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Vincent Orange
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
PROVEN RESULTS FOR DC
✓ Established DC Emancipation Day Holiday
✓ Secured $15 minimum wage with CPI increase — now $17.95/hour
✓ Secured 5 days paid sick leave for tipped workers
✓ Secured wage theft laws returning stolen wages to workers
✓ Negotiated food trucks & restaurants coexisting in DC
✓ Changed the Comprehensive Plan to create today's Union Market
✓ Co-chaired North Capitol Metro Station development → creating NoMa District
✓ Jump-started economic development: Home Depot • Costco • Lowe's • Rhode Island Row • and more, and DC followed
✓ Jump-started school modernization: McKinley Technology High School • Noyes Elementary — and DC followed
✓ Jump-started recreation centers: Turkey Thicket • North Michigan Park • Brentwood — and DC followed
✓ Mandated books & instructional materials in schools by Week Two
✓ Over $1 Billion spent with Certified Business Enterprises (CBEs)
✓ Over 40 enacted laws improving quality of life in DC
Please share any accomplishments or experiences that reflect your commitment to
advancing Opportunity DC's policy priorities
PROVEN RESULTS FOR DC
✓ Established DC Emancipation Day Holiday
✓ Secured $15 minimum wage with CPI increase — now $17.95/hour
✓ Secured 5 days paid sick leave for tipped workers
✓ Secured wage theft laws returning stolen wages to workers
✓ Negotiated food trucks & restaurants coexisting in DC
✓ Changed the Comprehensive Plan to create today's Union Market
✓ Co-chaired North Capitol Metro Station development → creating NoMa District
✓ Jump-started economic development: Home Depot • Costco • Lowe's • Rhode Island Row • and more, and DC followed
✓ Jump-started school modernization: McKinley Technology High School • Noyes Elementary — and DC followed
✓ Jump-started recreation centers: Turkey Thicket • North Michigan Park • Brentwood — and DC followed
✓ Mandated books & instructional materials in schools by Week Two
✓ Over $1 Billion spent with Certified Business Enterprises (CBEs)
✓ Over 40 enacted laws improving quality of life in DC
All endorsements to date:
Previous offices held:
Ward 5 DC Councilmember; At-Large DC Councilmember; Washington, DC Democratic National Committeeman
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:
Increase housing supply through streamlined permitting timelines, predictable zoning, and faster inspections. Government delays add cost; efficiency lowers rent pressure. I also support returning excess dedicated revenue (e.g., over-collections) to taxpayers rather than using them to backfill structural budget gaps.
2. Public Safety:
Restore MPD staffing toward 4,000 officers while pairing enforcement with prevention—focused deterrence, youth employment pipelines, and real-time data deployment.
3. Jobs & Economy:
Establish a District Economic Growth Cabinet to aggressively recruit employers, modernize licensing, and expand apprenticeship tax incentives tied to DC resident hiring. Bring to fruition projects in the pipeline, i.e. Stadium, Capital Arena project, etc.
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.
1. Statutory permitting deadlines with automatic approvals if agencies fail to act within set timeframes.
2. Consolidated housing strike team reporting directly to the Mayor to coordinate zoning, DCRA successor agencies, and utilities.
3. Predictable inclusionary zoning calibration tied to feasibility analysis to ensure affordable requirements do not unintentionally stall projects.
We must compete regionally for capital.
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.Zero-based budget review across agencies to identify duplicative or low-performance programs.
2. Revenue alignment reform: Dedicated revenues must be used for their stated purposes; structural spending must align with recurring revenues.
3. Economic base expansion: Accelerate downtown conversion to mixed-use residential and innovation districts to grow property and income tax base.
Fiscal discipline builds confidence and preserves bond ratings.
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:
1. Business licensing consolidation: One-stop digital portal with guaranteed turnaround times.
2. Procurement reform: Faster payment timelines for small and CBE businesses.
3. Interagency inspection coordination: Single scheduled inspection window instead of multiple agency visits.
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?
Yes
Please provide 1 – 3 policies or strategies you support to make residents, workers, and businesses safer in DC.
1. Restore officer staffing & visibility policing in commercial corridors.
2. Youth engagement & apprenticeship pipelines tied to at-risk neighborhoods.
3. Technology investment: real-time crime centers, data deployment, and coordinated prosecution partnerships.
Public safety and economic vitality are inseparable.
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?
1. Early warning attendance dashboards with parent notification.
2. Community attendance partnerships with faith and neighborhood groups.
3. Link school attendance to expanded afterschool and workforce pathways so students see real opportunity connected to education.
Chronic absenteeism is both academic and social; solutions must be comprehensive.
(Optional) Notes Provided by Candidate
My governing philosophy is simple: economic growth, fiscal responsibility, and public safety create opportunity. When government is predictable and efficient, housing gets built, businesses expand, and jobs grow. When we align revenues with their intended purposes and avoid structural imbalance, we protect residents from unnecessary tax increases. When we restore public safety and maintain education accountability, families stay in DC.
Opportunity DC's emphasis on competitiveness, efficiency, and accountability aligns with my record of delivering economic expansion while protecting taxpayers.
As Mayor, I will focus relentlessly on execution.