_edited.png)
Doni Crawford
At-Large, Independent
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 bring more than a decade of experience in public policy, economic development, and racial equity to the Council. Prior to my appointment, I was Committee Director for the Council's Committee on Business and Economic Development, where I led complex budget oversight and advanced legislation to strengthen small businesses, commercial corridors, and inclusive economic growth. I played a pivotal role in negotiating and writing the Commanders stadium redevelopment deal, ensuring robust community benefits, local hiring and business requirements, and accountability measures. I also planned an oversight roundtable with business leaders last year, "Building a Resilient Economy: Strategies for the District's Future Growth, Investment, and Stability". Our Committee used the roundtable feedback to incorporate investments that will lead to inclusive growth and regional competitiveness into our FY 2026 budget. I also spearheaded landmark legislation addressing racial and economic inequities as a Legislative Director and Senior Policy Advisor at the Council.
At the DC Fiscal Policy Institute, I successfully partnered with the Executive and Council to increase investments in the Housing Production Trust Fund, the Child Wealth Building Fund ("Baby Bonds"), and the Guaranteed Income Pilot Program ("Strong Families, Strong Futures").
These accomplishments align with Opportunity DC's commitment to more affordable housing, empowering entrepreneurs, and streamlining regulations.
Please share any accomplishments or experiences that reflect your commitment to
advancing Opportunity DC's policy priorities
I bring more than a decade of experience in public policy, economic development, and racial equity to the Council. Prior to my appointment, I was Committee Director for the Council's Committee on Business and Economic Development, where I led complex budget oversight and advanced legislation to strengthen small businesses, commercial corridors, and inclusive economic growth. I played a pivotal role in negotiating and writing the Commanders stadium redevelopment deal, ensuring robust community benefits, local hiring and business requirements, and accountability measures. I also planned an oversight roundtable with business leaders last year, "Building a Resilient Economy: Strategies for the District's Future Growth, Investment, and Stability". Our Committee used the roundtable feedback to incorporate investments that will lead to inclusive growth and regional competitiveness into our FY 2026 budget. I also spearheaded landmark legislation addressing racial and economic inequities as a Legislative Director and Senior Policy Advisor at the Council.
At the DC Fiscal Policy Institute, I successfully partnered with the Executive and Council to increase investments in the Housing Production Trust Fund, the Child Wealth Building Fund ("Baby Bonds"), and the Guaranteed Income Pilot Program ("Strong Families, Strong Futures").
These accomplishments align with Opportunity DC's commitment to more affordable housing, empowering entrepreneurs, and streamlining regulations.
All endorsements to date:
None at this time. As a first-time candidate, I'm just beginning the endorsement process and meeting with organizations across the District.
Previous offices held:
N/A
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.
One important part of the cost of living is the cost of housing. I believe addressing the cost of housing requires that we build more housing. That housing cannot just be the luxury one bedroom units that we often see, but we need a mix that includes the "missing middle". We know that it is critically important to make it easier and less expensive to build housing so that it does not cost almost $1 million to build a single affordable housing unit. I would tackle the regulatory and statutory barriers to build more. Less expensive housing. I also want to make changes to the District's Home Purchase Assistance Program to make assistance easier to access and make affordable homeownership more attainable by making program requirements more flexible and tailored to fit a resident's specific needs.
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?
We must continue to invest in our community violence intervention programs to continue driving down crime. I believe that we should consolidate our violence intervention programs so that we are being efficient with government resources. We also need to right-size MPD so that we are not drastically overspending on overtime. And in right sizing the department, we need to ensure that more of those officers can afford to live in DC.
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?
Our economy is shifting drastically in the face of the turmoil on the federal level, not just with federal job cuts, but with policies that make travel to the United States and the District of Columbia less attractive. We must focus on diversifying our economy and job base. We need to attract quality employers and encourage those who are here to grow. In order to do that, we must shed the stigma that the District of Columbia is a difficult place to do business. We must provide an environment where entrepreneurs want to grow here and larger employers want to relocate here. We need to maintain and build upon our quality workforce, we must have a safe city where everyone feels that they can thrive, and we must compete on the regional and national level. And as we diversify and grow our economy, I want that growth to be inclusive. I strongly support the Chamber of Commerce's 2025 State of Business report recommendation to both tie tax incentives to employment metrics AND most importantly, review and sunset incentives regularly to phase out incentives that no longer drive growth or fail to meet benchmarks.
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?
I would support a top down assessment of the permitting and regulatory lifecycle for building in the District. We need to understand why investors choose to deploy capital in other jurisdictions rather than the District.
We need to eliminate unnecessary steps in the building process that add costs, especially if those additional costs don't exist in Maryland in Virginia.
I would support fast-track "concierge" service to expedite projects proposing over a certain percentage of affordable units.
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?
Comment: I fully support using any dedicated tax solely for the intended purpose. Unfortunately, the Council did not do that when it increased the paid family leave tax. However, I believe that it is difficult, given our current budget situation, to simply repeal that increase without either offsetting the revenue, reducing spending, or some combination of both.
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. We need an expenditure review commission. The commission should consist of experts rather than political appointees and should be able to rely on independent professional advice.
2. Council's oversight role must be reinvigorated. Council committees too often only conduct oversight during the performance oversight time period in January and February of each year, and as a former staffer, I know that's due to limited bandwidth. Council committees should have dedicated oversight staff that works year round to hold agencies accountable. We would then be able to assume a greater role in overseeing government spending and making it more targeted and efficient.
3. Given the federal layoffs that have primarily impacted Black women, we need a strategy to retain and grow our local workforce. This includes growing our tax base workers who once worked in Maryland and Virginia, but are now seeking job opportunities in the District.
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?
There are so many that we could update, streamline, or eliminate. I would like to take more time to reflect and understand the implications of each one. Generally speaking, I am supportive of reducing burdens on residents and small businesses, and would welcome the opportunity to hear more about the rules and/or regulations that Opportunity DC believes the Council needs to review.
Please provide 1 – 3 policies or strategies you support to make residents, workers, and businesses safer in DC.
More officers
Comment: The reality is that MPD is doing the job of more officers now, but they are doing it in the most expensive way through overtime spending. From a fiscal responsibility perspective, we need to rebalance the size of the force.
In FY 2025, MPD used over 1.81 MILLION overtime hours. Broken down over 40 hours/week for a year, that equates to about ~870 more officers. However, instead of hiring those 870 officers, we pay our existing officers overtime (which is often mandatory) at a rate of one and a half times the rate of pay if we were paying regular time.
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
Comment: I am interested in the District implementing solutions that provide youth opportunities and limit their interaction with law enforcement. Research does not point to strong evidence of curfews reducing misbehavior or crimes committed by youth. I am all for holding our youth accountable, and would like to explore solutions that are appropriate for youth, actually lead to changed behavior, and don't further criminalize Black and Brown youth.
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?
Addressing crime in the District means addressing its root causes. Crime does not happen in a vacuum, it is the result of inadequate housing, food insecurity, inequitable education, and limited workforce opportunities. Investing in social services, affordable housing, and youth programming is the root of addressing public safety.
Simply increasing the size of the police force will not resolve the underlying conditions that drive crime. That said, the reality is that MPD is doing the job of more officers now, but they are doing it in the most expensive way through overtime spending. From a fiscal responsibility perspective, we need to rebalance the size of the force.
I am committed to improving policing through greater transparency and stronger training, with a specific emphasis on mental health awareness and services.
Most importantly, I strongly oppose MPD cooperation with federal immigration enforcement. Immigrants represent the heart of our communities and they must be able to trust local law enforcement without fear of being taken from their homes and schools. I support legislation requiring full transparency around any coordination between MPD and federal agencies, including ICE and HSI, and I have co-introduced permanent and emergency legislation that will increase transparency and accountability on MPD's cooperation with federal immigration agencies.
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
Comment: Since being appointed, families, students, and education advocates have mainly surfaced issues regarding chronic absenteeism, educator wellness, mental health supports, out-of-school time programs, student safety, inequitable access to dual language, and our literacy crisis. Governance has not been a focus in my conversations over the past two months. What that tells me is that the residents most impacted by our educational system want leaders to focus on solutions that address their day-to-day problems, regardless of sector or governance model. If elected, I intend to focus on the pressing issues students and families and educators are demanding DC leaders address.
When I've initiated conversations on mayoral control with education advocates to learn more, I heard arguments for and against mayoral control. I recognize that mayoral control was implemented to address the serious issues our school system had, and as a result of several education reforms, we've seen some gains. That said, it's been nearly 20 years since we adopted mayoral control, and I believe that our expansive two-sector public school system requires stronger coordination and transparency and that no matter our system, families and educators deserve a meaningful voice.
(Optional) Notes Provided by Candidate
Support