Yesterday marked what could be considered an unofficial start to the race for the Ward 7 city council seat. (Hopefuls won’t be certified until March 16—then there’s a 10 day challenge period—for the June 14th primary.) The ward’s top three competitors—Ward 7 Councilmember Yvette Alexander, former Mayor Vince Gray, and Ed Potillo—planned to attend to two consecutive events.

The evening began in the basement of Pennsylvania Avenue Baptist Church in Southeast and ended at Sala Thai on Minnesota Avenue NE.

The first event was organized by former Ward 7 Councilmember H. R. Crawford who took the seat in 1980 and served three terms. Crawford said it wasn’t an official forum so much as an opportunity for the community to ask questions of the candidates. He said he hoped candidates could “explain what in the world has happened to us in 12 years,” describing the ward as “most embarrassing.”

Gray, who announced his candidacy for Ward 7 earlier this month, was unable to attend. He had an emergency with a close friend, his campaign manager, Alicia Prince, told the audience. Volunteering to field questions on his behalf, Prince recorded the crowd’s questions regarding Gray’s legal issues, failure to bring Walmart into the ward, and possible aspirations to become mayor again.

Alicia Prince, manager of Vince Gray Ward 7 campaign. Photo by Christina Sturdivant

Prince promised that everyone at the meeting—who put their contact information on a sign-in sheet—would have answers from Gray within a week.

Next up, Potillo, vice-chairman of the District of Columbia Democratic State Committee, took the podium. He proceeded to share stories from his formative years hanging at his grandma’s house off of Texas Avenue, going to go-go concerts in the ward with friends, and visiting the Shrimp Boat with his dad. He then shared a host of volunteer efforts that have gotten him to a place where servitude defines his character, saying, “I want to bring that servitude here to the ward.”

Ed Potillo. Photo by Christina Sturdivant

After more of a laborious biographical monologue, Crawford cut the hopeful candidate short, explaining that people wanted to know what he’ll do for them, and how he differs from other candidates. In response, Potillo cited plans to improve educational deficiencies and healthcare disparities in the ward.

But when a mic was passed around to audience members, they consistently inquired about job opportunities, or a lack thereof, for Ward 7 residents. To this, Potillo said, “we need an aggressive, but targeted workforce development program to make sure people are employable.”

After the arrival of Councilmember Alexander, about an hour after the event’s start, the tone of the room turned tense. While Potillo clung to the podium, audience members starting posing questions to their elected official. In turn, she had no problem taking the floor…. from her seat.

The first question to Alexander answered dealt with a perceived lack of black men and women working at construction sites in the ward. The councilmember said that was untrue “because I see black men all the time—I should probably start taking pictures and citing them” on Twitter and Facebook.

After Potillo addressed a few more concerns, Alexander officially took the podium. She gave only a brief biographical introduction about herself because as she said, “I think just about everyone in this room knows me” or can “google me.”

Ward 7 Councilmember Yvette Alexander. Photo by Christina Sturdivant

She continued to explain that people make a lot of promises on the campaign trail, however, “as an actual member, you see what can actually be done and what can’t be done so I can give you the real answers to all the idealism.”

Not only does it take collaboration from her colleagues, she said, but residents must work with her “and not complain and not sulk” about the issues in the ward.

The next audience question came from Emily Washington who was concerned about missed educational opportunities in the area. Alexander’s response dated back to former Chancellor Michelle Rhee and the “dirt she did” with an agenda to open numerous charter schools across the city.

“I’ll point a finger at her any day,” Alexander said. She also pointed to residents saying that “some of our parents need to be taught about the quality of a child’s education just as much as children at this point.” And they should focus less on purchasing Jordan sneakers and more on keeping their children’s grades up, she added.

Government is “not your savior” she told the crowd, “government is here to help you help yourself.”

After answering questions about Skyland, a woman living under a bridge on Pennsylvania Ave in Southeast, and eradicating poverty, the councilmember reminded the crowd that she had a previous engagement—a trivia night at Sala Thai—that she was late for.

Fast forward about 30 minutes later, just two miles up the road, Alexander was in much lighter spirits. During a D.C. trivia night hosted by Neighbors United for DC Statehood, Alexander read off questions about the city to a diverse group of youthful residents.

While also invited to MC, Gray didn’t attend the event. Potillo also planned to attend, but didn’t make it.

Photo by Hamzat Sani

When she wasn’t quizzing guests about D.C. street names and sports teams, the councilmember joined a team of trivia-goers and answered questions herself. She also displayed her humorous side, playfully teasing some of her constituents and excitedly blurting out answers.

In a much more personable way than in the hour before, she appeared electable… in a campaign that officially starts in about a month.