5 minute read
ELECTION 2022
Robert C. White, Jr., Top Rival to Mayor Bowser
BY CHRISTOPHER JONES
As D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser (D) seeks to become the first woman elected to a third term in office this fall as the District’s chief executive, her top rival in the Democratic party, At-Large D.C. Council Member Robert C. White, Jr., has her looking over her shoulder.
We spoke with White to discuss why he’s challenging Mayor Bowser in the June 21 Democratic primary and why he believes he’s best suited for the city’s top job.
On the D.C. Council, White, age 40, serves as the Chair of the Committee on Facilities and Procurement, while also serving as the board chair of the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments. He holds a law degree from American University, and undergraduate degrees in philosophy and political science from St. Mary’s College of Maryland. He graduated from Archbishop Carroll High School where he played lacrosse.
After law school, White clerked in the District Court for Montgomery County, then served as the lead staffer on congressional oversight hearings related to the District for D.C. Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton, serving as counsel on her staff for 8 years. In 2014, D.C. Attorney General Karl Racine then appointed White to serve as the first director of community outreach for the D.C. Office of Attorney General. In 2016, White was elected at-large to the D.C. Council, replacing Vincent Orange (D).
According to White’s D.C. Council website, he and his wife, Christy, an attorney with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, reside in Ward 4 with their two daughters, Madison, 5, Monroe, 3, and their rescue pit bull, Roscoe. White founded the Brightwood Park Citizens Association, he and Christy attend St. Martin’s Catholic Church, and he “loves to spend time with his family, reading, and riding his motorcycle.”
White’s path to politics was not an easy one, however. When he was only 8, he lost his mother to breast cancer and shortly after suffered in a car crash that fractured his skull, though he later fully recovered. He struggled in high school and was scoffed for his dreams of one day becoming a lawyer.
First in his family to receive a college degree, White’s motivation to run for mayor stems in large part from his beliefs in the importance of public education in his life and what he and Christy have experienced as parents putting their kids into the D.C. public school system.
“I’m a fifth-generation Washingtonian and am very much an outlier in my family. I come from a family of high school graduates who’ve struggled in this city and the vast majority of my family has been displaced. Now, I’m a D.C public school parent, so I know the difficulties and frustrations parents are having. And I hear my fellow parents telling me why they’re leaving the city. And most of them don’t want to leave. But they feel like they’ve got to in order to get a good education for their kids, to keep their families safe, or because they just can’t afford a place to live as their family grows.”
Robert C. White, Jr. with wife, Christy, and daughters Madison, 5, and Monroe, 3. Courtesy Twitter.
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Lindner Announces ANC Candidacy
BY ROBERT DEVANEY
With the official news on Monday that commissioners Jenny Mitchell, Rick Murphy and Lisa Palmer will not run for re-election, candidates have come forth to run for a seat on the Georgetown-Burleith Advisory Neighborhood Commission (ANC 2E). The Georgetowner will report on other candidates for the upcoming local elections.
Mimsy Lindner, candidate for ANC Single Member District 2E05.
“Filling Lisa Palmer’s shoes will not be an easy task,” Mimsy Lindner told The Georgetowner. “She has been an amazing commissioner and a true advocate for 2E05. But given the chance, I will try!”
She and her husband Rusty Lindner, Executive Chair of Colonial Parking, are well known in town and in the city.
“When I moved to Washington, D.C., in 1984 to pursue a career in meeting planning, I never expected my heart to land in Georgetown. It is here that I met my husband, Rusty, and where we raised our four children. I have lived in upper Georgetown (R Street), on Potomac Street (across from Booeymonger), on 33rd Street (near Volta Park) and now at the Georgetown Waterfront. Each area in Georgetown offers something special, and each has a different personality.”
“Over time, I have learned that even a few blocks can make a big difference in the wants and needs of neighbors and businesses. Pulled together, these comprise the rich fabric that is Georgetown and are why people love living here,” Lindner continued.
“My family has always been my priority and as such I’ve always devoted time to what was important to the six of us. Schools and community remain a focus for me. I was President of Intown Playgroup, served on the board of Little Folks School, then was President of the Parent Association at the Washington International School. I worked with Georgetown Ministry Center in their journey to help the homeless, and I have been cooking meals for the Georgetown Senior Center for years. Also, I served as Junior Warden at church which afforded me the opportunity to work with the Salvation Army Soup Truck as well as other internal and external church and mission projects. For 10 years, I was president of The Friends of Volta Park (FOVP), where (following in the footsteps of John Richardson) I worked closely with the D.C. Department of Parks and Recreation and other D.C. officials. ... Most recently, I was honored to be appointed by Mayor Bowser to serve on the board of Events DC. ...”
“Of course, safety is an ongoing concern and must be a priority. Whether at the Georgetown Waterfront, Wisconsin Avenue and M Streets or in the neighborhoods, we want everyone in our community to be safe and feel comfortable walking about. We must also acknowledge the unique challenges that Georgetown faces as a residential neighborhood with a thriving business community. Residents and business owners must work hard to co-exist peacefully and support one another.”
