Ed Lazere, the longtime head of an active, left-leaning local think tank, is seeking a citywide D.C. Council seat in the general election this year, he announced Tuesday. Lazere joins a significantly crowded field in the race to replace outgoing At-large Councilmember David Grosso, who is not running for reelection.
Monday was Lazere’s last day at the D.C. Fiscal Policy Institute, a nonprofit advocacy organization he’s led for nearly two decades. In an interview with DCist, he says he’s running for council because he’s deeply concerned about growing inequality in the District and the displacement of black residents amid widespread gentrification. Lazere first sought a seat on the local legislature in 2018, when he unsuccessfully challenged the chairman, Phil Mendelson, in the Democratic primary. He lost that race by a big margin: 63 percent to 36 percent.
Now, Lazere has switched his party status to independent to compete for Grosso’s position, which is one of two council seats that are legally reserved for non-majority-party members. But unlike last time, he isn’t up against an entrenched incumbent who’s served on the council since 1999 and has a major political and fundraising base.
Rather, he’s vying for an open seat with 19 years of local policy expertise and an ambitious citywide campaign under his belt. The difficulty this time will be differentiating himself from the dozen or so other candidates also pursuing the same seat—and that doesn’t include any additional contenders who may enter the race before the filing deadline in August.
“This time I’m around, I’m coming to the table as the person who has the most experience in working across the city with people and organizations and with policymakers to get things done,” Lazere says, citing his mastery of D.C.’s policy landscape and process. Of what he learned from his previous campaign, he adds: “It is so important, no matter how many people you think you know already, to go out and be in as many places and knock on as many doors as possible to connect with many people. People need to not only see your platform and say that it’s great, they need to know you and trust you.”
But there’s a new wrinkle at play this year: the fact of campaigning during a global pandemic—the coronavirus outbreak. A few candidates in other ongoing council races have already temporarily suspended their door-knocking and greeting events to help prevent the spread of COVID-19, the illness caused by the contagious virus, and Lazere says he’s thinking through how to campaign over the coming months while putting public health first. (One option would be to host virtual meet-and-greets: Even the council is set to conduct its proceedings virtually as the pandemic persists.) As of the latest update from authorities, the District had confirmed 22 positive cases of COVID-19, a tally that’s almost certain to grow in the days ahead.
Also unlike his last bid, Lazere has formally separated from the D.C. Fiscal Policy Institute instead of taking a leave of absence with the possibility of returning after his campaign. “It’s just recognizing that it’s a long time to be away and for them to hold my position open, but also just hard for an organization to have their leader go back and forth and back and forth so many times,” he explains. (DCFPI announced Lazere’s departure, plus the appointment of an interim executive director, early Tuesday; in compliance with the rules governing nonprofits, the group didn’t reveal his political plans.)
In local progressive circles, his eventual campaigning has been something of an open secret for weeks. Now that he’s officially in it, Lazere is likely to receive endorsements from various advocacy groups and community leaders who admire his record of fighting for paid family leave and equitable school funding, among other liberal priorities.
He plans on using the city’s new public financing program, which provides qualifying candidates start-up and matching funds based on how many small-dollar contributions they receive. As of March 10, D.C. campaign finance officials had certified a dozen candidates for the program and had doled out over $1.2 million in funds. A donation limit of $100 per person is allowed for at-large council candidates, and corporate donors are prohibited. “D.C. residents will fund this campaign,” notes Lazere, who hails from Sioux City, Iowa, and has lived in Brookland with his family for 28 years. (He’s currently 55.)
Lazere’s platform includes investing more in affordable housing, public education, and jobs programs as well as helping low-income families—particularly families of color who have been harmed or otherwise disadvantaged by generations of discrimination—build wealth. “There’s just something wrong when this incredibly prosperous city is also the worst in the nation for displacing black residents and where we all see tent encampments popping up because that’s all people can afford anymore,” he argues. “I think we need—rather than incremental progress towards addressing that challenge and feeling good [about it]—to commit to creating enough affordable housing for literally every low-income family that needs it.”
The general election is scheduled for November 3. It’s anticipated to see high turnout because of the presidential contest at the top of the ballot. Months before that, the District is slated to hold its primaries on June 2, including for several council seats. But the non-partisan seat Lazere is seeking will only be in contention in the general.
