Newsroom

We’ve just made a big decision for our city. Today the DC Council voted to close the DC General Family Shelter, approving the Homeward DC plan to end long-term homelessness in the District.

The Homeward DC legislation isn’t about politics, regardless of disagreements about specific sites or arguments about process. Instead, this effort reflects the unified goal of the Mayor and the Council to close DC General as quickly as possible and replace it with smaller and more appropriate emergency housing for families.

Councilmember Charles Allen made the following statement today in response to the release of WMATA's SafeTrack Draft Plan:

There’s no question there is urgent need to make repairs to our Metrorail system to ensure safety and improve reliability. Our Metro system is invaluable to our city and our region. I commend the General Manager for recommending some tough medicine and an aggressive approach – our riders deserve this high level of urgency.

Councilmember Charles Allen and DC Department of Small and Local Business Development (DSLBD) Director Ana Harvey joined Mayor Muriel Bowser at Union Market yesterday as she signed Councilmember Allen’s Made in DC bill into law. Dozens of local business owners were in attendance as the Mayor also presented a proclamation in honor of Small Business Week.

Over the last week, you’ve likely heard the news about lead in the drinking water at twelve DCPS schools. As a Councilmember, and also as a father, I have found this news totally infuriating. There is no safe level of lead and we all should feel a sense of urgency about getting to the bottom of how this happened and why parents weren’t notified immediately. At hearings last week, and again this week, I have talked with Chancellor Henderson, other DCPS leadership, and DGS Director Chris Weaver about the testing and notification process and I’m not satisfied that the city has done everything we should to make sure parents can have full confidence in the safety of the water in our schools. DGS has committed to retesting every water source at every school and DCPS has committed to notifying parents when above-limit results are found. I also believe testing should be offered for the children at the impacted schools to give parents greater confidence in their child’s safety.

Did you miss the Ward 6 Budget Town Hall? Click here for the slides from the budget presentation. Channel 13 filmed the Town Hall and will have the video available for streaming soon.

Still have questions about the FY17 Budget? Let us know.

As a Councilmember and also a dad, I find the news about lead in drinking water at DCPS schools totally infuriating. There is no safe level of lead and we all should feel a sense of urgency about getting to the bottom of how this happened and why parents weren’t notified immediately.

At today’s DC Council legislative meeting, Councilmember Charles Allen introduced the End Taxation Without Representation Amendment Act of 2016 to update the District’s standard motor vehicle license plates.

At today’s meeting of the DC Council, Councilmember Charles Allen’s Made in DC Program Establishment Act and Tree Canopy Protection Amendment Act were passed unanimously.

After the snow and ice last weekend, I hope everyone is looking forward to some beautiful spring weather in the days ahead! With the Emancipation Day commemoration, the conclusion of the Cherry Blossom Festival, and the Anacostia River Festival this weekend as well as many other great community events, I hope to see you around the neighborhood. And as spring arrives, so does the annual work on the District budget for next year. I have spent the last several weeks preparing for budget hearings and working hard on priorities across Ward 6.

At today’s meeting of the DC Council Committee on Business, Consumer, and Regulatory Affairs, Councilmember Charles Allen’s Made in DC Program Establishment Act of 2016 was unanimously approved and will move next to the Committee of the Whole for consideration by the full Council.