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Adam Joseph Prinzo
DC Council Ward 3 2026
Opportunity DC's Questionnaire
Opportunity DC advocates for priorities that grow our local economy, make government work better and faster, and make DC a more affordable place to live. We partner with pragmatic leaders to pass
effective legislation and help elect champions capable of leading our city forward.
Our questionnaire project is dedicated to providing DC Voters with the information to make the best decision possible for the District. No answers have been edited for the candidates, except light formatting changes.
Biographical Information
Please share any accomplishments or experiences that reflect your commitment to
advancing Opportunity DC's policy priorities
I have advocated for sustained and predictable funding for Main Streets programs in D.C., recognizing their role in supporting small businesses, reducing vacancies, and activating neighborhood corridors.
Please share any accomplishments or experiences that reflect your commitment to
advancing Opportunity DC's policy priorities
I have advocated for sustained and predictable funding for Main Streets programs in D.C., recognizing their role in supporting small businesses, reducing vacancies, and activating neighborhood corridors.
All endorsements to date:
N/A
Previous offices held:
Advisory Neighborhood Commissioner 3C02 (2023-Present)
- Secretary, ANC 3C (2023-2025)
- Vice Chair, ANC 3C (2025-Present)
- Co-Chair, 3C Planning, Zoning, Housing and Economic Development Committee
District Priorities
DC residents tell us their three most important issues are the cost of living, public safety, and jobs and the economy. Please list one legislative or regulatory solution you support to address each policy challenge.
Economic Competitiveness and Commercial Revitalization
The District must be easier to do business in. Persistent vacancy, especially in some commercial areas, threatens our tax base and neighborhood vitality. I support streamlining permitting and inspections, modernizing business licensing, and supporting office-to-residential conversions where appropriate. Stable and predictable regulatory and tax policy is essential to long-term investment and job growth.
Accessible & Affordable Housing
DC’s average housing costs are 140% above the national average. DC laws, rules, and
regulations make building housing here more expensive, time-consuming, and bureaucratic compared to other jurisdictions—creating a scarcity of available housing that drives up rent and home prices. Do you agree that increasing the supply of available housing, including market-rate, will lower the cost of rent and homes for residents over time?
Housing Supply and Affordability
High housing costs are pushing middle-income families out of the city. Increasing housing production near transit and employment centers is critical to economic sustainability. I support expanding housing supply, targeted corridor upzoning, faster project approvals, and stronger oversight of housing program administration to ensure resources reach residents efficiently.
Zoning and land use policy can restrict where housing is built and the number of units for a specific project. Transit-oriented development—building housing near thoroughfares and public transit—helps local governments plan housing near key services and transportation hubs. Do you support or oppose requiring all areas of the District currently zoned for commercial development to be automatically zoned for high-density residential development?
Public Safety and System Accountability
Public safety is essential for families, workers, and businesses in D.C.. While crime trends have improved, residents and businesses need consistency and accountability. I will focus oversight on violence interruption programs, improve coordination across public safety and human services agencies, and address retail theft and repeat offenses fairly but swiftly. Safe streets and commercial corridors are critical to economic confidence.
In 2025, DC lawmakers modernized the Tenant Opportunity to Purchase Act (TOPA) to make DC a more attractive and viable place to build housing. Building enough housing to address DC’s supply shortage will require local government to revise legislative code and pass regulatory reforms so that DC can compete within our region and across the country for limited capital investment. What 1 – 3 legislative or regulatory proposals do you support to make DC a more attractive place to build both affordable and market-rate housing.
Agree
Economic Innovation & Workforce Development
In July of 2024, DC lawmakers increased the paid family leave tax (a payroll tax on District employers) from .23% to .75% of total wages. The additional revenue went to offset $2 billion in new general fund expenditures rather than towards expanding paid family leave. The higher payroll tax makes it harder for local employers, especially schools, hospitals, and small businesses, to grow and hire District residents. Do you support or oppose eliminating the 2024 payroll tax increase on DC employers over the next four years?
Support
Currently, all DC small businesses are required to file an annual personal property tax form (FP-31), even if their property assets are below the threshold that would subject their business to the tax. FP-31 is a cumbersome form that forces entrepreneurs to spend hours on compliance for a tax that most businesses are not even subject to. Do you support or oppose B26-0229, The Personal Property Tax Form Simplification Act, which eliminates the requirement for businesses to file personal property tax form (FP-31) if they are below the proposed $325,000 property threshold?
1. Establish Clear By-Right Pathways and Firm Review Timelines - To compete for limited capital, the District must reduce entitlement risk and time uncertainty. I support expanding clear by-right development standards in transit-accessible and high-opportunity areas of DC, paired with statutory timelines ("shot clocks") for agency reviews. Projects that comply with adopted zoning and Comprehensive Plan policies should not face extended discretionary delays. Greater interagency coordination and consolidated review processes would also reduce duplicative requirements that increase carrying costs. Predictability and speed directly affect whether projects, both affordable and market-rate, can secure financing.
2. Recalibrate Fees and Improve Financial Tools - While strong affordability requirements are essential, the overall cost structure of development must reflect current market conditions. I support a comprehensive review of development-related fees and exactions, along with strategic use of tax abatements, PILOT agreements, and gap-financing tools for mixed-income and affordable projects. The goal should be to maintain high affordability standards while ensuring projects can realistically secure financing.
In DC, some workers must obtain occupational licenses from government-appointed boards and pay large fees to work in fields like interior or landscape designer, barber—including hair braiding, cosmetologist, and manicurist, among others. These barriers artificially limit employment and entrepreneurship opportunities for District residents. Do you support or oppose reducing the time and financial requirements necessary to obtain occupational licenses in the fields where licensure is unnecessary and presents no material risks to
consumers?
Support
Efficient & Effective Government
Since 2020, the District’s budget spending has dramatically outpaced new revenue growth. DC will have to spend more efficiently and grow the tax base, without raising tax rates, to sustainably fund core services moving forward. Do you see DC's dramatic budget growth as a challenge that needs to be addressed through increased efficiency while avoiding new taxes on residents and businesses?
Support
What three strategies would you propose to reduce DC government spending or grow our tax base to ensure long term fiscal stability?
Support
Over time, DC lawmakers have added more rules, regulations, and fees that increase costs for small businesses, which are often passed onto consumers, raising prices for everyone. Having more information about the unintended consequences from new legislation can help prevent higher costs for entrepreneurs and residents. Do you support or oppose requiring the Council to review economic impact assessments, generated by the Office of the Chief Financial Officer (OCFO), for all new legislation and regulations that increase regulatory or financial costs for District employers?
Yes
Are there any government rules or regulations that should be updated, streamlined, or eliminated to make government more efficient and lower administrative burdens on residents? Please list up to 3 rules/regulations & how you would change them:
1. Administrative Efficiency
The District should review agency overhead, consultant reliance, and duplicative administrative structures. Greater use of performance-based contracting and interagency service sharing can reduce operational costs without affecting frontline services.
2. Commercial Revitalization and Property Utilization
Growing the tax base requires activating underused commercial space, particularly office vacancies. I support policies that encourage office-to-residential or mixed-use conversion, streamline permitting for adaptive reuse, and modernize zoning rules in high-opportunity transit areas.
3. Program Outcome Evaluation and Targeted Spending
The District should expand data-driven oversight of social service and economic development programs. Funding should prioritize programs with measurable outcomes in public safety, housing production, workforce participation, and education performance. Programs that do not demonstrate effectiveness should be restructured or phased out in favor of higher-impact investments.
Support
Do you support legislation to authorize the Chief of Police to declare dedicated zones with earlier curfews for large groups of young people as needed?
a. Permit and Development Review Processes - Multiple agencies often review the same project, which can create delay and uncertainty. I support consolidating review steps where possible and establishing clear statutory timelines for approvals when projects comply with zoning and planning guidance.
b. Business Compliance and Filing Requirements - The District should review low-value or duplicative reporting requirements that increase administrative costs without improving public outcomes. Expanding digital filing systems, simplifying renewal processes, and eliminating redundant paperwork would make it easier for small businesses and nonprofits to operate.
Please provide 1 – 3 policies or strategies you support to make residents, workers, and businesses safer in DC.
More officers
MPD Funding: Maintain current funding
Quality Education
In 2006, DC had one of the worst performing public school systems in the country. Only 12% of eighth graders were proficient in reading and 8% in math, only 43% of students graduated in five years, and the system was mired in mismanagement. Following the passage of the Public Education Reform Amendment Act (PERAA) of 2007 and enabled by PERAA’s governance reforms, DC tripled proficiency in reading and math and saw the highest rate of post-COVID test score improvement in the country. Do you support or oppose Mayoral control with Council oversight of the District’s public school system, as established by the Public Education Reform Amendment Act of 2007?
No answer provided
Approximately 48% of DC public school students attend charter schools, which are free, public, and open to all students from all wards. Do you support or oppose funding DC Public School (DCPS) and DC public charter school students at equal levels, weighted by student need, through the Uniform Per Student Funding Formula?
a. Strengthen Data-Driven Violence Reduction and Agency Coordination - The District should continue investing in violence interruption and prevention programs while requiring clear performance metrics and interagency coordination. Public safety, health, and social service agencies must work together to address root causes of violence and respond quickly to emerging hotspots.
b. Improve Retail and Commercial Corridor Safety - Small businesses and workers depend on safe streets. Investments in lighting, visibility, and rapid response strategies can improve safety for residents, workers, and visitors.
c. Support Staffing and Operational Effectiveness of Public Safety Agencies - The District should maintain adequate staffing levels and training resources for emergency response personnel. Efficient dispatch systems, modern technology, and workforce retention strategies help ensure faster response times and more reliable services.
Chronic truancy among DCPS students has increased dramatically in recent years. How do you propose we reduce truancy levels to ensure students receive a quality education?
Oppose
(Optional) Notes Provided by Candidate
Support