_edited.png)
Charles Allen
DC Council Ward 6 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 appreciate working with Opportunity DC to understand your policy priorities and our areas of shared vision for the city. I was proud to author the "Commonsense Compromise on Tipped Wages" that Opportunity DC listed as a key accomplishment for 2025. In addition, Opportunity DC listed two other major accomplishments for 2025 in which I played major roles in their success: passage of the RENTAL Act and the RFK Stadium deal.
In addition to those priorities named by Opportunity DC, I am proud to have authored and successfully passed several laws to support local businesses and make it easier for new businesses to open. Specifically, I:
○ Doubled the Small Retailer Property Tax Credit, which I helped create, from $5,000 to $10,000 annually to put money back into the hands of our businesses;
○ Expanded the Private Security Camera program to include interior cameras and glassbreak sensors for businesses;
○ Worked with local businesses to reform the Bar Manager License process and allow the required and mandatory sexual harassment trainings to take place online rather than in-person to save businesses time and money;
○ Introduced legislation to exempt credit card swipe fees from including tax and tip, which will save local DC businesses thousands of dollars every year;
○ Introduced legislation to reign in ticket price gouging by out-of-state vendors in the secondhand market in close partnership with IMP and other local DC music, theater, and cultural venues; and
○ Authored innovative legislation to grow and expand DC's brewery industry, including everything from cutting red tape to allow more local distribution to restaurants and venues, to permitting DC's brewers to provide to-go growlers of their products.
Please share any accomplishments or experiences that reflect your commitment to
advancing Opportunity DC's policy priorities
I appreciate working with Opportunity DC to understand your policy priorities and our areas of shared vision for the city. I was proud to author the "Commonsense Compromise on Tipped Wages" that Opportunity DC listed as a key accomplishment for 2025. In addition, Opportunity DC listed two other major accomplishments for 2025 in which I played major roles in their success: passage of the RENTAL Act and the RFK Stadium deal.
In addition to those priorities named by Opportunity DC, I am proud to have authored and successfully passed several laws to support local businesses and make it easier for new businesses to open. Specifically, I:
○ Doubled the Small Retailer Property Tax Credit, which I helped create, from $5,000 to $10,000 annually to put money back into the hands of our businesses;
○ Expanded the Private Security Camera program to include interior cameras and glassbreak sensors for businesses;
○ Worked with local businesses to reform the Bar Manager License process and allow the required and mandatory sexual harassment trainings to take place online rather than in-person to save businesses time and money;
○ Introduced legislation to exempt credit card swipe fees from including tax and tip, which will save local DC businesses thousands of dollars every year;
○ Introduced legislation to reign in ticket price gouging by out-of-state vendors in the secondhand market in close partnership with IMP and other local DC music, theater, and cultural venues; and
○ Authored innovative legislation to grow and expand DC's brewery industry, including everything from cutting red tape to allow more local distribution to restaurants and venues, to permitting DC's brewers to provide to-go growlers of their products.
All endorsements to date:
DCFEMS firefighters and paramedics represented by IAFF Local 36, WMATA transit workers represented by ATU Local 289, service industry workers represented by SEIU Local 36BJ, service industry workers represented by UNITE Local 25, Jews United for Justice Campaign Fund, Working Families Party, Sierra Club DC, and LiUNA.
Previous offices held:
Council Ward 6 (2015 - present)
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.
Cost of living - I have three bills currently before the Council to lower utility bills for DC residents – that includes speeding up residential solar connections to the grid and improving transparency in costs; limiting hidden fees passed on outside of the monthly rent; and creating greater government efficiency by auto-enrolling eligible residents in utility discount programs. These higher energy costs are also impacting our local businesses and DC government costs. More broadly, the more the District can install renewable energy sources, the more we can shield ourselves from the bigger price swings that happen at the regional grid.
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?
Public safety - We need to continue to improve hiring and retention at MPD while maintaining high standards. Overtime spending is a big challenge for the District, and it also burns officers out. I am proud to have helped dramatically expand our Cadet program, which MPD leaders credit as creating a pipeline of DC high school students into a career at MPD. When I started as Chair of the Judiciary Committee, the cadet program was just 15 cadets per year. Over six years, I expanded the cadet program in the budget so that 150 cadets are now enrolled annually.
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?
Jobs & economy - The biggest threat and impediment impacting the District's economic growth and vitality at this moment is the Trump Administration. According to a recent review of economic and census data by The Brookings Institution, the result of the Trump Administration's decisions to reduce the federal government workforce has resulted in the District experiencing a significantly higher unemployment rate compared to other jurisdictions across the region. The District's unemployment rate is also higher than the national average for the first time in 25 years. This not only puts pressure on the District's economy and budgetary outlook, but also on those families that have lost jobs or incomes. My view is that the District's economic growth and vitality is inextricably linked to both current District residents' motivation to continue living here, and the ability to attract new residents and businesses - not to mention all the funding flowing to businesses and non-profits through the federal to the District government that has been slashed. In addition to supporting policies that result in the construction of a variety of new homes to be built, I believe that we need to continue our focus and investments on public education, public safety, and drill down on addressing the cost of living and cost of doing business in the District.
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. I believe one of the greatest obstacles to building more housing for residents is that the need is so great for deeply affordable housing, it is challenging at times to prioritize enough public gap financing for workforce housing. But if the District does not make housing at this income level a greater priority - a level that serves our educators, firefighters, police officers, transit workers, and many other essential workers - then development cannot cover its costs, and we will end up with housing only serving the two extremes of affordability, namely deeply affordable housing that require ongoing subsidies, and significantly higher cost market rate housing.
2. In addition to public financial support at a greater range of affordability levels, obstacles include zoning that prevent the creation of new market-rate housing, economic conditions that have made investment in new housing more challenging, and higher interest rates that contribute to making housing out of reach for many to afford. As Councilmember, I've fought to ensure zoning changes that support the creation of new housing, worked to improve the attraction of investment in new housing construction, and while I don't have control over interest rates, I have sought multiple ways to lower the costs for working families to afford calling the District home, such as expansions of DC's HPAP and EHAP programs.
3. The District must also set the DC Green Finance Authority (DC Green Bank) on more solid financial ground and self sufficiency. This has been a priority of mine as I became chair of the Committee on Transportation and the Environment. The DC Green Bank is leveraging $9 to every $1 of public funding and helping deliver thousands of new homes with greater energy efficiency and lower ongoing utility costs for both businesses and residents.
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 - I am a strong supporter of DC's Paid Family Leave program. It is not only popular, but also essential for ensuring families can take care of their children and loved ones while helping get them back into the workforce. I believe the 0.75% rate is more than sufficient to sustain the Paid Leave Fund. That has been apparent as the Mayor has redirected large sums of this Paid Leave Tax to fill general budget gaps in government spending. That's a budget gimmick and hurts trust between government and employers. While the payroll tax can be reduced and still cover paid family leave needs, whatever a different rate should be, it must be sure that those benefits are fully available to employees.
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 - I am a co-introducer of this bill
What three strategies would you propose to reduce DC government spending or grow our tax base to ensure long term fiscal stability?
Support - I authored legislation to simplify and reform barriers to obtaining occupational licenses
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 - I support the District government becoming more efficient with its resources, and that is the priority. But my position on raising taxes is that if one is needed, any tax increase must be effectively communicated to the public so that the public understands the rationale and purpose of the tax increase. While I am not afraid to raise taxes to create a fair city for all our residents, I also do not support increasing taxes solely to raise taxes. My record demonstrates that I have both supported some modest tax increases when necessary, and I have voted against tax increases that I believe would not be in the city's best interest.
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:
Growing DC's tax base - specifically building new homes and attracting new residents - is something I have led to great success in Ward 6. So much so that Ward 6's population was a significant outlier in the most recent decennial redistricting in 2020 and experienced the single largest change to a Ward population in DC history. The neighborhoods of Ward 6 – specifically NoMa, Southwest Waterfront, Navy Yard and Capitol Riverfront, and Mt. Vernon Triangle - have been some of the fastest growing neighborhoods in the city, adding tens of thousands of new homes and residents. That is work I have helped lead during my years in office through a variety of strategies, including supporting tax abatements and incentives for new development, land use and zoning changes to allow for greater density, and focused support of neighborhood amenities such as public parks, schools, and libraries that make these neighborhoods attractive places to live.
There are also numerous ways to reduce DC government spending that need to be pursued. That can include stronger agency management on significant cost drivers like overtime costs, more comprehensive tax abatement analysis prior to legislative action before long-term spending is locked into 4-year financial plans, or reviewing efficiencies available in duplicative agency actions, such as multiple agencies targeting truancy grant funding to providers when a more targeted and coordinated approach could both deliver better results with less redundancy.
Oppose - This is only going to add more bureaucracy to our government, something we want to avoid. The impact on businesses is what I expect to come about from public testimony and engagement with the business community.
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?
1. The most consistent concern I hear from small and local businesses isn't the regulations themselves, but more broadly the uncertainty, inconsistency, and lack of responsiveness that business owners find when trying to interact with the DC government. All too often, they cannot reach a decision maker in real time or they get different and contradictory answers from agency staff. I want to see a centralized call center within government, with both a virtual and physical brick and mortar option, composed of empowered staff from each regulatory agency with the explicit goal of speeding up the regulatory process to get businesses open and treat them with a high level of customer service.
2. I'd like to see the process to issue a Certificate of Occupancy improve the same way the building permits process has. We need to digitize more of the process, allow for same day corrections to minor issues, and fast-track re-inspections rather than string out the process for weeks. These issues are often taking place when a business is also trying to hire staff and pay rent, meaning they can incur significant costs for the delays caused by relatively minor issues.
3. I'd like to improve the experience of small businesses and homeowners going through the inspection process or notices of violation. For example, I and my office regularly work with small businesses opening brick and mortar locations. The business will think everything is settled with DC government agencies, with approvals from some agencies or inspectors, only then to be surprised when a seemingly random inspection yields a minor violation, like having certain paperwork immediately onsite. The inspection process could be better coordinated and predictable so businesses and the DC government could work through the same ticklist at the same time - everyone needs to be on the same page within government and with the applicant. Otherwise, the process feels intentionally "gotcha" and is enormously frustrating to the business given the inconsistent requirements enforced.
Please provide 1 – 3 policies or strategies you support to make residents, workers, and businesses safer in DC.
More officers
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?
Yes
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?
1. Creation and Implementation of a Strategic Gun Violence Plan. DC's public safety interventions largely fail to operate with a basic goal: to focus on the relatively small number of people most at risk of committing serious crime and then deter them from committing that crime. We need a dedicated prevention strategy that requires cross-cluster and multi-agency collaboration, to include the Council.
2. Stabilize and grow MPD. I believe the size of the Metropolitan Police Department's sworn ranks needs to be expanded, as MPD officers are working a significant amount of overtime that is not sustainable. I have supported or led various efforts to improve recruitment and retention, such as expansions of DC's Cadet program, increased pay and benefits, and housing and education incentives for new hires.
3. Expand Safe Passages Program. DC's Safe Passages program has been a successful effort that partners with community-based leaders to create a visible and accessible presence for students to travel between Metro and school, often located around many businesses. It creates trusted adult relationships, visibility to de-escalate potential conflict, and partnerships with young people, school leaders, and public safety officials to improve community safety. This type of effort has yielded successes and needs to be expanded.
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?
Support
Additional Note: As with any law, I believe there are areas of PERAA that after nearly 20 years can be improved. However, I support maintaining Mayoral control of DCPS with strong Council oversight.
(Optional) Notes Provided by Candidate
Support