Evans Campaign Raises $1 Million; Pitches Donors at George Town Club
By • December 19, 2013 0 1090
Mayoral candidate and Ward 2 council member Jack Evans met with supporters at the George Town Club Dec. 13. During the week, the Evans campaign hit the million-dollar mark in fundraising but wants another half-million, Evans said.
Wooing potential donors in the Grill Room of the club, Evans said he was “not just any white guy,” citing the success of development along 14th Street and his hand in helping Whole Foods set up in the District among several business and job-creating projects. He touted his “ability to run the city after 22 years of experience.”
“I believe this is our time,” the optimistic Evans said and added he thought with himself as mayor and former mayor Anthony Williams on the Federal City Council, that “would be a game changer.”
Concerning the race for the Democratic Party’s nomination for Mayor of Washington, D.C., Evans said that the “more people in the race, the better.” The candidate who gets just one more vote than the others wins the primary. Addressing Republican supporters in the room, Evans said that they could re-register as Democrats to vote in the April 1 election and switch back to the GOP later. The campaign is also pushing to get college students registered to vote.
Talking about affordable housing, Evans said he wants to find a way to keep homeowners in their homes and not having to move because of rising assessments and property taxes.
Washington, D.C., is the “fastest growing city in the U.S.,” Evans said, with 1,000 newcomers moving in each month — as well as the city being the number-one destination for recent college graduates. He said he wants the city to be on par with London and Paris.
As for public safety, Evans cited lowered crime and said he would keep Metropolitan Police Chief Cathy Lanier, if he became mayor.
Aside from what he called the “rosy picture” of D.C.’s economy, Evans said its public education was “one of the worst public school systems” in the country. He saw hope in forming some kind of partnership between public and private schools, noting that the area has some of the “finest private schools.”
Evans also said he had concerns about raising the minimum wage from $8.25 per hour to $11.25 per the recent City Council bill which he supported. The minimum wage is supposed to be a starting wage for the work force, he said.
