Skeptical Chevy Chase residents question DC mayor’s impact with federal government barriers

Voters across D.C. are heading to the polls today, but some Chevy Chase residents lack hope that the new D.C. mayor and council will make much of an impact on housing affordability and wages because of ongoing struggles with the federal government.

Janesse Lewis George, the current Ward 4 D.C. council member, is widely favored to succeed Mayor Muriel Bowser and expected to take office following Tuesday’s election, bringing her “People-First” mayoral platform with her. George has said she intends to address housing affordability, expand pay transparency and equity laws, and push back against federal militarization with the deployment of the National Guard.

But some Chevy Chase residents say they aren’t hopeful that George can make strides on the many issues her mayoral platform aims to address, noting that D.C.’s lack of statehood and limited say over the federal government may mean proposed initiatives fall short.

Melissa Hearne, a resident of Chevy Chase for 14 years, said that she is in a “wait and see” mode ahead of the expected election of George and is following what the new mayor intends to improve for access to housing and development in DC, but understands that the federal government still stands as a barrier to improvement.

“While the city government is doing okay with housing right now, we are using money too quickly and need more necessary services to support the disadvantaged,” said Hearne. “I don’t have high hopes for the mayor to make changes since we aren’t a state, and Congress is still interfering with getting things passed.”

Under the Constitution and the District of Columbia Home Rule Act, Congress retains ultimate legislative authority over D.C. and can block local laws or restrict its budget through federal legislation.

For example, earlier this year, President Donald Trump signed a joint congressional resolution disapproving the D.C. Income and Franchise Tax Conformity and Revision Temporary Amendment Act of 2025, blocking the district’s effort to decouple its tax code from federal laws to preserve local tax revenue.

As a result, the Center for American Progress said that D.C. is set to lose an estimated $658 million in tax revenue over five years, forcing the city to absorb the revenue losses. Local housing advocates warned it directly jeopardizes municipal funding for affordable housing programs.

With D.C. already experiencing a severe structural deficit and budget shortfall of $1.1 billion, some Chevy Chase residents say that it’s important that the city is mindful of where money is being spent and who the resources benefit.

Andrew Mack, a resident of Chevy Chase for nearly 21 years, said that the plans to modernize the Chevy Chase Civic Core are great, but argues that funding and mayoral focus should go to the most optimal initiatives that most residents support.

“It is essential that we are compassionate and fiscally sound,” said Mack. “I think the plans for the Civic Core don’t necessarily deliver a lot of value for neither the neighborhood or the people they are providing housing to,” she added.

Mack said that the mayor’s ambitious plans will cost the city a lot and require organization that the city does not have the capacity to deliver on, highlighting that he’d prefer the mayor pick two or three issues to focus on and do them well.

The Chevy Chase Civic Core redevelopment, a plan to modernize the existing library and community center and introduce 177 mixed-income housing units, remains a point of contention for the Chevy Chase community, with residents divided on support or opposition.

While D.C. owns the land where the Civic Core is being built, it has contracted with a private developer to construct and manage the building.

Natalie Ludaway, a resident of Forest Hills for more than 20 years who frequents Chevy Chase often, said that the area demands and receives resources often, stating that she doesn’t believe the neighborhood is lacking in anything, including housing.

Ludaway said that the current threat to democracy is the most pressing issue affecting her daily life, saying that the presence of the National Guard and lack of equitable healthcare and infrastructure like grocery stores affects her and her family the most.

“I think George will make these issues front and center,” said Ludaway. “I would like for us to build up our economy and for the number of jobs to expand.”