Local
Graham to run for fifth term
Gay D.C. Council member announces re-election bid
Gay D.C. Councilmember Jim Graham (D-Ward 1) announced his re-election bid on Bruce DePuyt’s show Monday. (Washington Blade file photo by Jeff Surprenant)
Gay D.C. Councilmember Jim Graham (D-Ward 1) announced on Monday that he will run in the April 1, 2014 Democratic primary for a fifth term in office.
Graham made the announcement on the News Channel 8 TV program Bruce DePuyt Live a little more than a month after he formed an exploratory committee to help him decide whether or not to run for re-election.
In a statement released at the time of the announcement, Graham said that in discussions with Ward 1 residents he was reminded of the major economic development he helped bring about in all parts of the ward and his work in making sure the development benefited the residents. He also pointed to his constituent service work that he noted has been praised as among the best on the Council.
“It came down to, Jim, do you want to serve another four years? Graham told DePuyt. “Is this really something you want to do? Do you want to be of service? And the answer I came up with is yes.”
As of Dec. 6, three others had filed papers to run in the Democratic primary for the Ward 1 Council seat, according to a candidate list provided by the D.C. Board of Elections and Ethics. All candidates must submit the required number of petition signatures by Jan. 2 to qualify for placement on the ballot.
The three running against Graham are longtime community activist and former Advisory Neighborhood Commissioner Bryan Weaver; public relations consultant and community activist Brianne Nadeau; and Carnegie Mellon University professor Beverly Wheeler, who is a former chief of staff for D.C. Council Chair Phil Mendelson (D-At-Large) before Mendelson became chair.
Graham, 68, has been among the Council’s strongest advocates for LGBT rights and people with HIV/AIDS. Prior to winning election to the Council, Graham served for more than 15 years as executive director of the Whitman-Walker Clinic, the city’s largest private, non-profit organization providing services to people with HIV/AIDS.
Graham’s three opponents have expressed support for LGBT equality.
Weaver, who ran and lost to Graham in the 2010 Democratic primary, has been the most outspoken this year among the three candidates challenging Graham on the issue of ethics. In a statement released Monday immediately after Graham announced he was running for re-election Weaver raised the issue of the Council’s decision in February of this year to reprimand Graham over an allegation that he improperly intervened in the negotiating process for a city contract with a developer.
“The Councilmember’s decision to seek re-election reflects just how out of touch he has become about the importance of the public’s trust in our government,” Weaver said.
The Council voted 11-2 to issue the reprimand after the city’s newly created independent ethics board ruled that Graham, while not violating any law, breached a code of ethics as a Council member by intervening in the contract process.
Graham has strongly disputed the claim that he acted improperly. He has said he favored one developer over another for a Metro-related project in his ward based on the belief that the company he favored was better qualified to do the work.
Political observers have said the reprimand by his Council colleagues and the ethics board ruling would likely make the outcome of Graham’s re-election closer than it has been in Graham’s four previous elections, in which he won by significant margins. In the 2010 general election, Graham won with 81 percent of the vote.
Ward 1 ANC Commissioner Marc Morgan, who ran against Graham as a Republican in the 2010 general election, said Graham remains highly popular among many Ward 1 residents based on his years of constituent service work in support of many of the ward’s diverse neighborhoods.
“In trying to put political bias aside, I must admit I’m a fan of Jim Graham,” Morgan told the Blade. “I can tell you that in my area the residents are extremely satisfied with him.”
The Gertrude Stein Democratic Club, the city’s largest LGBT political organization, has endorsed Graham in each of his past races for the Ward 1 Council seat. But this time Weaver, who is viewed as a longtime friend of the LGBT community, is expected to compete for the Stein Club endorsement.
Stein Club officials said they have yet to develop a timetable for making endorsements in the April 1 primary, but said an endorsement meeting and forum for Council candidates would likely take place in February or March.
District of Columbia
Brian Footer suspends campaign for Ward 1 D.C. Council seat
Race’s third LGBTQ candidate cites family reasons for ‘stepping back’
Gay Advisory Neighborhood Commissioner Brian Footer, who was one of three out LGBTQ candidates running for the open Ward 1 D.C. Council seat in the city’s June 16, 2026, Democratic primary, announced on Dec. 17 he has decided to “suspend” his campaign to focus on his family.
“After deep reflection and honest conversations with my family, I have decided to suspend my campaign for the D.C. Council,” he said in a statement. “This moment in my life requires me to be present with the people I love most and honor the responsibilities I carry both at home and in the community,” he states. “This was not an easy decision, but it is the right one for me and my family at this time.”
Footer, a longtime Ward 1 community activist and LGBTQ rights advocate, announced his candidacy for the Ward 1 Council seat in July, one month before bisexual Ward 1 community activist Aparna Raj announced her candidacy for the Council seat on Aug. 12.
Gay Ward 1 Advisory Neighborhood Commissioner Miguel Trindade Deramo announced his candidacy for the Ward 1 Council seat on Nov. 18, becoming the third out LGBTQ candidate in what appeared to be an unprecedented development for a race for a single D.C. Council seat.
At least three other candidates who are not LGBTQ are running for the Ward 1 Council seat. They include Ward 1 ANC member Rashida Brown, longtime Ward 1 community activist Terry Lynch, and Jackie Reyes-Yanes, the former director of the Mayor’s Office of Community Affairs.
In his statement announcing the suspension of his candidacy, Footer said he would continue to be involved in community affairs and advocate for the issues he discussed during his campaign.
“I want to be clear: I am stepping back from the race, not the work,” he says in his statement. “Public service has always been my calling. I will continue advocating for affordability, for safer streets, for stability for small businesses, and for a government that responds to people with urgency and respect,” he wrote. “And I will continue showing up as a partner in the work of building a stronger Ward 1.”
Footer concluded by thanking and praising his campaign supporters and calling his campaign suspension a “transition,” suggesting he is not likely to resume his candidacy.
His campaign press spokesperson did not immediately respond to a question from the Washington Blade asking if Footer might later resume his campaign or if his latest action was in effect an end to his candidacy.
“To everyone who knocked on doors, hosted conversations, donated, shared encouragement, and believed in this campaign, thank you,” he says in his statement. “I am deeply grateful for every person who helped this campaign take root,” he added. “This isn’t an ending, it’s a transition. And I’m excited for the work ahead, both in Ward 1 and at home with my family.”
Longtime gay D.C. Democratic Party activist Peter Rosenstein said in a statement to the Blade, “I respect Brian Footer’s decision to end his campaign for Council. It is not easy to run a campaign in D.C. and there are many others running in Ward 1.” He added, “While not living in Ward 1, I thank Brian for all he has done and clearly will continue to do for the people in the ward.”
Local
LGBTQ, LGBTQ-friendly congregations to hold holiday services
Bet Mishpachah’s Hanukkah service to take place on Friday
LGBTQ and LGBTQ-friendly congregations in D.C. will hold services and other events throughout the holiday season.
Bet Mishpachah on Friday will hold its Sparks in the Dark Happy Hour at Spark Social on 14th Street from 5:30-7:30 p.m. It’s Chanuka Shabbat Service will begin at the Edlavitch DC Jewish Community Center (1529 16th St., N.W.) at 8 p.m.
Hanukkah began on Sunday and will end on Dec. 22.
Two gunmen on Sunday killed 15 people and injured more than two dozen others when they opened fire at a Hanukkah celebration on Sydney’s Bondi Beach.
Jake Singer-Beilin, Bet Mishpachah’s chief rabbi, in a Facebook post mourned the victims.
“We grieve for the victims and send heartfelt prayers of healing for those who were wounded,” he wrote.
“This Chanuka, our lights will shine brightly in the darkness, but our hearts will be heavy with mourning for those who were murdered on Bondi Beach while observing what should have been a joyous day,” added Singer-Beilin. “We will still celebrate our Festival of Lights and we will commit ourselves to illuminating and repairing our broken world. Let us channel the bravery of the Maccabees who found hope where there seemed to be none, and who fought to create a better future. We must do the same.”
LGBTQ Catholic group to hold annual Christmas Day Mass
Dignity Washington’s Christmas Day Mass will take place at St. Margaret’s Episcopal Church (1820 Connecticut Ave., N.W.) on Dec. 25 from 6-7 p.m. Parishioners can attend in person or watch it online via Facebook.
The Metropolitan Community Church of Washington D.C.’s Christmas Eve service will take place at the church (474 Ridge St., N.W., on Dec. 24 at 6 p.m.
St. Thomas Episcopal Church (1517 18th St., N.W.) in Dupont Circle will hold its Christmas Eve Festival Eucharist from 5-6 p.m. A Christmas Eve dinner will take place in the Parish Hall from 6-8:30 p.m. The church’s Christmas Eve Festival Eucharist will occur on Dec. 25 from 10-11 a.m.
Washington National Cathedral throughout the holiday season has a number of services and events scheduled. These include the virtual Gospel Christmas Service on Dec. 21 from 6-7:30 p.m., the Family Christmas Service on Dec. 23 from 11 a.m. to noon, the Christmas Eve Festival Holy Eucharist on Dec. 24 from 10-11:45 p.m., and the Christmas Day Festival Holy Eucharist on Dec. 25 from 11:15 a.m. to 12:45 p.m.
The Foundry United Methodist Church (1500 16th St., N.W.) in Dupont Circle will hold its Christmas Eve Family Service on Dec. 24 at 4:30 p.m. Its Carols and Candlelight Service will take place at 8 p.m.
Smithsonian Anacostia Community Museum to celebrate Kwanzaa
The Smithsonian Anacostia Community Museum (1901 Fort Place S.E.) in Anacostia will mark the first day of Kwanzaa on Dec. 26 with storytelling and drumming with Mama Ayo and Baba Ras D from noon to 2 p.m. The museum will hold a series of other events through the 6-day celebration of African American culture that ends on Jan. 1.
The Creative Suitland Arts Center (4719 Silver Hill Road) in Suitland, Md., on Friday will hold their Almost Kwanzaa: A Creative Kind of Holiday event from 6-8:30 p.m.
Maryland
Joseline Peña-Melnyk elected Md. House speaker
Family immigrated to New York City from the Dominican Republic
By PAMELA WOOD | Moments after being elected speaker of the Maryland House of Delegates Tuesday, state Del. Joseline Peña-Melnyk stood before the chamber and contemplated her unlikely journey to that moment.
Born in the Dominican Republic, the Peña family lived in a small wooden house with a leaky tin roof and no indoor plumbing. Some days, she said, there was no food to eat.
When she was 8 years old, the family immigrated to New York City, where Peña-Melnyk was dubbed “abogadito” or “little lawyer” for helping her mother and others by translating at social services offices.
The rest of this article can be read on the Baltimore Banner’s website.
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