Photo by dbking.

The hot topics of the week in local politics have been, without a doubt, welfare and Walmart — and while Ward 8 Councilmember Marion Barry has been on the warpath regarding the former, his views on the latter hadn’t really surfaced. Until this morning, that is, when Barry made an appearance on NewsTalk with Bruce DePuyt.

Regarding Walmart, Barry said he was flabbergasted that one wasn’t coming to Ward 8, as he claimed he had been working on getting one “for years.” Barry was also surprised that Ward 5 Councilmember Harry Thomas, Jr. “has one or two,” as if Thomas will be erecting the stores in his backyard.

“We need every job we can get, but also consumer products,” said Barry. “I welcome Walmart, under the condition that they pay decent wages, they use local contractors and the money stays circulating in the District.”

Barry continued: “Let me just say this right now — I’m going to get one of those [for Ward 8]. We need to get rid of this mentality that Ward 8 is last in line for everything, that people go there are not worthy of doing things.” Barry then suggested putting a Walmart at Poplar Point, near the Anacostia Metro station or some currently federally-owned land on South Capitol Street near the District border. (All of those suggestions seem…doubtful.) Barry actually even touched on making the Walmarts part of a walkable community and working with mass transit.

Of course, if that was more soaring than what you expected from the former Mayor, Barry did revert back to the usual dog-and-pony show when talking about his welfare proposal — which would cap TANF benefits after five years for D.C. residents — and Ward 8’s mostly African-American constituency.