On Saturday, February 22, the democratic candidates for mayor assembled at Arena Stage for a two-hour debate moderated by Shannon Vaughn, the Editor-in-Chief of this very paper. Candidates Muriel Bowser, Vincent Orange, Andy Shallal, and Tommy Wells were in attendance, while Mayor Vincent Gray and Jack Evans were notably absent.
The two-hour debate began with each candidate giving a two-minute opening speech describing themselves, their platform, and how they differentiate themselves from Mayor Vincent Gray.
According to the candidates’ staff and the media outlets in attendance, the Ward 6 debate was hyper-local and deeply pointed in nature. Candidates were asked to define their stances on questions solicited by members of the community over the past few weeks, as well as questions from audience members regarding the future of this great neighborhood.
The heart of the debate focused on key topic areas relevant to the SW Waterfront and Navy Yard neighborhoods – the newly-coined “Waterfront Communities.” The debate wove its way through topic areas such as education, campaign finance, ethics reform, public housing, the Waterfront Arts District, transportation issues, the Southwest BID, decriminalization of marijuana, and the renaissance of the Waterfront Communities.
The event was live-tweeted by The Southwester staff using the hashtag #DCision14 and was also streamed live online. A recording of the debate can be seen at http://www.ustream.tv/recorded/44113241 (debate starts at 28:30).