When Democratic mayoral nominee Muriel E. Bowser introduces herself at Thursday night’s American University debate — the first of the general election season — she will be touting a new platform that adds depth to her education plan, lays out new public safety and transportation initiatives and makes other concrete pledges for her potential mayoralty.
The 41-page platform, which the Bowser campaign shared with The Washington Post on Thursday afternoon, appears timed to blunt criticism, particularly from independent rival David A. Catania, that Bowser has been deficient in laying out her vision for the city. On Monday, Catania released his own “Vision to Secure Our City’s Future,” pitching himself as the most substantial candidate in the race; fellow independent Carol Schwartz has also issued a lengthy education paper.
A new NBC4/Washington Post/Marist poll found Bowser leading Catania only slightly — 33 percent to 30 percent — among likely voters asked which mayoral candidate has the clearest vision for the city’s future.
Bowser’s platform contains a number of concrete proposals, some of them mildly controversial. For instance, on education, she pledges to “increase collaboration” between charter schools and traditional public schools, empowering her deputy mayor for education to “make recommendations” in that area — including around “efforts to locate charter schools and provide a neighborhood preference,” which are prospects that most charter school advocates have resisted. Bowser also pledges to raise $50 million in private funds to supplement school funding, a practice that has generated some discomfort in the past.
Also on education, Bowser proposes to “completely transform” the city’s middle schools by 2020, redouble efforts to make school budgets more transparent, and expand the “SchoolStat” data-driven accountability system used by DCPS. Bowser’s platform also reiterates her support for keeping Kaya Henderson as school chancellor: “Continuity in leadership at DCPS is the best way to ensure the District’s reform efforts move forward uninterrupted,” the document reads.
To promote employment and economic growth, Bowser is proposing to “elevate” the city’s small-business agency above its current mission of certifying local businesses for government contract opportunities, refocusing it on helping local businesses grow. She pledges to “enable a new business owner to obtain a business license in less than one day – and renew it quickly online,” and make the city’s capital-gains tax rates and licensing fees more competitive with neighboring jurisdictions. Bowser also pledges to create an “Office of Public Private Partnerships,” similar to agencies developed in Virginia and elsewhere, to help fund large-scale infrastructure projects.
On housing, Bowser pledges to devote at least $100 million a year to the city’s Affordable Housing Trust Fund, its main mechanism for financing low-income housing production; require “at the very least” 20 percent of housing units built on public land be affordable to low-income households; and pursue a “multi-pronged approach” to end family homelessness by 2018. She proposes to close the city’s troubled family homeless shelter at the former D.C. General Hospital, but does not commit to a specific timeline.
Public safety proposals include hiring a new fire chief with a “strong EMS background” to address problems with the city’s emergency medical response; establishing a “crime and violence prevention hotline” to be promoted in schools in hopes of stopping incidents before they spiral out of control; and expanding the police force beyond 4,000 officers “when it becomes necessary.”
On transportation, Bowser says she will “lead a comprehensive assessment of the DC Streetcar project,” saying residents “have been rightfully concerned about the project’s excess costs and delays” — a stance that separates her from Catania, who committed in his own platform to a full build-out of two streetcar lines. Bowser also proposes to appoint an “innovative leader” atop the city transportation department, complete the Metropolitan Branch Trail, and convene a “parking and congestion task force.”