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Dr. Jacque Patterson
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
Please share any accomplishments or experiences that reflect your commitment to
advancing Opportunity DC's policy priorities
All endorsements to date:
Previous offices held:
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.
Automatic enrollment in income-qualified utility affordability programs
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?
Reviving the MPD Reserve Officer program to cut MPD overtime and supplement sworn officers until MPD reaches 4,000 Officer goal
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?
Support the Personal Property Tax Form Simplification Act and decrease red tape that small business are required to complete to open businesses, especially those that serve marginalized and underserved communities, such a barber shops, beauty shops, landscapers and clothing design entrepreneurs (i.e. Museum Clothing in Ward 5).
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: Have been supporting this strategy since Williams Administration
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. Enforce the 15-Year TOPA Exemption for New Construction: The RENTAL Act includes a provision that new multifamily construction is exempt from TOPA for 15 years from the issuance of a permanent certificate of occupancy. Maintaining and strictly enforcing this exemption is crucial, as it removes a major source of transaction uncertainty and delay, encouraging developers to build new rental housing without fear of immediate administrative roadblocks upon completion.
2. Codify and Expand the Qualified Purchaser (QP) Program: To promote the preservation of existing affordable housing while reducing bureaucracy, the RENTAL Act reestablishes the Qualified Purchaser program. This allows the Mayor to certify mission-driven developers who can proceed with transactions more efficiently, providing developers with a streamlined path to purchase buildings and commit to long-term affordability covenants, which benefits low-income tenants.
3. Streamline Regulatory Processes and Realign Property Definitions: The RENTAL Act narrows the definition of a "sale" (which triggers TOPA) to specific ownership transfers and clarifies that 2–4 unit buildings are generally exempt from TOPA unless owned by a corporation. Further simplifying the regulatory environment by continuing to modernize how notices are delivered and removing, rather than adding, bureaucratic requirements on minor transactions will make DC more competitive for limited capital investment.
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 support lowering the tax rate, not elimination; Ensure it goes to paid family leave
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. Modernize and Broaden the Tax Base: Move away from relying heavily on volatile, archaic business taxes by adopting a lower, broader-based gross receipts tax, reducing commercial property taxes to attract investment, and updating utility taxes to reflect the modern digital economy as recommended by the Brookings Institute. This structure helps stabilize revenue regardless of population shifts and encourages business retention.
2. Optimize Government Spending & Efficiency: Implement a strict, continuous program evaluation to eliminate ineffective or redundant programs, similar to suggestions of cutting underperforming tax incentives like the Qualified High Technology Companies (QHTC) tax. This includes conducting comprehensive audits to trim administrative costs and non-essential spending before reducing essential public services.
3. Targeted Economic Development & Revenue Generation: Focus on diversifying the tax base by providing tax incentives geared towards small businesses and startups rather than solely relying on corporate tax breaks. Furthermore, re-evaluating the commercial property tax assessments and improving tax compliance/enforcement on high-income earners can bolster revenue without across-the-board tax hikes as recommended by the DC Policy Center.
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?
1. Contract Approval Process: Current regulations prevent the Council from reviewing contracts while in recess, leading to significant project delays.
• Change: Amend the law to allow for "passive approval" of contracts during recess or permit accelerated reviews for critical, pre-approved projects.
2. Personal Property Tax Filing: All small businesses must file the FP-31 annual tax form, even if they fall below the threshold for paying the tax, creating unnecessary compliance work.
• Change: Eliminate the requirement to file the FP-31 form for businesses with assets below a certain threshold (e.g., $325,000), reducing paper burden.
3. Building Permit & Zoning Procedures: Overly complex, manual, and staggered permitting processes delay housing and commercial projects.
• Change: Implement a firm, citywide "60-day rule" for permit approvals, moving all processes to an integrated, digital platform to speed up development.
Please provide 1 – 3 policies or strategies you support to make residents, workers, and businesses safer in DC.
More officers: MPD should also restore funding to our SRO program.
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. Secure DC Omnibus Emergency Amendment Act to increase accountability for violent crimes, implementing environmental design improvements such as improved lighting and security cameras in commercial corridors, and strengthening Vision Zero Initiatives to improve traffic safety with protected bike lanes and raised crosswalks.
2. Secure DC Plan Implementation: This includes expanding pretrial detention for dangerous offenders, increasing gun crime accountability, and establishing a task force for pre-arrest diversion to support mental health resources while ensuring public safety.
3. Environmental Design and Infrastructure: Installing security cameras and improving lighting in public spaces and transit stations, alongside "quick-build" pedestrian safety projects (e.g., curb extensions), to deter crime and improve pedestrian safety.
• Workplace and Public Safety Programs: Supporting initiatives like the Office of Neighborhood Safety and Engagement (ONSE) to prevent violence, while promoting business safety through security patrols, and adhering to workplace safety standards. I would expand the Violence Interrupters program to include evenings in such area as Navy Yard. This would be a proactive way to get in front of youth occupying commercial spaces after school hours.
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
(Optional) Notes Provided by Candidate
Support