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Lisa Jacobs Raymond
DC Council At-Large
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
As President of the DC State Board of Education and the Board Chair of a DC public charter school, I advocated for strong standards and schools in both DCPS and the public charter school sector. As Senior Education Advisor to the DC Council, I led the oversight, budget, and legislative process for education agencies with an eye toward continuing reform, support for the current governance structure, and appropriate spending. My background in public policy, which includes earning a Master of Public Administration, demonstrates my ability to make sound judgements based on policy analysis and economic impact.
Please share any accomplishments or experiences that reflect your commitment to
advancing Opportunity DC's policy priorities
As President of the DC State Board of Education and the Board Chair of a DC public charter school, I advocated for strong standards and schools in both DCPS and the public charter school sector. As Senior Education Advisor to the DC Council, I led the oversight, budget, and legislative process for education agencies with an eye toward continuing reform, support for the current governance structure, and appropriate spending. My background in public policy, which includes earning a Master of Public Administration, demonstrates my ability to make sound judgements based on policy analysis and economic impact.
All endorsements to date:
Endorsements from former Councilmember Mary Cheh and current Councilmember Charles Allen, but no organizational endorsements. To date in this race, most major organizations have yet to endorse, with the exception of a few labor unions and the Working Families Party. Those were not endorsements that I sought.
Previous offices held:
DC State Board of Education:
- Ward 5 and 6 Member (2007-2009)
- President and Ward 6 Member (2009-2011)
Office of the Attorney General
- Chief of Staff (2018-2020)
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.
Housing: To increase affordable housing, DC must adopt an abundance strategy: legalize more homes and more types of housing in every Ward, especially near transit (but not limited to those areas), and streamline zoning, permitting, and appeals that delay projects.
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 supported Councilmember Pinto's Secure DC omnibus legislation, which appropriately focuses on accountability and prevention. I also support the comprehensive evaluation and oversight of the District's violence interruption program and believe we must have continued strong oversight to ensure ONSE is following evidence-based models. While violence interruption can be effective at reducing gun violence if implemented properly, that has not been the case to date; mismanagement and fraud cannot be allowed to continue.
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?
Workforce development: We can strengthen DC's economy by building a pipeline of qualified workers, particularly in high-demand fields such as healthcare and technology. I will support pathways to employment that begin in high school and provide access to paid apprenticeships and mentoring and direct connections to 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?
TOPA reform was a good first step, but to build more affordable and market-rate housing, DC needs to make it legal and easier to build more homes in more places. I support three changes:
1. Update zoning to allow more housing types. Legalize duplexes, triplexes, accessory units, and small apartment buildings in more neighborhoods, especially near transit and job centers. Housing should be allowed by right when it meets clear rules. Per question #3, requiring all DC areas zoned for commercial development to be automatically zoned for high-density development is one practical solution; housing density and commercial success go hand-in-hand.
2. Shorten and simplify approvals. The Department of Buildings and the Office of Zoning should be required to set clear inter-agency timelines for permits, coordinated reviews, and hearings. We must also limit repetitive or bad-faith appeals that add years of delay and cost.
3. Offer tools to make projects more financially viable: We should continue requiring affordable housing set-asides, but pair them with incentives like density bonuses, tax abatements, and financing tools so projects move forward despite high construction costs.
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
Needs further analysis. Any taxes intended for a specific purpose should go toward that purpose, not into new general fund expenditures. If, as in this case, the revenue generated is exceeding the demand and participation of employees, the Council should eliminate the increase over the next four years.
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. The best way to expand our tax base is to grow our working population by adding density to the city. This can only be done through the Council and Mayor working with our Zoning Commission and Office of Planning to amend rules and regulations around housing. Unless we build more market rate and affordable housing that meets the needs of individuals and families, we will continue to lose residents to surrounding areas, and our tax base will not grow.
2. Increased density is not enough, however. We need to make it easier to open and run a business, and we need to recruit high-wage industries as the federal government sheds jobs. Therefore, we need to do a wholesale review of business licensing, permitting, and ongoing reporting requirements to keep businesses open in this high-cost city and also review our competitiveness with our surrounding states, both around business taxes and incentives.
3. To reduce spending, DC must move toward more outcome budgeting, which requires agencies to justify their budgets based on measurable results vs. prior year spending. While DC does incorporate some components of outcome budgeting, we should increase the use of this practice to prevent automatic budget growth. Some agencies in particular have continued to add significant FTEs and expenses year after year, with insufficient justification for these increases.
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. Streamline permitting and zoning processes: The current permitting systems in DC add time and cost that slow housing and economic development. I would advocate for setting clear timelines and reducing redundant requirements for residents and developers.
2. Reform professional and business licensing: As stated in question #7 above, licensing requirements can sometimes limit competition and create undue burdens on workers and small businesses. We should review all licensing requirements and update them to align with public safety needs.
3. Simplify building and energy compliance rules for small projects: DC's building and energy requirements can be complex and costly, especially for small housing projects or renovations. We should create a clear, streamlined compliance option for smaller buildings that still meets safety and environmental goals but reduces costs and shortens timelines to make it easier to add housing.
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
I absolutely support the Mayor and Chief of Police having authority to declare curfews for large groups of young people on an emergency basis, and I would consider legislation to declare dedicated zones. But any legislation that I would support would need to include clear parameters regarding the circumstances under which this would be allowed, reporting requirements to enable effective oversight, and sunsetting provisions for curfews so they are not indefinite.
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?
Public safety must balance accountability and prevention. Councilmember Pinto's Secure DC omnibus legislation takes important steps toward preventing crime, increasing accountability for those who commit crimes, and improving DC government coordination. This approach demonstrates that we can have community-centered, evidence-based strategies while also holding people accountable for serious crimes. I support all components of Secure DC, and in particular believe we should focus on:
1. Accountability, which means swift and fair consequences for violent offenses and prioritizing victims and survivors. This should include improving coordination between MPD, the US Attorney's Office, and the Courts to reduce backlogs and ensure consistent follow-through for serious violent crimes.
2. Staffing our police and other responders at appropriate levels and supporting training: I will ensure there are sufficient resources for additional recruitment and training to meet appropriate staffing levels. DC must also expand the use of civilians alongside police, including mental health professionals, to respond to nonviolent and behavioral health calls - many of which take place within apartment buildings and commercial corridors - through co-responder programs and improved 911 triage.
3. Investing in prevention: I will ensure DC invests in housing, education, and basic needs to address the root causes of violence, with a focus on youth engagement through after-school programs and employment opportunities. We must also continue to fund commercial and transit corridor safety initiatives to ensure our businesses are protected and residents can move safely across the District. Finally, supporting returning citizens is essential to public safety. Stable housing, job training, employment, and reentry support help reduce recidivism. Further, I will prioritize funding for evidence-based, proven programs.
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