RECIPIENT OF THE DC BLACK MBA ASSOCIATION 2023 LEGACY AWARD
WARD
8
SALIM ADOFO
MIKE AUSTIN
VOTERS GUIDE ELECTION DAY TUESDAY, JULY 15, 2025
SHEILA BUNN
TRAYON WHITE SR
2025 Special Election Voter’s Guide
THURSDAY, JULY 3, 2025
Vol 60 No 38
Serving Our Community in the DMV
July 3 - 9, 2025
Center Section
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Residents Question Bowser’s Priorities After Proposal to Defund D.C. Archives Building The Way a City Treats its Archives Shows How It Values the Public’s Right to Know By James Wright WI Staff Writer In her fiscal year 2026 budget proposal, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser has proposed essentially defunding the move of the District of Columbia Archives from its base downtown to the main campus of the University of the
District of Columbia in Northwest and some residents are not happy about it. “When I was thinking about the additional $50 million in capital investment, I had to compete with other things,” said Bowser, referring
ARCHIVES BUILDING Page 48
Ward 8 Special Election Profile: Mike Austin
5The D.C. Council will conduct its first vote on the Fiscal Year 2026 budget on July 14. (WI File Photo)
The Collins Council Report: A Council Period 26 Rules Change & the Scramble to Save Government-Funded Programs By Sam P.K. Collins WI Staff Writer
After a delayed start to the Fiscal Year 2026 budget season, the D.C. Council will conduct its first vote on the Fiscal Year 2026 budget on July 14. One day later, on July 15, Ward 8 residents, if they haven’t done so already, will cast their vote in a special election triggered by Trayon White’s expulsion from the council. As these developments unfold, the regular business of the council continues. During its most recent legislative meeting, the council approved D.C. Councilmember Brooke Pinto’s
(D-Ward 2) Peace D.C. and residential tranquility legislation on its second reading— but not without discussion about policing, mass incarceration, and what some council members call the need for concrete data about pre-trial detention. On the second reading, the council also approved legislation banning in-school smartphone use and mandating training for board members at D.C. public charter schools. Amid concerns about the swathes of youth taking over nighttime spots, the council also approved emergency legislation that Pinto and D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser (D) advanced
COUNCIL REPORT Page 48
5The proposed D.C. Archives Building on the campus of the University of the District of Columbia is being defunded by the Bowser administration. (Courtesy Photo/Gilbane)
By Sam P.K. Collins WI Staff Writer
5Mike Austin, an attorney and Ward 8 Council candidate speaking at a special election forum held at Sycamore & Oak in May. (WI File Photo/ Ja’Mon Jackson)
After his unsuccessful run against then-D.C. Councilmember Trayon White in 2020, Mike Austin became a father, joined a handful of non-profit boards and worked with adult learners at Community College Preparatory Public Charter School— all while
helping facilitate United Medical Center’s closure. With the Ward 8 D.C. Council seat once again up for grabs, Austin, a fourth-generation Ward 8 resident and attorney, said he’s the one who can “get it right” as a council member. For him, that means fully executing the duties of
MIKE AUSTIN Page 47
Open Streets Capitol Hill Presents Alternative Routes To A Healthier Nation’s Capital Inaugural Capitol Hill Event Aims to Reshape Health, Wellness Practices for Washingtonians and Consumers By Jada Ingleton WI Content Editor As a longtime attendee of Open Streets DC, Southeast resident Sara Jean beamed at the opportunity to engage in the beloved tradition in her own backyard for the first time, as Open Streets Capitol Hill made its
historic debut on Saturday, June 28. “This feels extra special,” Jean told The Informer. “Other Open Streets, we get to view other neighborhoods and those vibes, which we love, but… [this year] it’s with our neighbors. We get to enjoy our streets in a whole new way.” With more than a mile of open
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roadway and several dozen vendors and activities on site, the Southeast corridors of North Carolina Avenue, East Capitol Street, and 6th to 17th Street of Massachusetts Avenue transformed into a car-free cultural hub of sustainability, economic empowerment, and educational benefit.
OPEN STREETS Page 42