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Jack Evans
DC Council Chairman
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
Policy Priorities and Accomplishments (Attachment 1)
Please share any accomplishments or experiences that reflect your commitment to
advancing Opportunity DC's policy priorities
Policy Priorities and Accomplishments (Attachment 1)
All endorsements to date:
None
Previous offices held:
Ward 2 Councilmember, 1991-2020
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 would introduce a Housing Supply Acceleration Act to reduce the cost of living by lowering housing costs – the largest expense for Districts residents. The legislation would establish by-right zoning for residential development near transit and commercial corridors, set firm timelines for permit approval, and waive certain fees for projects that include workforce and middle-income housing. The bill would also convert underused office buildings into residential units through expedited review and targeted code flexibility. The most effective way to reduce housing prices is to increase supply, and the District must make it faster and easier to build housing at all income levels.
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: I would enact a Public Safety Staffing and Accountability Act requiring the Metropolitan Police Department to maintain a minimum sworn staffing level of 4,000 officers, combines with faster civilian hiring for administrative roles so officers stay on patrol. The legislation would also mandate real-time crime clearance reporting and expand focused deterrence programs for repeat violent offenders. Residents need both visibility and accountability – more officers on the streets and measurable results.
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?
Job and Economy: I would pass a Hire DC First procurement reform law requiring companies receiving District contracts or tax incentives to meet local hiring and apprenticeship benchmarks tied to wage levels. Businesses that exceed targets would receive expedited permitting and tax credits; those that fail would lose eligibility. The goal is to ensure economic growth directly benefits District residents, particularly in Wards 7 and 8, by connecting public investment to career-track employment.
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?
To attract both affordable and market-rate housing investment, DC must become faster, more predictable, and less risky to build in.
First, establish guaranteed permitting timelines. I would support legislation creating statutory review deadlines across the Department of Buildings, zoning, historic preservation, and utilities. If the government misses the deadline, the project automatically advances to the next stage. Capital goes where certainty exists, and today DC loses projects because approval times are unpredictable.
Second, expand by-right zoning near transit and commercial corridors. Projects that meet height, density, and affordability standards should not require discretionary approvals or multiple hearings. Clear rules reduce legal costs and make financing easier – especially for mixed-income housing.
Third, reform impact fees and building taxes to encourage production. I support temporarily reducing recordation and transfer taxes for new residential construction and adaptive reuse of office buildings into housing, paired with affordability requirements. Up-front taxes discourage projects before they start and push investment into neighboring jurisdictions.
DC does not lack demand – it lacks competitiveness. If we provide certainty, speed, and reasonable costs, private capital will finance the housing supply our residents need.
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. Long term fiscal stability requires both disciplined spending and economic growth. First, implement performance-based budgeting. Every agency program receiving funding should be reviewed on a four-year cycle with measurable outcomes. Programs that fail to meet goals would automatically sunset unless reauthorized by Council. This forces prioritization and prevents permanent spending increases from temporary initiatives.
2. Second, grow the tax base by converting underused office space to housing and mixed-use. Downtown vacancy is the single greatest threat to DC revenue. I would expand tax abatements tied to residential conversion, streamline approvals, and allow flexible zoning so empty buildings produce residents, retail activity, and income tax revenue instead of sitting idle. More residents generate recurring revenue without raising tax rates.
3. Third, control long-term personnel costs through attrition and technology modernization. Rather than layoffs, I would institute a managed hiring cap where agencies fill only essential positions while investing in digital permitting, procurement, and licensing systems that reduce administrative staffing needs. DC government has grown significantly in the past decade; modernization allows better service at lower cost.
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. Permitting and Inspections (Department of Buildings): DC's building permit and inspection process is still too slow and sequential. I would allow parallel reviews across agencies, expand third-party plan review certifications for qualified professionals, and require scheduled inspection windows rather than all-day waits. Faster approvals reduce cost for homeowners and small businesses without weakening safety standards.
2. Business Licensing Requirements (DLCP): Many basic businesses require multiple licenses, duplicative renewals, and in-person paperwork. I would consolidate licenses into a single annual business license with one online renewal, eliminate outdated licenses categories, and adopt automatic approval if the agency misses statutory review deadlines.
3. Fines and Ticket Adjudication (DMV/DPW): Residents often face escalating penalties before they have a fair chance to contest a ticket. I would allow virtual hearings by default, and create standardized warning periods for first-time non-safety violations.
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?
Restore proactive policing and staffing levels by restoring the Metropolitan Police Department to a minimum of 4,000 sworn officers and prioritizing patrol visibility in commercial corridors, transit areas, and high-crime blocks. Officers should spend more time on patrol and less on paperwork by expanding civilian support staff and modern reporting technology.
Strengthen focused deterrence for repeat violent offenders through coordination between police, prosecutors, and courts to ensure swift, certain consequences combined with diversion programs for eligible youth offenders.
Expand retail and neighborhood safety partnerships including real-time crime cameras, improved lighting grant for businesses and apartments, and voluntary camera sharing with MPD.
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