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Former Ward 8 D.C. Board of Education member Markus Batchelor has said he’s considering the option of a write-in campaign to challenge Council member Trayon White, as he faces a federal bribery charge.
As of this moment, White is still set to appear on the ballot for his Ward 8 seat in November as the Democratic nominee, leaving Batchelor with limited options to give Ward 8 residents another option.
Batchelor joined WTOP’s Nick Iannelli on Wednesday with an update on his plans.
The below transcript has been lightly edited for clarity:
Nick Iannelli: So, Marcus, what’s the latest? Have you made any decisions on what you plan to do for the election?
Markus Batchelor: Let me just say first and foremost, it has been an eventful week, and I’ve been talking to neighbors for the better part of this week, of course, about I think our shock and disappointment in this moment. I think a lot of Ward 8 residents feel that way, but also really about our worry and our concern about our future, about the real issues that need to be addressed, from education to public safety, housing, economic development, and the ability for us to have the leadership, both in the short term and long term, to be able to see those things through. And right now, given the structure we have, given this point in the calendar, unless the council member decides to withdraw as a candidate, as the Democratic nominee, the only alternative for us as Ward 8 voters, would be to wage a write-in campaign.
And so, given those conversations with my neighbors, given that deep concern about our future and about making sure that we have someone with the type of leadership and perspective that can be ready on day one to deliver, I’m stepping up to be a write-in candidate, given, at this stage, that that’s the only process we have before us.
Nick Iannelli: Stepping up to be a write-in candidate, that’s no small feat. In White’s last election in 2020, he got more than 25,000 votes. So how do you plan on drawing support in your direction? What are the kinds of steps you’re going to need to take, starting now?
Markus Batchelor: Well, I think it’s about having conversations with voters about our future again. Yeah, I think with just under 70 days left until the election, a write-in campaign is a tough feat, but I think, given where we are, it’s the option we have right now. But I want to be clear that it’s not the only option we have in the days to come. You know, right now, the D.C. Democratic Party, at least until the ballot is set on Sept. 12, owns this process. Obviously, they cannot remove a nominee from the ballot, but I think, you know, the party, it’s up to the party now in this moment, leaders in Ward 8, in this moment, to say that there is also a process we could pursue and that the Democratic Party should lay out to replace our nominee if that time comes before the Sept. 12 deadline.
I think the more important part here is not necessarily about the council member, but about the type of options that Ward 8 voters will have on the ballot in November and the type of choice that they deserve. And so right now, we’re pursuing the write-in campaign because that is the process that we have before us. But there is a window between now and Sept. 12 for the council member to clear the field for another Democrat to be able to carry our message into November. I think that’s a conversation a lot of Ward 8 neighbors are having. I think it’s a conversation the D.C. Democratic Party should have. But right now, we’re going to take that message about our future and about the issues that really matter through November right now in a write-in campaign.
Nick Iannelli: Council member Trayon White is all tied up in these legal issues, yes, but he is innocent until proven guilty. So what would you say to critics who will say that you are, in a way, convicting him publicly before he’s been through the legal process? How do you respond to that?
Markus Batchelor: I think that the council member is entitled to every process that’s become available to him, right? I think that there will be a legal process that works out. There is an ad hoc committee that’s being stood up on the council that will look at this situation. But we’ve also got to be realistic about how much time that will take and how much attention it will take away from the critical work that needs to be done. The ad hoc committee that’s being stood up by the council is not set to render a decision or any real findings until, potentially, the end of December. They’ve also got a 45-day window after that to make a decision on what action they’ll take that could create a vacancy, which then could roll us into a special election well into the budget season next year.
So, you know, it’s less about the council member’s particular situation, but about what’s best for the residents of Ward 8 when all of us are really more concerned about continuing the real progress we’ve made over the years on things that are critical to our prosperity. And so, you know, should we take this opportunity in the next two weeks to choose a new nominee, choose a new leader who can carry us forward free from these distractions? Or are we going to subject the residents of Ward 8 to a process that could take the better part of eight or nine months to resolve itself? I think the answer — in my mind, and in many Ward 8 residents’ minds — is pretty clear.
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