Markus Batchelor, one of Ward 8’s youngest political leaders, said he’ll throw his hat in the ring for the Ward 8 D.C. Council seat.
Batchelor told The Informer he’ll submit paperwork this week to D.C. Board of Elections to run in the D.C. Office of Campaign Finance’s Fair Elections Program. That means he can access matching public campaign funds upon collecting no more than $50 in individual campaign contributions.
Batchelor, a former advisory neighborhood commissioner who represented Ward 8 on the State Board of Education and in the Bowser administration, said that he wants to be on the D.C. Council at a time when Ward 8 is becoming more of a focal point in conversations about economic development.
In espousing his candidacy, Batchelor said he can bridge socioeconomic and racial divides in an increasingly changing ward while working on the D.C. Council to secure seven votes for legislation that boosts public safety, strengthens Safe Passage programs, directs resources, and increases housing affordability in Ward 8.
“In so many ways, this is one of the last opportunities on a grand scale that D.C. has to get people-centered public policy right,” said Batchelor, who currently serves as the national political director for People For the American Way, a nonprofit and progressive advocacy group. “Economic development is here but [so are] the disparities. What can we get for the people who made the District vibrant and attractive and deserve that equity?” he added.
Batchelor’s campaign team includes social impact strategist Johnathan Hill who’s serving as campaign manager.
Campaign co-chairs include advisory neighborhood commissioners the Rev. Wendy Hamilton and Rick Murphree, civic leader Kemry Hughes, and educator Karen Lee. Batchelor told The Informer that each person, and others that he’ll bring into the fold within the coming weeks, represent a broad coalition that not only highlights the diversity of Ward 8 but the common will to improve the quality of life and services in its communities.
“The redistricting is going to be the level set for our politics — whether we can come together for the common vision or be divided by race and income,” Batchelor said. “We need leadership that can say they are committed and can work earnestly in office to build that community.”
Batchelor now joins Advisory Neighborhood Commissioner Salim Adofo and educator-thought leader-advocate Rahman Branch in the running for the Ward 8 D.C. Council seat.
Though Ward 8 D.C. Council member Trayon White (D) alluded to an exploration of a third-term candidacy earlier this year while speaking with The Informer, he hasn’t filed the paperwork for his re-election campaign, according to the D.C. Office of Campaign Finance.
For decades, Ward 8 has included historic Anacostia, Congress Heights, Washington Highlands and Bellevue, along with federal institutions and miles of green space. This jurisdiction, cordoned off from the rest of the District, has developed a reputation as the most impoverished ward in D.C.
It’s also a place experiencing disparities in the realms of health, public transportation, food security, and public safety.
Due to a redistricting process that brought the mostly white, affluent neighborhood of Navy Yard into Ward 8, Navy Yard residents will be able to vote for the Ward 8 council member in 2024.
Council member White, earlier this year, told The Informer that, since the boundary changes went into effect, he has engaged his new constituents on issues of significance to them, including public safety and libraries and recreation centers.
Hamilton, a Bellevue resident, said she wants the Ward 8 council representative in 2024 and beyond to take similar steps to engage residents on both sides of the Frederick Douglass Bridge. She told The Informer that, well before Navy Yard came into the mix, Bellevue residents struggled for recognition amid the shutdown of pharmacies, banks and grocery stores.
In speaking about Batchelor, Hamilton touted what she described as Bachelor’s clarity about the issues affecting Ward 8 residents. She also expressed confidence in his ability to work with various people on the council and other realms to craft and pass legislation of direct benefit to constituents.
“It’s clear that Ward 8 is growing and the demographics suggest that it will continue to grow, so we need a council member who can deal with the dynamics that brings economically,” Hamilton said.
“We don’t want an upper Ward 8 and lower Ward 8, we want one Ward 8. We want to make sure we’re building relationships and spending time [to make sure] those investments that are being made in Ward 8 are being spread equitably.”
What has he done to even be considered? Being a native Washingtonian is no longer enough.
At L, we were tricked by both LaRuby and Trayon, question is, what did they do to have been elected in the first place? Neither one of em had the ability to work the room! They were either too left, or too right, no balance or integrity whatsoever!
Young man has a great team of advisors who understand the puzzle, not just favorable pieces!