Photo by hey-helen

Harry Thomas, Jr. will soon be headed to jail to serve a three-year term for stealing $350,000 in city funds, and today residents of the ward he once represented get to turn the page by electing someone to replace him.

Residents of Ward 5 will be choosing a successor from 12 candidates—10 Democrats, one Republican and one Independent—to complete Thomas’ term on the D.C. Council. Among the contenders is Tim Day, the Republican whose self-launched investigation into Thomas’ non-profits eventually led to his downfall; former Ward 5 candidates Kenyan McDuffie and Delano Hunter; longtime political activist Frank Wilds; and former D.C. Council staffer Drew Hubbard. The other candidates are Kathy Henderson, Shelly Gardner, Ron L. Magnus, Ruth E. Marshall, Rae Zapata, and John C. Cheeks.

McDuffie has swept up endorsements from progressive groups and unions, though critics have claimed that he is too close to the troubled administration of Mayor Vince Gray. (Prior to running for the seat, McDuffie worked for the Deputy Mayor for Public Safety and Justice.) Hunter has been seen as something of a natural retail politician, but his 2010 opposition to same-sex marriage (and acceptance of donations from the National Organization for Marriage that year) have continued to dog his campaign. Day is the Post’s chosen candidate, but he faces a ward that is overwhelmingly Democratic. (Day claims that his role in exposing Thomas left him open to harassment.) Wilds started slowly, but as of last week had over $45,000 in campaign cash left to spend to get voters out to the polls today.

Much like with citywide races, the Ward 5 contest has exposed the usual simmering tensions between what new residents say they want and what old residents fear they will lose. This has become especially obvious in Ward 5, which is home to both emerging neighborhoods like Brookland and Bloomingdale and established middle class enclaves. (The Post recently queried McDuffie, Hunter, Day, Hubbard, and Wilds on key issues.)

Polls opened at 7 a.m. and close at 8 p.m. We’ll have results as soon as the ballots are counted.