At-Large Member of the Council · District of Columbia

What are the two most important things Council should do and how will you make them happen?

The Council must do two things now. First, end DC cooperation with ICE. As the son of Nigerian immigrants, that fear is personal. I will close every Sanctuary Values Act loophole, prohibit DC agencies from cooperating with ICE, and lead the fight against the DHS campus being forced onto St. Elizabeths in Ward 8. Second, make housing affordable through preservation and tenant power. As ANC Commissioner I used TOPA to help Congress Heights seniors stay housed when Sanford Capital tried to push them out. I will fully fund ERAP and cap rent increases at CPI. No community in DC is expendable.

Is protecting the safety, rights and access to city services for immigrant communities the responsibility of elected officials? Why or why not?

Yes. Unequivocally. As the son of Nigerian immigrants I know what it costs a family to navigate a country that questions your presence. As a child I was placed in slower learning tracks because of my name and accent, not my abilities. DC's job is to make sure that never happens in our schools, clinics, or agencies. When immigrant families fear deportation they stop reporting crimes, stop seeking healthcare, stop sending children to school. That makes everyone less safe. Protecting immigrant communities is not charity. It is public safety and basic human dignity. On Council I will enforce the Sanctuary Values Act, fund immigration legal services, expand language access, and defend noncitizen voting rights.

Education

Education, education, education.

Do you have further thoughts on the Justice System?

I spoke out against the youth curfew because criminalizing young people is not public safety. It follows them for life and does not work. After my home in Congress Heights was shot into, I asked the young men outside why they kept coming back. Every one wanted to work but could not because of their records. That led me to launch expungement clinics that have served over 600 DC residents. A record should not be a life sentence. On Council I will expand expungement access, oppose pretrial detention expansion, fund violence interruption, and remove police from DCPS schools. The safest communities have the most resources, not the most punishment.

How will you use this job to protect our rights and keep Congress and the President out of our local government business?

The best defense against federal interference is a stronger local democracy and a stronger local economy. First, I will fight to fully implement Initiative 83 and expand democratic participation at every level. DC must never overturn its own voter-approved initiatives. When we defend our local democracy, we make the case for statehood every single day. Second, I will strengthen DC's local economy so we rely less on federal dollars. That means supporting small businesses through training, payroll support, and commercial rent relief, and raising progressive revenue so DC can fund its own priorities without waiting on Congress. A DC that governs itself boldly and funds itself independently is harder to control.

Should DC be a state? Yes or No? If yes, what are the two most important steps you would take to make statehood happen? If no, what is your plan for achieving full voting rights for DC?

Yes. This is a moral outrage. 700,000 residents pay federal taxes, serve in wars, and follow laws they had no vote in making. I have spent six years as DC's Shadow Representative fighting for statehood, meeting with state leaders, flying to lobby constituents of GOP members of Congress, and organizing nationally to build the coalition that makes statehood possible. DC re-elected me twice, last time with over 90% of the vote. On Council I will do two new things. First, organize the Council and work with the Mayor to mount a renewed, unified local effort, because DC's own government must speak with one voice. Second, keep building the national coalition, because Congress acts when its own constituents demand it, not when DC asks nicely.

DC is required under Law 24-176 to reduce harmful gas emissions resulting from DC government activities. What are two measures you would take to comply with this law?

As a pharmacist I have seen how air pollution drives asthma and heart disease especially in Ward 7 and Ward 8, communities that bear the greatest environmental burden while receiving the least investment. That is not acceptable. First, I will fully fund the Greener Government Buildings Act and vote against any delay in the ban on new fossil fuel appliances in DC-owned buildings. Public buildings must lead by example. Second, I will fund DC government's full transition to a zero-emissions fleet, protect the Sustainable Energy Trust Fund from budget raids, and use Council oversight to hold DOEE publicly accountable for annual emissions progress by agency and by ward.

Background

I'm Dr. Oye Owolewa, a pharmacist, former ANC Commissioner in Ward 8, and DC's elected U.S. Shadow Representative. The son of Nigerian immigrants who taught me that what you learn is only valuable if you give it back. I earned my PharmD at Northeastern as the only Black man in my class.