Mayor Bowser’s push for a taxpayer-funded football stadium at RFK is just the latest in a long line of top-down deals that ignore D.C. residents and enrich private developers. After a decade of broken promises, rising rents, and shrinking public services, why should anyone trust the same playbook?

The city is billions in debt, and residents are already facing service cuts. Yet somehow, there’s always money to subsidize sports billionaires.

As a candidate for mayor, I’m calling for a hard reset: no subsidies, no giveaways. Any stadium deal must prioritize community ownership, full private financing, and real benefits for D.C. residents, not just another trophy for the powerful.

We need leadership that puts people first.

Ernest E. Johnson
Candidate for the Democratic Nomination for Mayor, District of Columbia
Candidate for the Democratic Nomination for Mayor, District of Columbia
Bachelor of Science, Mathematics and Interdisciplinary Studies, University of Maryland Global Campus, Master’s Candidate, Government, Harvard University