All information below provided by the candidates.
Ward 2 candidates:
 Jack Evans, the DC Council’s longest-serving lawmaker, has served on the Council from 1991 to 2020. A life-long member of the Democratic Party, he represented Ward 2 of Washington, DC. Jack served as chair of the Committee on Finance and Revenue until 2019.Jack also served as the Chair of the Board of the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority, having twice served as primary director from DC, from 1993 to 1999 and again 2015 through 2019. Jack was born in Nanticoke, Pennsylvania, on October 31, 1953. He received an economics degree with honors (cum laude) from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, in 1975 and a J.D. degree from the University of Pittsburg School of Law in 1978. Evans married the late Noel Soderberg in 1994, and had three children together - triplets, Katherine, Christine and John. www.evansward2.com | @jackevansward2 |
 John Fanning: I’m a six-term ANC Commissioner and currently serve as Chair of ANC 2F serving the Blagden Alley, Logan Circle and Shaw neighborhoods. I am a community activist who has advocated for cleaner and safer neighborhoods since moving to Ward 2 nearly 20 years ago.Like many neighborhoods in the city, our ANC has seen rapid growth since I was first elected. I have helped all stakeholders work toward the common goal of improving the quality of life for all Ward 2 residents. I have served as the Ward 2 community liaison under five previous Mayors; helping to improve government functions and address the needs and concerns of the Ward 2 community. And during that time, I have developed a special understanding of the concerns of small business owners. With over 20 years of service in the District Government, I have cultivated relationships with agency directors, Councilmembers, other city officials and community leaders, which I will leverage to help make Ward 2 a better place to live. www.fanningforward2.com | @Fanning_2 |
Jordan Grossman is a fifth generation DC resident who has dedicated his life to public service, working for President Obama, a federal judge in DC, DC’s Medicaid agency, and on Capitol Hill. Most recently, he worked for a DC agency that’s making it easier for residents to enroll in programs like Medicaid, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), housing and homelessness services, and energy assistance. Jordan understands that working in government is a privilege, not a business development opportunity. As Ward 2’s Councilmember, he will fight to make it easier for District residents to afford a home, find high-quality child care, walk, bike or take public transit to work, and pay off student loan debt. Jordan graduated with honors from Harvard Law School and the University of Pennsylvania. He and his wife, his brothers, his mom, and his grandma were all born in Ward 2. www.JordanForWard2.com| @JMGinDC
Daniel Hernandez: I am a father, partner, Marine Corps Afghanistan veteran, and Dupont Circle resident.
I grew up as the youngest of three boys to a single mother working two or three jobs to support us in a working-class neighbhorhood with many others going through the same or worse struggles. My grandmother spent many hours care of us while my mother worked. To afford our first house, my grandparents opened their home to our family for three years while my mother saved.
Many around did not have the same family support to rely on. I've witnesses firsthand the devastation to our communities of the war on drugs and our need for criminal justice reform.
Through hard work, luck, and experience I gained in the Marines, I've been very fortunate in my career and work for Microsoft. I believe everyone should be afforded the same opportunities and support. www.danielward2.com | @DanielH_DC
Patrick Kennedy is an experienced leader running for Ward 2 Councilmember. Kennedy is the five-time Chair of Advisory Neighborhood Commission 2A and has been deeply involved in District policy and neighborhood advocacy for nearly a decade. Kennedy’s accomplishments include working to save a key public school from closure, successfully gaining better transit service, bringing together neighbors to support safer streets, and obtaining more affordable housing in Ward 2. Kennedy is trusted and endorsed by half the commissioners in the ward, Greater Greater Washington, and numerous established community leaders and neighbors. Kennedy has served on the board of St. Mary’s Court, a HUD-sponsored housing facility, and has a record of fighting for D.C. statehood. Kennedy is a tested leader in fighting for safe streets and more reliable transportation, strengthening our schools for our children, and addressing our affordability crisis to enable our neighborhoods to thrive. www.PatrickForWard2.com | @PLKDC
Brooke Pinto is a passionate lawyer who believes deeply in the importance of structural criminal justice reform to get our society on a more just path. She attended Georgetown Law school and has been a Ward 2 resident ever since. Prior to announcing her candidacy for the Ward 2 DC Council seat, she worked hand in hand with DC Attorney General Karl Racine as the Assistant Attorney General for Policy and Legislative Affairs. During her time at the Office of the Attorney General, she drafted and introduced hate crime legislation, represented the District of Columbia before the national attorneys general community to advocate for expungement and prosecution reform around cannabis policies, and helped oversee the implementation of the Cure the Streets violence interruption program. Brooke is passionate about ensuring that the law — both as written and as enforced — is fair for everyone and looks forward to serving as an ardent and energetic advocate for all residents of Ward 2 and our city on the Council. www.brookepintoforward2.com | @Brookeforward2
Over the last decade, Kishan Putta has been elected as a commissioner in two different neighborhoods of Ward 2 - Dupont Circle and Georgetown. Through his role on the DC Commission on Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Affairs, Kishan pushed for better cultural competency and hate crime awareness and training in the Metropolitan Police Department. He also oversaw the agency that administered the Immigrant Justice Legal Services grant program and has fought for immigrant rights. He successfully advocated with the DC Digital Equity Coalition to acquire 16,400 new computers for every 3rd, 6th, and 9th grader in every DCPS school to help close the digital equity gap, right in time for the current health crisis. He has a public health background working with DC HealthLink to lower the uninsured rate and helping small businesses cover their employees. He's been endorsed by President Obama's Surgeon General Vivek Murthy (a Ward 2 resident). KishanforDC.com | @KishanforDC
Yilin Zhang came to the DC area 10 years ago. She was raised in Michigan and is a first-generation Chinese American. Zhang has worked in the health care industry over the last decade. She has published research and worked in the corporate, federal, and non-profit spaces. She is running because she believes everyone should have a voice that is heard, and a Councilmember’s only priority is the community she serves.
Zhang's work in health care stems from her passion to increase health care literacy and for care to be culturally sensitive. Zhang led research on women's access to family planning and health care, supported by the Fulbright Fellowship. Zhang also worked with an NGO to distribute condoms to sex workers and help them manage discrimination when accessing STD testing. Over the past two years, Zhang has been fighting for DC Statehood with the League of Women Voters DC. www.yilinforward2.com | @yilinforward2
Ward 4 Candidates
Marlena D. Edwards is a passionate community activist, who is committed to social justice, education, health care and economic development. She is a native Washington, lifelong resident of Ward 4, received a B.S. in Mass Communication from Towson University, and worked in the private sector, highlighted by her work on the Middle East Peace Talks. Marlena then received a Master of Social Work degree from Howard University and has devoted over two decades of service to the residents of the District of Columbia through serving as a member of numerous boards and committees that promote coalition building and community empowerment. Marlena is the most qualified candidate for Ward 4 City Council. She served on the DC Democratic State Committee as their Ward 4 Representative. Marlena won this seat by 7,143 the highest in the history of the position and was voted in by our Ward 4 voters. She has served on transition teams for DC Attorney General Karl A. Racine, Mayor Muriel Bowser and Mayor Vincent C. Gray. Marlena is the founder of Metropolitan Alliance, Incorporated which works on issues related to community health, social/economic development and legislative policy. marlenaedwardsward4.com | @MarlenaDEdwards
Janeese Lewis George is a former DC Assistant Attorney General, a DC State Democratic Committeewoman, a third-generation Washingtonian, and a lifelong Ward 4 resident. She served as an Assistant Attorney General under Attorney General Karl Racine and championed proven methods to reduce crime and improve safety. Janeese is a graduate of DCPS and Howard University School of Law. She is proud to be Ward 4’s first Fair Elections candidate focused on serving the people of the District of Columbia and no one else. She and her husband, Kyle, live in Manor Park. janeese4dc.com | @janeese4dc