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Gary Robert Goodweather
DC Mayor 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
Gary Goodweather is a real estate developer, Army veteran, and lifelong Washingtonian who has
spent his career building in this city. Not just legislating about it. He helped secure the largest hotel
construction loan in the country during the Great Recession to build a 204-key Hilton Garden Inn in
NoMa, a project that unlocked 1.6 million square feet of neighborhood transformation: 600 new
apartments, two office buildings, the first Harris Teeter in that part of the city, and the
neighborhood's first full-service restaurant. He served on the NoMa BID Board as a direct result.
Gary has founded and led his own development firm, been retained by Johns Hopkins University,
assisted with Crystal City redevelopment planning, and most recently restructured a distressed
Dupont Circle asset into a nonprofit headquarters with a STEM innovation hub — a deal designed to
sustain the organization's mission for decades. He has also worked with a tenant association
navigating the TOPA process to acquire their building. He holds an MBA in Finance from Johns
Hopkins and was commissioned as a U.S. Army officer through ROTC at Bucknell University.
Gary has lived in the same home near Dupont Circle for over twenty years, raised two children in DC
schools, and navigated the same systems — permitting, education, cost of living — that every DC
family deals with. He is running on Fair Elections because he believes the mayor's office is an
executive role, not a symbolic one, and that DC deserves a leader who knows how to deliver, not just
deliberate.
Please share any accomplishments or experiences that reflect your commitment to
advancing Opportunity DC's policy priorities
Gary Goodweather is a real estate developer, Army veteran, and lifelong Washingtonian who has
spent his career building in this city. Not just legislating about it. He helped secure the largest hotel
construction loan in the country during the Great Recession to build a 204-key Hilton Garden Inn in
NoMa, a project that unlocked 1.6 million square feet of neighborhood transformation: 600 new
apartments, two office buildings, the first Harris Teeter in that part of the city, and the
neighborhood's first full-service restaurant. He served on the NoMa BID Board as a direct result.
Gary has founded and led his own development firm, been retained by Johns Hopkins University,
assisted with Crystal City redevelopment planning, and most recently restructured a distressed
Dupont Circle asset into a nonprofit headquarters with a STEM innovation hub — a deal designed to
sustain the organization's mission for decades. He has also worked with a tenant association
navigating the TOPA process to acquire their building. He holds an MBA in Finance from Johns
Hopkins and was commissioned as a U.S. Army officer through ROTC at Bucknell University.
Gary has lived in the same home near Dupont Circle for over twenty years, raised two children in DC
schools, and navigated the same systems — permitting, education, cost of living — that every DC
family deals with. He is running on Fair Elections because he believes the mayor's office is an
executive role, not a symbolic one, and that DC deserves a leader who knows how to deliver, not just
deliberate.
All endorsements to date:
Previous offices held:
None. Gary is running as a citizen candidate — an executive, builder, and veteran, not a career politician.
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.
1. Cost of Living: Gary supports comprehensive permitting reform at the Department of
Buildings, a one-stop digital permitting center with binding timelines, automatic escalation
when deadlines are missed, and full process transparency. DC's broken permitting system
adds months and tens of thousands of dollars to every housing project, costs passed
directly to renters and buyers. Cutting the time and cost to build is the single most
impactful thing the next mayor can do to lower housing costs. Paired with parking
minimum elimination and automatic residential zoning along transit corridors, this reduces
production costs and increases supply without a dollar of new public subsidy.
2. Public Safety: Public safety requires both effective policing and investment in the
conditions that prevent violence. These are complementary, not competing and the false
choice between "more police" and "address root causes" has paralyzed progress. Gary will
ensure MPD is staffed appropriately with officers deployed where data shows they're
needed, with strong accountability systems and investment in de-escalation and mental
health response training. Officers deserve the equipment, technology, and leadership to do
their jobs well. At the same time, Gary will expand violence interruption programs with
sustainable multi-year funding and create mental health crisis response teams so armed
officers aren't the default for every 911 call. Every public safety dollar should be measured
3
by results: programs that reduce violence get expanded, programs that don't get reformed.
3. Jobs and the Economy: Gary supports a comprehensive regulatory simplification agenda
for DC small businesses — same-day licensing for routine applications, a single
consolidated business portal replacing the current multi-agency maze, and elimination of
duplicative inspections. DC's regulatory burden doesn't protect consumers; it drives
entrepreneurs to Virginia and Maryland.
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?
Agree
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
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.
● Comprehensive Permitting Reform: DC's permitting process at the Department of Buildings is large cost and time barrier cited by developers — affordable and market-rate alike. Gary will establish a one-stop digital permitting center with binding review timelines, automatic escalation when deadlines are missed, and full process transparency. Predictable timelines make DC competitive for capital investment. Right now, the same project that takes six months to permit in Arlington takes eighteen in DC. That's dysfunction, and it adds costs that get passed directly to renters and buyers.
● Office-to-Anything Conversion Framework. DC's downtown office vacancy has hit 20.4% — 79 buildings more than half empty, representing $12 billion in lost property value. Gary will create a Downtown Conversion Overlay Zone allowing residential use by-right in the core, eliminating months of zoning delays. He'll expand tax abatements, grant residential tax classification upon permit issuance, and establish an Office-to-Anything Conversion Fund providing bridge financing. Converting vacant offices is faster and cheaper than new construction, and it rebuilds the tax base.
● Zoning Liberalization for Missing Middle Housing. Gary supports eliminating parking minimums citywide, legalizing duplexes and small apartment buildings in appropriate residential areas, and zoning commercial corridors for high-density residential. These changes reduce production costs and increase supply without public subsidy — and they're the tools peer cities are already using to compete for the same capital DC needs.
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?
Support
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?
Yes
What three strategies would you propose to reduce DC government spending or grow our tax base to ensure long term fiscal stability?
1. Grow the Tax Base Through Housing Production and Office Conversions. DC is losing commercial property tax revenue as office vacancies rise — commercial properties generate 59% of property tax revenue, and office buildings alone account for 40%. Gary will aggressively convert
vacant office space into residential, cultural, and commercial uses through a Downtown
Conversion Overlay Zone and an Office-to-Anything Conversion Fund. Combined with my target of 50,000 new homes by 2032, this creates new property tax revenue, new residents spending money locally, and a more resilient tax base less dependent on a single sector.
2. Forensic Agency Audits and Public Performance Dashboards. DC's housing agencies have a documented history of mismanagement, delayed disbursements, and opaque accounting. Gary will conduct independent forensic audits of DHCD, DGS, and DSLBD in his first 100 days, and
establish public performance dashboards for every major agency — updated monthly with
spending, timelines, and outcomes. Every dollar, every project, every timeline published. Waste identified gets redirected to proven frontline services.
3. Workforce Investment Grows Revenue: Invest in People Who Spend Money Here. When DC residents earn family-sustaining wages, they spend money in DC — and that generates sales tax, income tax, and economic activity. Gary's Capital Corps creates direct career pipelines in eight
high-demand sectors, and his First Source hiring enforcement ensures DC government contracts produce DC jobs. Paired with Fare-Free DC, which returns roughly $1,000 annually to working families and brings riders to commercial corridors, these investments grow the tax base from the bottom up rather than hoping it trickles down from corporate subsidies.
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?
Support
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:
● Department of Buildings Permitting. DC's permitting process adds months and tens
of thousands of dollars to every construction project — whether it's a homeowner renovating a kitchen or a developer building affordable housing. The same project that takes six months to permit in Arlington takes eighteen in DC. Gary will implement binding review timelines with automatic escalation when deadlines are missed, full digitization replacing paper-based processes, and a one-stop permitting center so applicants aren't bounced between agencies.
● Occupational Licensing Requirements. As mentioned, DC requires government-issued licenses for fields like hair braiding, interior design, and landscape design. These requirements cost workers hundreds of dollars in fees and months of unnecessary training hours. Gary will eliminate licensure requirements where there is no public safety justification and reduce fee and hour burdens where some oversight is warranted.
● Parking Minimums in the Zoning Code. DC's zoning regulations still require
developers to build a minimum number of parking spaces in most projects, even near
Metro stations where residents are less likely to own cars. Structured parking adds
$30,000–$50,000 per space to construction costs — costs passed directly to renters
and buyers. Gary will eliminate parking minimums citywide, letting the market and
location determine parking supply rather than an outdated regulation that inflates
housing costs.
More officers
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?
No. The question itself illustrates the problem: "large groups of young people" is undefined, and
ambiguity in law enforcement authority leads to confusion, inconsistent enforcement, and civil rights violations. How large is large? What age qualifies? Who decides? I will not support legislation that substitutes ambiguity for an actual public safety strategy. MPD has the tools to address criminal
behavior. As mayor, I will establish clear protocols for all types of public safety concerns and emergencies driven by data, defined by specificity, and accountable to the public. What DC needs is not more vague authority, but a mayor who invests in the things that actually keep young people and communities safe like recreation, mentorship, economic opportunity, and smart policing that targets criminal conduct, not kids for being outside.
Please provide 1 – 3 policies or strategies you support to make residents, workers, and businesses safer in DC.
1. Retention-First MPD Staffing: We lose officers faster than we can hire them. I will focus on
keeping experienced officers through competitive compensation, better technology, modern
equipment, and clear leadership, not just recruitment bonuses that fill academy seats without
fixing why officers leave. I'll deploy officers where data shows they're needed and invest in training
for de-escalation and mental health response so officers are equipped for the calls they actually
receive. A well-supported, well-led force is a more effective force.
2. Cross-Agency Coordination with Real Accountability: DC's public safety ecosystem is
fragmented across MPD, FEMS, DBH, DYRS, and ONSE. Agencies operating in silos, allowing
people to fall through cracks. I will strengthen the Deputy Mayor for Public Safety and Justice with
real cross-agency coordinating authority, shared data systems, and outcome-based performance
metrics published quarterly. Every public safety dollar will be measured by whether it actually
reduces violence. Programs that deliver get expanded. Programs that don't get reformed.
3. Capital Corps Public Safety Branch and Transit Safety Ambassadors. I will create a pipeline of
trained DC residents supporting public safety through structured civic service — unarmed transit
safety ambassadors on buses and at Metro stations, community-based violence interruption
workers with sustainable multi-year funding, and support staff for MPD and Fire & EMS. This is
workforce development and public safety simultaneously, with roughly 1,000 good-paying jobs for
DC residents that make transit safer, neighborhoods more visible, and communities more
connected.
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?
Support
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?
Support
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?
I will attack truancy at its roots. I will implement early warning systems that flag students after three unexcused absences, with dedicated case managers who connect families to services rather than threaten them with consequences. I will give families more stability by creating a more affordable city. My housing, energy, and transit policies ARE education policies. A single parent in Deanwood who can't afford the bus fare or is facing eviction isn't thinking about attendance. When families can afford to stay in DC and get to school, attendance improves. I will also expand school-based mental health services so students in crisis get help at school, not suspensions that guarantee they fall further behind. I will invest in Safe Passage; it should cover more schools and more hours. We will also ensure that we make school worth showing up for — career-connected learning through Capital Corps partnerships so students see a direct line between education and opportunity.
(Optional) Notes Provided by Candidate
I've spent my career building in this city — not legislating about it. I secured financing no one
thought was possible during the Great Recession and built the project that helped unlock NoMa's
transformation. I've navigated DC's permitting system, the TOPA process, and the same
bureaucratic barriers every developer and homeowner in this city deals with. I know what works,
what doesn't, and what it actually costs. The sitting Council members in this race have had years
to fix these problems. They haven't. DC doesn't need another politician who knows how to talk
about problems. It needs a mayor who knows how to solve them.
Here are some clarifying points:
I support eliminating the 2024 payroll tax increase because the revenue was diverted from paid
family leave to cover general fund shortfalls. My issue is the dishonesty, not the concept of
supporting working families. These taxes should be going directly to the reason they were
implemented.
On MPD staffing, I said more officers, meaning increasing from where we are at to the current
benchmark of 4,000. But the path there is retention, not just recruitment. We lose experienced
officers to jurisdictions that pay better, equip better, and lead better. We also need to be thinking
ahead to ensure we have officers who can replace retiring veterans.
And while I agree that increasing housing supply, including market-rate, lowers costs, my
commitment is specific: 50,000 new homes by 2032, with 36,000 affordable — defined not by
whether residents have enough left over to actually live. Market-rate production is essential to that
goal, but it's not sufficient alone. That's why I pair supply-side reforms with targeted affordable
production, energy cost reduction through PowerDC, and Fare-Free DC transit that returns roughly
$1,000 annually to working families.