Ward 5 early voters want to feel safe

Early voters in Ward 5 hope this year’s candidates will address major concerns, from safer streets to care for the senior community.

In addition, Ward 5 residents at the Turkey Thicket Recreation Center and Woodridge Library early voting centers say they want elected officials to address affordable housing, work to end homelessness, and safer roadways.

“I want a safer city and a safer neighborhood. Anything that falls under that category,” said one resident who declined to give her name.

Affordable housing in D.C. has been a topic of discussion, and Brookland locals are hoping housing issues will be addressed.

According to the National Low Income Housing Coalition, a 2024 dataset shows D.C. renters are spending 30% of their income on housing and utilities. However, 74% of extremely low-income groups in D.C. are extremely cost-burdened.

“Honestly, there is not enough affordable housing, if you ask me. It has made it difficult for people who can’t really afford houses,” said Brookland resident Myron.

Within the Brookland community, supporting the senior community has become a priority among neighborhood groups.

A long-time Brookland resident, Andrea, hopes the city will take care of the senior community.

“My main thing for me is that the city continues to take care of the seniors,” said Andrea, who declined to give her last name.

When asked about affordable housing in Brookland, “We have been here forever, and we own our houses now, so for the people coming behind us, yes.” Andrea said.

“The middle class makes up the majority of the population; treat us fairly,” Andrea said.

At Woodridge Library, DeMarcus Campbell, who recently moved to D.C. from South Carolina, said he is concerned about some of the water issues that has been happening.

“The water system is bad,” Campbell said.

Campbell said it has been a frequent issue in certain parts of the city. He said, “I work in a restaurant, and some days, the restaurant closes for three days because we had no water.”

In addition, he said the lack of stores has made shopping difficult.

“The area where I am from, there’s not a lot of stores. I had to buy a stapler, and I had to go to Maryland for it, so it’s just a surprise problem,” Campbell said.

He said he feels as if it defeats the purpose of moving to D.C.

In terms of road work, Campbell said the roads previously worked on lift. “The roads are okay, but every so often there is always something wrong,” Campbell said.

Concern about safe streets has caught the attention of the advisory neighborhood commission, which put up flyers outside the Woodridge library explaining that the commissioners plan to address the issue and work to create safer pathways for pedestrians.

In addition, ANC 5B05 candidate Michael Chaney is prioritizing public safety as a part of his election campaign.

“I will advocate for continued traffic calming measures when necessary to improve safety,” his campaign website said.

Current Ward 5 council member Zachary Parker (D) is running for his second term, running against Republican Jeffrey Kihien Plaza and Joyce Robinson-Paul with the Statehood Green Party.