Everyone in Ward 6 deserves to feel safe - walking with their families, commuting to work, opening their small businesses, or simply living their daily lives. Public safety is the foundation that makes everything else possible.

For far too long, residents have been told one story while experiencing another. Crime data has been inconsistent, the reporting systems have been opaque, and the District has failed to give residents an honest picture of our safety challenges. That lack of transparency erodes trust—and without trust, the system cannot function.

Michael has been the leading voice demanding accountability from MPD and the District government. He’s led a months-long investigation, exposing discrepancies between DC and FBI crime reporting, urging the Council to conduct the oversight it has long avoided.

Michael’s Public Safety Priorities include;

Honest Crime Data
Residents deserve transparency, not two competing versions of crime statistics. Michael will require MPD to align public-facing data with FBI reporting and create a category that tracks all firearm-related incidents, including non-contact shootings.

Rebuilding MPD’s Capacity
The force is at a 50-year staffing low. Officers are exhausted, response times lag, and community policing is impossible without adequate staffing. Michael supports rebuilding MPD while holding leadership accountable for efficient, community-centered deployment.

Youth Accountability + Intervention
Over half of DC’s carjackings are committed by people under 18. We cannot ignore this. Michael supports:

• Overhauling the Youth Rehabilitation Act

• Strengthening consequences for violent offenses

• Ensuring truancy and absenteeism systems actually work

Community-Centered Safety Tools

• Expand private security camera programs

• Enforce e-bike/e-scooter age limits

• Improve DNA collection standards

• Address conditions at the DC Jail and keep residents closer to home

Michael’s belief is simple: We cannot fix public safety if we aren’t honest about the problem, and we cannot rebuild trust without transparency.

Ward 6, the only Ward that has residents in all four quadrants, has always been a place where long-time residents, young families, renters, and new arrivals build full lives together. The only Ward that has residents in all four quadrants. But too many people are being priced out or pushed out, not by choice, but by policy failures.

Michael believes housing is a continuum, not a silo. Affordability, zoning, tenant protections, legal clarity, and long-term stability are all connected. We cannot solve this crisis with a single tool; we need a strategy that builds abundance and ensures access.

Michael’s Housing Priorities include;

Unlocking Supply with Speed & Common Sense

Research shows that simply building more luxury units isn't enough; we need to reduce the costs of building to make "missing middle" housing financially viable.

• The "120-Day Shot Clock" for Conversions: We cannot let vacant office buildings sit empty while residents struggle to find homes while fully-completed applications for developments can sit for years. Michael proposes a strict 120-day decision timeline for office-to-residential zoning applications, eliminating the uncertainty that kills investment and revitalizing our downtown core faster. The relevant agencies would be able to move for an extension of up to another 120 days if it can demonstrate cause that additional time is necessary

• Cut the "Red Tape Tax": Chronic permitting delays of 6–12 months (and I’ve even heard years) add thousands of dollars to the cost of every new unit—costs passed directly to renters. Michael will fight to shorten permitting processes for affordable and workforce housing, reducing "holding costs" so developers can afford to build for the middle class, not just the wealthy.

• Smart Density: We must increase supply where it makes the most sense: unlocking underutilized land along Metro lines, modernizing alley and parking requirements to allow more units (ADUs), and expanding upzoning where community impact is minimal.

Targeted Affordability: Beyond “Trickle-Down” Housing

While more supply is critical, recent data confirms that new high-end construction doesn't automatically filter down to low-income families fast enough. We need intentional action.

• Prioritize the Workforce: Michael supports incentives specifically for "missing middle" housing—duplexes, townhomes, and garden apartments—that serve the essential workers who power our city, rather than just maximizing luxury inventory.

• Subsidies that Work: Because the market will not naturally serve our most vulnerable neighbors, Michael advocates for robust public investment in housing vouchers and subsidies directed at extremely low-income (ELI) residents to bridge the gap the market leaves behind.

Stability: Keeping Long-Time Residents in Their Homes

Housing stability is community stability. Michael will fight for policies that protect residents today and expand opportunities for those who want to call Ward 6 home tomorrow.

• Senior Tax Deferrals: Michael supports creative programs that allow retirees to remain in their homes, including tax deferral options that place a lien on future sales rather than burdening seniors with high property taxes during retirement.

• Simplify Estates & Trusts: Too many generational homes are lost because families can't navigate complex legal requirements. Michael supports exemptions and legal updates that make it easier for families to retain their most valuable asset and build intergenerational wealth.
  Minors should never be listed as defendants in eviction filings. Period.

Justice in Housing: Protecting the Vulnerable

• Protect Minors from Eviction Fallout: A child’s future should not be stained by housing instability. Michael believes minors should never be listed as defendants in eviction filings. Period.

• Anti-Displacement Focus: As we build for the future, we must protect the present. Michael commits to rigorous tenant protections to ensure that new development enhances our neighborhoods without displacing the communities that built them.

Young people in the District deserve pathways - not pipelines.
Right now, too many teens are disconnected from school, work, and mentorship, and the consequences show up in our crime statistics, our workforce challenges, and our long-term economic outlook.

The District has no unified truancy strategy, no integrated early-warning system, and no consistent pathway from high school to living-wage jobs. Michael believes that’s a failure of leadership - not a failure of our kids.

Michael’s Youth & Workforce Priorities include;

Fixing Truancy and Chronic Absenteeism
18,000 truancy reports went uninvestigated over the last three school years. This is unacceptable. Michael will push for:

• A unified District-wide early-warning system

• Clear interagency responsibility

• Support services for families

The D.C. Service & Career Corps
Michael proposes a two-track, citywide opportunity program modeled after successful Maryland programs:

1. Youth Apprenticeships for high school juniors/seniors

2. A Service Year Option for graduates, with wages, mentors, and a completion award

This program connects young people to high-demand careers in climate work, education, public health, technology, and more.

Mentorship, Not Just Enforcement
Every participant would be paired with a mentor, and the city would partner with groups like Urban Alliance to ensure support, structure, and accountability.

Michael’s approach is simple:

Give young people real opportunity, real structure, and real support, and watch crime go down while hope goes up.

Ward 6 residents deserve a transportation system that reflects how people actually move through the city, whether on foot, by bike, scooter, car, bus, or Metro.

Michael believes mobility is a public safety issue, an equity issue, and a quality-of-life issue.

Michael’s Transportation Priorities include;

Fixing Basic Infrastructure
Ward 6 residents are tired of dodging potholes, waiting months for road repairs, or reporting unsafe intersections that go unaddressed. Michael will demand aggressive timelines for DDOT maintenance and transparent reporting.

Addressing Unsafe Driving and Abandoned Vehicles
Michael supports expanding the STEER Act, cracking down on “temp tags,” and speeding up the removal of abandoned cars that contribute to blight and safety hazards.

Modernizing Transit Access
Transportation systems must support working families by:

• Creating more reliable bus routes

• Developing safer pedestrian corridors

• Increasing protected bike lanes where appropriate

• Strategizing on smarter curb management to reduce conflict between delivery vehicles, cyclists, and drivers

Kinetic, safe, reliable transportation is how people stay connected to jobs, schools, and community life.

RFK Stadium’s future will shape the next generation of Ward 6 residents. Michael believes redevelopment must reflect what the community actually wants, not what political insiders or private interests dictate.

A Mixed-Use, Community-Driven Vision
Michael supports redevelopment that includes:

• Affordable housing

• Active green space

• Youth recreation facilities

• Small business activation

• Flexible community and cultural uses

Transparent Negotiations with Federal & Local Stakeholders
Given Home Rule challenges and Congressional interference, Ward 6 needs a representative with the credibility and bipartisan relationships to negotiate effectively. Michael will ensure that the future of RFK is shaped by the people who live here—not those who don’t.

RFK should become a neighborhood anchor, not another missed opportunity.

Everyone in Ward 6 deserves the dignity of fair pay and the chance to build a stable livelihood, whether they’re serving tables, cooking meals, managing a small restaurant, or opening a neighborhood business. Our restaurants are economic engines, community anchors, and a defining part of what makes D.C. home.

For years, workers and restaurant owners have been caught in a cycle of political whiplash. Voters pass a ballot initiative, City Hall delays or rewrites it, and the same fight resurfaces again a few years later. That uncertainty makes it harder for workers to plan their lives and harder for small businesses to survive, especially as D.C.’s economy slows and restaurant costs rise.

Michael believes we can do better. Instead of forcing a one-size-fits-all solution on an industry that is anything but uniform, D.C. should adopt an approach that reflects how restaurants actually operate and how workers actually earn their living.

Michael believes we must move past the binary of “total repeal” versus “full mandate to embrace a Two-Track Compensation Model which includes;

Real Choice for Workers and Restaurants
Not every restaurant or worker benefits from the same pay structure. Michael supports a two-track compensation model that allows workers and employers to choose the system that works best for them, rather than imposing a single mandate citywide.

A Full Parity Option
For quick-service and high-volume restaurants, a single, universal minimum wage can provide stability and predictability. Under this model, workers receive a guaranteed wage floor and tips return to their original purpose—a true reward for great service.

A Tipped-Credit Option with Strong Protections
For fine dining and high-end establishments, many workers earn more through traditional tipping. Michael supports preserving this option while requiring full pay transparency, clear documentation of earnings, and strict enforcement to prevent wage theft.

Transparency and Enforcement That Actually Works
Choice only works if the rules are enforced. Michael supports strong oversight, clear pay stubs, and meaningful penalties for violations so workers can trust the system and businesses that play by the rules are not undercut.

Michael’s belief is simple: We don’t need another years-long political fight that produces winners and losers. We need a fair, flexible system that respects workers, supports small businesses, and keeps D.C.’s restaurant industry strong.

Democracy in the District should empower every voter - not protect incumbents.

Right now, our local democracy is falling short. Despite voters overwhelmingly passing Initiative 83 to mandate Ranked Choice Voting and Open Primaries, the D.C. Council cherry-picked which reforms to fund, effectively locking nearly 100,000 independent voters out of the primary process. Furthermore, the lack of term limits allows long-time politicians to build massive war chests that block new ideas and community challengers.

We cannot have a true democracy when we cherry-pick who gets to participate. Michael believes that ignoring the clear mandate of the people is a failure of leadership and accountability.

Michael’s Democracy & Accountability Priorities include;

Fully Funding Open Primaries

In November 2024, 73% of D.C. voters passed Initiative 83, yet the Council chose to block the Open Primaries portion for 2026. This is taxation without representation. Michael will push for:

• Fully funding Open Primaries so no registered voter is locked out of the democratic process

• Empowering the 96,000+ independent voters who make up nearly 20% of the electorate

Instituting Term Limits

Incumbency has become a powerful shield against new ideas. We need leaders focused on solving problems today, not calculating their next decade in office. Michael supports term limits to ensure:

• Fresh perspectives and a regular rotation of leadership

• A leveled playing field that allows community challengers to compete against massive incumbent war chests

• A Council that remains responsive, dynamic, and accountable to the people

Maximizing Ranked Choice Voting

In 2026, D.C. will finally implement Ranked Choice Voting, allowing voters to rank up to five candidates. This is a massive shift that gives power back to the people. Michael will champion RCV to ensure:

• True majority representation, ending the era of winners chosen by small pluralities

• More civil campaigns that require candidates to build broader coalitions

• Higher voter engagement by eliminating the "lesser of two evils" dynamic

The bottom line for Michael: A healthy democracy relies on participation, not exclusion. By embracing ranked choice, fully funding open primaries, and implementing term limits, we can build a Council that genuinely answers to you.