March to May 15: Orange Stays Out of the Race
D.C. Council member Vincent Orange, who was recently certified as the winner of the Democratic nomination for the at-large race for the city council in the Nov. 6 general election, said that he will not endorse a candidate for the Ward 5 seat in the Tue., May 15 special election.
"The residents of Ward 5 should determine who will represent them without my influence," Orange said. "I have been approached by several candidates for an endorsement but I tell them to go out and make their case to the people."
Orange, 54, represented Ward 5 on the D.C. Council from 1999-2007. He said that residents should vote for a person who will "bring middle schools to the ward and support economic development."
"The next council member should be committed to a better quality of life," he said. "The new council member must come down here to the John A. Wilson Building and roll up their sleeves and work to make Ward 5 and the city at large a better place."
Hubbard Knows the Wilson Building
Ward 5 D.C. Council candidate Drew Hubbard said that his most important asset, if elected to the D.C. Council on Tue., May 15 in the special election, is his experience. While Hubbard has never been elected to public office, he has worked for several members of the D.C. Council. He said that he knows how to use those experiences to improve Ward 5.
"I have worked with three members, Kwame Brown, Marion Barry and Michael Brown," Hubbard, 34, said. "Unlike my competition, I would be ready to go from Day One."
Hubbard, a resident of the Woodbridge neighborhood, served as the legislative director for Kwame Brown in 2005. In 2007, he was hired by Barry to be the committee director for the Committee on Housing and Workforce Development and when Michael Brown became chair of the committee, in April 2010, he requested that Hubbard remain in his position.
Hubbard said that he sees changes in the ward but it shouldn't lose its defining character.
"Ward 5 has a great residential nature and that is good but there should be more shopping options and other amenities," he said. "Our residents should be able to walk or to bike to wherever they want to go in the ward."
Day Won't Compromise on Ethics
Tim Day has probably had more influence in Ward 5 politics than any other resident in recent memory. It was Day's inquiry into the activities of former D.C. Council member Harry Thomas that led to his downfall.
Day, who is a candidate in the Tue., May 15 special election for the Ward 5 seat, said that he will continue his push for strong ethical behavior if elected.
"The residents of Ward 5 want a council member who is ethical and will not compromise his principles," Day said. "Unfortunately, it doesn't stop with one council member and I haven't stopped, either. I will not ignore corruption and I will never give up."
Day, 40, owns an accounting firm, Prizm Consulting, LLC, in Columbia, Md., which handles thousands of tax returns a year. He said that if elected to the D.C. Council, he will hand over the day-to-day operations to his employees so that he can focus on the business of the ward and the city.
He said that Ward 5 needs a council member who will "work for all of the people of the ward."
"We want someone who will not just hand out trinkets but try to deliver for the people," Day said.
Day, who lives near Catholic University, is the only Republican in the 12-person field. He has also served as a neighborhood advisory commissioner.
Day said that he has the motivation to be a successful member of the D.C. Council.
"I have the ethical credentials and skills we need right now," he said. "My professional career has been built managing other peoples' money honestly, wisely and securely. Above all else, this is what you deserve from your D.C. Council and your government. I will insist on basic principles of compliance and enforcement."
