A Note to my Neighbors on Ward 8’s Future
Dear Neighbor,
In the days since we learned that Ward 8’s Councilmember would face federal charges concerning conduct related to his service in office, our community has grappled with an essential question: Where do we go from here?
There is no doubt that Democratic voters in Ward 8 face a political crisis. While our Democratic nominee deserves every legal and administrative process currently made available to him, voters will have no answers before deciding whether to grant the incumbent four more years on November 5th.
More than that, Ward 8 faces a leadership crisis. Months of investigation and inquiry stand to rob the Council and our community of the time and attention needed to address Ward 8’s dire need for safe streets, quality schools, affordable housing, and good-paying jobs. If the seat is vacated as a result, all of us will foot the bill for a costly special election, while Ward 8 residents have one less vote on every bill and budget.
With all of this in mind, I’ve been asked by many of you to formally mount a write-in campaign for Ward 8’s Council seat, with the election now less than 50 days away. For many, including myself, the choice between a nominee facing a crisis of public confidence and an anti-justice, anti-freedom Republican candidate is a deeply personal and difficult one.
As we made steps toward that effort and talked to more neighbors I respect, the list of write-in candidates continued to grow — making the possibility of well-meaning Democrats splitting the vote in favor of a Trump understudy a compounding concern.
As a result, I publicly and personally urged elected and Democratic leaders to prioritize the long-term impact on our community over short-sighted political calculation. With last week’s deadline now passed to shift the November 5th ballot, our nominee and our party have denied the residents of Ward 8 the least painful transition through this hurtful and disruptive episode.
With Ward 8’s difficult position now made worse, I believe the window for the voice so many desire in this November‘s race has closed and I will no longer seek a write-in candidacy. But the work to define Ward 8’s future has just begun. Because Ward 8 isn’t about any one individual — it’s about all of us.
Now, more than ever, we need leaders who choose the people over personal politics. I always will.
Our ability to organize, advocate, and shape Ward 8’s future in these uncertain times will depend on more than a candidate for office, but a collective of neighbors and a new generation of leaders equipped with the community, information, and power to create change.
Those are the values I learned growing up here in Congress Heights and have advanced throughout my career of service to Ward 8. It’s what I and so many neighbors I’ve talked to know we need most in this moment.
I’m inviting you to join me in that work starting today.
If you are committed to shaping Ward 8’s next chapter together, sign up for updates at www.OneWard8.com.
Thanks,
Markus Batchelor
