Davis, attorney Temi F. Bennett, and Harriet’s Wildest Dreams’ Nee Nee Taylor, among others — heralded Crawford as a “generalist” with broad expertise in racial justice, cannabis policy, economic development, finance and housing.
Moments before Crawford’s swearing in on Jan. 20, Iwuoha explained where she thought Crawford could take the council.
“What makes her so important for this moment is that now we have somebody who organizers feel comfortable talking to and organizing with. Someone who cares about all eight wards,” Iwuoha told The Informer. “We have somebody who can still center racial equity in the work, which is something that’s really important.”
Iwuoha also pointed to the army of support behind Crawford.
“There was no Black woman organizer that I reached out to that was hesitant about her because they all had good interactions with her while she was in her positions,” she said.
Bennett, a former McDuffie staffer who, in other capacities, worked closely with Crawford on reparations legislation and the Racial Equity Achieves Results Act, echoed Iwuoha’s sentiments. She extolled what she called Crawford’s passion for helping marginalized District residents.
“She will ask questions around where the money is going and who’s being resourced and who’s not being resourced,” Bennett told The Informer. “She’d also want to make sure that the people that are at the sharpest intersections of systems of oppression are being seen and being resourced in the way that they should be.”
A Council Colleague Deemed Necessary for a Tough Budget Season
Crawford, 36, lives in Carver Langston in Ward 5. She’s an alumna of the University of Pittsburgh, where she earned a bachelor’s degree in political science and Spanish, and a master’s degree in public and international affairs.
Most recently, as a staffer in then-Councilmember McDuffie’s office, Crawford led the D.C. Council’s Committee on Business and Economic Development’s Fiscal Year 2026 budget review, a feat that, despite the District’s precarious financial situation, resulted in millions of dollars in investments for small businesses, commercial corridors, and economic development.
The newly minted interim at-large representative also served as a member of a small team that negotiated the RFK Stadium deal with the Washington Commanders, which included: a $50 million community benefits agreement and local business and hiring requirements.
Between 2019 and 2022, Crawford served as a senior policy analyst at D.C. Fiscal Policy Institute, where she co-led a coalition and published a policy brief that, at the height of the pandemic, helped secure $41 million in unemployment benefits for workers excluded from unemployment insurance. She also established a presence in the Wilson Building, testifying before the D.C. Council and meeting with council members to ensure that legislation addressed racial and socioeconomic inequity.
Amid what she called unpredictable budget projections and pressing needs for the District’s most vulnerable, D.C. Councilmember Janeese Lewis George said that Crawford brings to the table a deep knowledge of how policy lessens, and exacerbates, inequity.
“She understands deeply the way systemic racism shows up through policies and through policy bodies,” Lewis George told The Informer, “and she has the ability to really communicate that and help other members see the ways in which systemic racism shows up in how we do policies and how policies are implemented and how they’re executed.”
At large Councilmember White said that, as a lawmaker with purview over the entire city, Crawford appears best suited to bring balance.
“A lot of times people are fighting for a specific pocket, whether it’s their ward or their pet issues, but you need members that are focused across the board on what’s good for the entire city and how are we going to stabilize our budget,” At-large Councilmember White said. “As an at-large member, I think she’ll be able to fill that void.”
White, who had Crawford among his top three choices for at-large council member, said he came to his decision after vetting her.
“When Doni Crawford came to meet with me, the first thing I asked her was, ‘How have your interactions with my staff been?’” White recounted. “And then I asked my team, ‘Is this someone that you rely on, that you can count on, that is respectful?’ And they answered in the affirmative.”
For Lewis George, Crawford’s solid rapport with the rest of the council ensures continuity in budget deliberations.
“When [her name] appeared, no one had a vitriol response to her,” Lewis George said. “I think [D.C. Council Chair Phil Mendelson] ended up choosing the path of least resistance but also the path of great productivity as a result because if members aren’t upset about the new member or don’t have any conflict, that allows us to not be distracted and continue the work of oversight and budget that we’re all about to embark upon in the next coming weeks.”