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Allen, Barry lead the pack among Ward 8 Democrats
(Published July 26, 2004)

By KAUKAB JHUMRA SMITH
Special to The Common Denominator

Although Ward 8 Democrats remain split over candidates running for the Ward 8 seat on D.C. City Council, Kwame Brown has emerged as a strong challenger to incumbent Harold Brazil for an at-large seat.

At a vote held July 17, none of the eight candidates for the Ward 8 seat – including incumbent Sandy Allen and former mayor Marion Barry – could muster close to the 67 percent of votes needed to win an endorsement from the group for the Sept. 14 primary.

Allen received the biggest chunk of support at 36.7 percent, while Barry received 25 percent of the votes cast by Democrats gathered at the Washington Highlands Library on Atlantic Street SW.

Brown won nearly twice as many votes as incumbent Brazil, gathering a solid 64 percent of the vote and falling just a shade shy of an endorsement.

The only conclusive endorsements made by the group that day were for Eleanor Holmes Norton, running unopposed for re-election as the District's non-voting delegate to Congress, and Ray Browne, also up for re-election as the District's "shadow" representative to Congress.

The crowds milling outside the library and the colorful campaign literature hawked to passersby gave the Ward 8 Democrats’ gathering the feel of a street festival. Each candidate boasted his or her own camp of supporters to pass out stickers and buttons, with incumbent opponents taking much of the heat.

Allen, currently serving her second four-year term, faced vigorous criticism of her "stagnating" role on the council.

"Sandy has been there so long, I think it’s just a job for her and not a passion," said Kimberly Spriggs, treasurer of Jacque Patterson’s campaign to unseat Allen.

"We’re at a standstill," said Sandra Seegars, also running against Allen. "(Allen) helps people outside the ward, like big businesses, but not people inside Ward 8."

Others defended Allen, saying it was easy to criticize her when one was "on the outside."

"She’s our voice," said Anthony Harley, who identified himself as one of Allen's cousins. "She works hard and she’s really dedicated."

There were nearly 300 people packed into the meeting hall. But the whoops and hollers that greeted each candidate for the Ward 8 seat indicated no single front-runner.

In her two-minute address to the meeting, Allen defended herself by emphasizing her experience and the relationships she has developed with other council members. "It takes seven votes to get anything passed on council," she said.

All candidates stressed economic development in the area, with Advisory Neighborhood Commission 8B Chairman Patterson pointing out that progress would begin by making the community safer. "No business is going to come out here if they don’t feel safe here," he said.

Seegars, a taxicab commissioner who also chairs ANC 8E, announced during her speech that she was in talks with a grocery store to locate to the area. She declined to reveal the store’s name, saying, "People steal your ideas."

After Allen and Barry, the rest of the vote was splintered among Seegars (7.4 percent), William Lockridge (13.7 percent), Patterson (14.5 percent) and three other candidates.

Support for the at-large seat on the council was more definable. Incumbent Brazil got 33.5 percent of the vote, but faced stiff competition from Brown, who almost won an endorsement with his 64 percent.

Both Brown and fellow contender Sam Brooks put up a vigorous debate against Brazil. In a barbed exchange, Brazil was criticized sharply by Brown and Brooks for working "part-time on a full-time salary" of $92,000. Brazil runs a law practice while holding his council position.

Calling education and affordable housing his top priorities, Brazil emphasized his experience and said this was not the time for "on-the-job training" for a new person on the council.

Brooks used Brazil’s phrasing against him and, referring again to Brazil’s "part-time work," retorted that one needed to be "on the job" before one could claim the training.

Both Brooks and Brown pounded Brazil in equal parts for what Brown called "a lack of leadership, oversight and accountability." Both were applauded several times by the audience. However, Brooks received only one vote.

Meanwhile, the festival-like atmosphere outside the library continued. Staunch supporters of Marion Barry mingled alongside others openly displaying their displeasure with T-shirts that read, "Anybody But Barry."

Barry appeared confident of victory even before the meeting results were announced. He called his chances against the other candidates "excellent."

"I’m going to win," he said matter-of-factly to The Common Denominator.

Willie Mae Cobb, a Ward 8 resident for over 30 years who said she has voted for Barry every time he has run for public office, stood outside the library with a clipboard in hand, signing up campaign volunteers.

"I just love the man," Cobb said. "I don’t care what he runs for. I stand by him, that’s it."

But Shirley Pollard, who has lived in Ward 8 for 36 years, lowered her voice before she said, "At this time, I really think that (Barry) should step back." Pollard sees a different Barry than before, one affected by age and illness. Although she voted for Barry in the past, she supports Lockridge for the Ward 8 council seat this year.

Despite the crowds and rhetoric inside the library, Brad Lewis of the Gertrude Stein Democratic Club said he was unenthusiastic about many of the contenders this election.

Candidates need to be passionate about the issues outside of such public appearances, he said. "This is a dog-and-pony show," he said.