Muriel Bowser

Muriel Bowser (born c. 1972) is a Democratic politician in Washington, D.C. She is a member of the Council of the District of Columbia representing Ward 4.

Early life

Bowser grew up in North Michigan Park in northeast DC.^[1] In 1990, Bowser graduated from Elizabeth Seton High School, a private all-girls Catholic high school located in Bladensburg, Maryland.^[2] Bowser graduated from Chatham College in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, with a bachelor's degree in history, and graduated from American University with a Masters in Public Policy.^[3][4] She moved to Ward 4 in 2000.^[5]

Political career

Advisory Neighborhood Commission

Bowser began her political career in 2004, running unopposed for Advisory Neighborhood Commission (ANC) representing Single Member District 4B09, which includes the neighborhood of Riggs Park.^[6][7][8] She was unopposed again in 2006 when she ran for reelection for the position.^[9]

Council of the District of Columbia

2007 election

Adrian Fenty, member of the Council of the District of Columbia representing Ward 4, ran for mayor of the District. Bowser was his campaign coordinator for Ward 4.^[10] When Fenty was elected mayor, a special election was called to fill his council seat. Bowser, among many others, announced her candidacy for it.^[10]

During a political forum with 17 of the 19 council candidates in attendance, Bowser was the only candidate present who supported Fenty's proposed takeover of the District public school system, saying that the school system needed to change.^[11]

When Fenty announced his support of Bowser,^[12] some critics claimed that, if elected, she would always vote as Fenty wished, ignoring the needs of her constituents.^[7][13]

Other critics took note of developers who had contributed to Bowser's campaign, claiming she would favor developers over her constituents.^[14] While an ANC commissioner, Bowser had voted in favor of a zoning variance for a condominium development to be built by a developer who had contributed several hundred dollars to her campaign, which some critics derided as a conflict of interest.^[15] Bowser maintained that she had supported the development project before running for Council.^[14]

The editorial page of The Washington Post favored Bowser in the election.^[16] The local councils of the AFL-CIO, Service Employees International Union, and the Fraternal Order of Police also endorsed Bowser in the election, but the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees endorsed her opponent, Michael A. Brown.^[17][18][19]

Bowser won the special election with 40% of the vote.^[20]

2008 election

In 2008, Bowser announced her reelection campaign for the Council. Three individuals ran against her in the Democratic primary,^[21] namely: Baruti Akil Jahi, former president of the Shepherd Park Citizens Association;^[22] Malik Mendenhall-Johnson, then serving as Advisory Neighborhood Commissioner of 4B04;^[23] and Paul E. Montague, who was Advisory Neighborhood Commissioner of 4B07 before being recalled in 2004.^[24] Both Jahi and Mendenhall-Johnson criticized Bowser, saying she was a rubber stamp for Mayor Fenty and that she was unconcerned with her constituent's needs.^[25]

No candidates' names were on the ballot for the Republican or D.C. Statehood Green primaries.^[21]

The Washington Post's editorial department endorsed Bowser's candidacy.^[26] The Gertrude Stein Democratic Club also voted to endorse Bowser's reelection.^[27]

Bowser won the Democratic Party primary election, receiving 75 percent of votes.^[28] Jahi received 19%, Montague received 3%, and Mendenhall-Johnson received 2%.^[28] With no one else appearing on the subsequent general election ballot,^[29] Bowser won the general election with 97 percent of the vote.^[30]

Council Period 18

Now in her first full term on the Council, Councilmember Bowser is Chairwoman of the Committee on Public Services and Consumer Affairs. This committee is responsible for matters related to consumer and regulatory affairs, public utilities, and insurance, banking, and securities regulation. The Councilmember champions consumer protection, while maintaining a keen focus on building a supportive business environment, which requires regulatory efficiency and predictability.

Election history

2004 Advisory Neighborhood Commission, 4B09, General Election^[6]

Muriel E. Bowser 98%

Write-in 2%

2006 Advisory Neighborhood Commission, 4B09, General Election^[9]

Muriel E. Bowser 90%

Write-in 10%

2007 Council of the District of Columbia, Ward 4, Special Election^[20]

Muriel Bowser (D) 40%

Michael A. Brown (D) 27%

Charles Gaither (D) 5%

Dwight E. Singleton (D) 5%

Renee Bowser (STG) 5%

Graylan Scott Hagler (D) 4%

Tony Towns (D) 3%

Robert G. Childs (D) 3%

Artee Milligan (D) 1%

Judi Jones (I) 1%

Carroll Green (D) 1%

Lisa P. Bass (D) 1%

Douglas Ned Sloan (D) 1%

Marlena D. Edwards (D) 1%

T. A. Uqdah (D) 1%

Lisa Comfort Bradford (D) 1%

Michael T. Green (D) 0%

James Clark (D) 0%

Roy Howell (D) 0%

Write-in 0%

2008 Council of the District of Columbia, Ward 4, Democratic Party Primary Election^[28]

Muriel Bowser (D) 75%

Baruti Jahi (D) 19%

Paul E. Montague (D) 3%

Malik F. Mendenhall-Johnson (D) 2%

Write-in 2%

2008 Council of the District of Columbia, Ward 4, General Election^[30]

Muriel Bowser (D) 97%

Write-in 3%

Committees

• Committee on Public Services and Consumer Affairs (Chair)
• Committee on Economic Development
• Committee on Human Services
• Committee on Public Works and Transportation

References

1. ^ Stewart, Nikita. In Primary, Bowser Asserts Independence. The Washington Post. August 20, 2008. Retrieved August 20, 2008.
2. ^ Annual Report, 2006-2007. Elizabeth Seton High School.
3. ^ Local elections 2008: Muriel Bowser. The Washington Post. Retrieved 2008-06-27.
4. ^ Jaffe, Harry. Why vote Muriel Bowser in the Ward 4 race? The Examiner. 2007-04-17.
5. ^ Drake, Ingrid. Possible Contenders in the Ward 4 Race (pdf). DC North. January 2007.
6. ^ ^{a b} Certified Summary Results (pdf). District of Columbia Board of Elections and Ethics. 2004-11-18.
7. ^ ^{a b} Woodlee, Yolanda; Silverman, Elissa. Hopefuls Begin Staking Out Fenty's and Gray's Seats. The Washington Post. 2006-09-20.
8. ^ Ward 4 with ANC & SMD Boundary. District of Columbia Board of Elections and Ethics. Retrieved 2008-06-30.
9. ^ ^{a b} Certified Official Results Report (pdf). District of Columbia Board of Elections and Ethics. 2006-11-21.
10. ^ ^{a b} Silverman, Elissa. Fenty a Strong Presence in Crowded Ward 4 Race to Replace Him. The Washington Post. 2007-01-23.
11. ^ Silverman, Elissa; Woodlee, Yolanda. Fenty's School Takeover Plan Gets Rough Reception. The Washington Post. 2007-03-02.
12. ^ Chen, Eve. Fenty Supports ANC Commissioner as Successor. WTOP. 2007-01-20.
13. ^ Woodlee, Yolanda. Candidates Focus On Fundraising In Wards 4, 7. The Washington Post. 2007-03-06.
14. ^ ^{a b} Woodlee, Yolanda. Top Fundraisers Feel The Heat in Ward 4. The Washington Post. 2007-04-27.
15. ^ Woodlee, Yolanda; Silverman, Elissa. Who Will Fenty Support in Ward 7? The Washington Post. 2007-03-08.
16. ^ The D.C. Special Election: Muriel Bowser in Ward 4 and Victor Vandell in Ward 7 are the best bets for council. The Washington Post. 2007-04-15.
17. ^ Muriel Bowser Receives the Metropolitan Council, AFL-CIO Endorsement (pdf). Muriel Bowser for Ward 4 2008. Press release. 2007-04-10.
18. ^ Silverman, Elissa; Labb, Theola. Dueling Endorsements for Vacant Seats. The Washington Post. 2007-03-22.
19. ^ Muriel Bowser Endorsed By The Fraternal Order of Police, Metropolitan Police Department Labor Committee (pdf). Fraternal Order of Police, Metropolitan Police Department Labor Committee. Press release. 2007-03-15.
20. ^ ^{a b} Certified Official Results Report (pdf). District of Columbia Board of Elections and Ethics. 2007-05-11.
21. ^ ^{a b} List of Candidates for the September 9, 2008 Congressional and Council Primary Election (pdf). District of Columbia Board of Elections and Ethics. 2008-07-03.
22. ^ Stewart, Nikita. Local Election Season Quietly Kicks Off. The Washington Post. 2008-05-11.
23. ^ Advisory Neighborhood Commission 4B. Government of the District of Columbia. Retrieved 2008-07-15.
24. ^ Stewart, Nikita R. And They're Off! The Washington Post. 2008-05-11.
25. ^ Stewart, Nikita. "In Primary, Bowser Asserts Independence". The Washington Post. August 20, 2008. Retrieved September 10, 2008.
26. ^ "The D.C. Council Primary: Our choices in next Tuesday's election". The Washington Post. September 3, 2008. Retrieved September 10, 2008.
27. ^ DeBonis, Mike. Incumbents Rake In Stein Club Endorsements. Washington City Paper. 2008-06-19.
28. ^ ^{a b c} Certified Results. District of Columbia Board of Elections and Ethics. September 26, 2008.
29. ^ "List of Candidates in Ballot Order for the November 4, 2008 General Election" (PDF). District of Columbia Board of Board of Elections and Ethics. http://www.dcboee.org/pdf_files/November_2008_Presidential_Election_List.pdf. 
30. ^ ^{a b} Certified Results. District of Columbia Board of Elections and Ethics. November 24, 2008.

External links

• Official site

Council of the District of Columbia
Preceded by Adrian Fenty	Ward 4 Member, Council of the District of Columbia 2007 – present	Incumbent

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Name	Bowser, Muriel
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