The 2026 D.C. Democratic primary election is around the corner. Technically, Election Day is Tuesday, June 16th but ballots have already been mailed out, and drop-boxes are open for deposit This will be the first ever election in DC using Ranked Choice Voting. More details here.

You should review The 51st’s Voter Guide before voting. You can also review responses to the same/similar questionnaire sent to candidates for Mayor and the non-Democratic At-Large special election.

Nine candidates are on the ballot for the Democratic Party At-Large Councilmember contest looking to replace retiring Anita Bonds. Barred in DC sent out a Google form questionnaire to email addresses associated with all nine campaigns (and followed up on Twitter), but only Oye Owolewa, Lisa Raymond, and Kevin B Chavous responded. Here are the responses to each question (listed in ballot order, for those who responded)). Non-responses from Dwight Davis, Candace Tiana Nelson, Leniqua’dominique Jenkins, Fred Hill, Dyana N. M. Forester, Greg Jackson (who indicated interest but ultimately did not complete a questionnaire)

What laws would you support/introduce to help DC bars, restaurants, and other nightlife (including their workers) thrive?

Oye Owolewa: DC should focus on policies that make it easier for small independent bars, restaurants, and nightlife businesses to survive and grow.

One major step would be streamlining and speeding up the ABCA licensing and renewal process. Many small operators experience the current system as slow, paperwork-heavy, and inconsistent. Clearer guidance, faster approvals, and more predictable timelines would reduce unnecessary burdens on neighborhood businesses and allow owners to spend more time operating their businesses instead of navigating bureaucracy.

The District should also invest more in hospitality workforce training and apprenticeship programs, particularly programs that create pathways for residents who have historically faced barriers to employment. Hospitality is one of DC’s largest economic sectors, and stronger partnerships between businesses, schools, workforce organizations, and unions could help more residents build long-term careers in restaurants, hotels, nightlife, and events.

Another major issue is the rising cost of alcohol liability insurance, which has become a serious financial strain on many bars and restaurants. The Council should explore ways to reduce or stabilize these costs so independent operators are not priced out of staying open.

For many bars and restaurants operating on thin margins, the rising percentage taken by credit card processing companies has quietly become a major cost burden that deserves more attention from policymakers.

Finally, DC should continue expanding late-night transit and improving transportation access so workers and customers can travel safely and reliably after midnight. A stronger late-night transportation network supports public safety, helps workers get home, and strengthens the city’s nightlife economy overall.

Lisa Raymond: DC’s restaurants, bars, and music venues are not amenities, they are economic infrastructure, and our government should do everything possible to help them open and stay open. My first priority is fixing the permitting and licensing process that owners cite as their single biggest frustration. I would introduce legislation giving every business a named case manager who owns the file across DLCP, DOB, and OCFO, published timelines for each license and permit type, and a single online portal with one login instead of duplicate filings across agencies. I would also require an annual regulatory review so each licensing agency has to identify rules it would simplify or repeal. For nightlife specifically, I would codify a permanent streatery program that is workable and predictable, rather than something restaurants have to rebuild every time the rules shift, and I support a strong, well-resourced role for the DC Nightlife Council so the people who run these businesses have a real seat at the table. For workers, I would strengthen wage theft enforcement and worker education on their rights, because the good employers, and most are good, should not be undercut by the few who break the law. I saw at the Office of the Attorney General for the District how much enforcement matters, and how much it protects honest businesses.

Kevin B Chavous: I-82/Tipped Wage: I know the current law increases the tipped minimum wage to 60% of the city’s full minimum wage in 2028 and increases it 5% until it reaches 75% of the full minimum wage in 2034. We need to continue to monitor the status of the hospitality industry to determine if the approach is working. We have to make sure our restaurants and bars are healthy, and that means making labor costs manageable, especially as our local economy suffers from the massive loss of federal jobs.

Small Business Assistance: I would support legislation mandating hard deadlines for ABRA license approvals, health permit reviews, and certificate of occupancy decisions. Government delay is an additional tax on small business, and we should approach the issue in that way.

What other areas in the DC Council’s purview (oversight, budget) would you focus to help DC bars, restaurants, and other nightlife (including their workers) thrive?

Oye Owolewa: Agency coordination is at the top of the list. A lot of the challenges bars and restaurants face are not necessarily about needing entirely new laws — they’re about the efficiency, consistency, and responsiveness of the current system.

Too often operators are dealing with overlapping agencies, conflicting guidance, slow approvals, unclear timelines, or enforcement that feels inconsistent. Better coordination between agencies like ABCA, DCRA/Buildings, DDOT, MPD, DPW, and the Office of Nightlife and Culture could make a major difference for small businesses trying to operate day to day.

DC should also focus on cleaner commercial corridors, more reliable trash pickup, better lighting, safer late-night transportation options, and easier permitting for events, live music, and outdoor dining. Investments in nightlife corridors should be treated as economic development, workforce development, and public space activation — not just enforcement issues.

Most operators are not asking for special treatment. They are asking for a District government that is predictable, efficient, and collaborative.

Lisa Raymond: This is where my experience is most directly relevant. I have been through the Council’s oversight and budget process four times, twice as a Council staffer and twice running an agency, and I know how to use hearings to drive operational change rather than just generate headlines. I would use oversight aggressively on the agencies that determine whether a restaurant or bar can succeed: DLCP and DOB on permitting speed, DDOT on the streatery and public space process, and MPD and the Department of Public Works on whether commercial corridors are safe and clean. Owners tell me constantly that public safety and sanitation are not separate from their business, they are the business, because they determine whether customers and workers show up at night. On the budget side, I would protect the funding that keeps the workforce able to work, starting with childcare, because no nightlife worker can take an evening shift without it. I would also make sure agencies like DOEE are funded to do education and outreach with restaurants, not just enforcement, so compliance with the District’s rules is something businesses are helped through rather than fined into.

Kevin B Chavous: I will use the DC Council’s appropriation powers to push for a dedicated Office of Nightlife and Culture that is adequately funded. This means 2-3 FTEs dedicated to bridging the gap between entertainment industry and the city government. These staffers would help to proactively addresses noise complaints, support public safety by coordinating with first responders, and help address licensing issues before they become shutdowns.

I will also fight to make more streets and commercial corridors eligible to apply for Great Streets funding. Certain streets, like 14th Street NW, have been excluded from the process in the past. DC is lucky to have many distinct commercial corridors in a small area; I would fight for all of them to receive additional resources to drive consumer spending and improve beautification efforts.

I will also advocate for targeted small business grants, facade improvement programs, and commercial corridor investments that help nightlife entrepreneurs open and thrive in areas that have historically received less investment.

Do you believe the current $15/square foot rent for DC streateries is appropriate? If not, what should be the appropriate rent?

Oye Owolewa: I don’t think the conversation should focus only on whether $15 per square foot is the “right” number. The larger issue is the total cost structure surrounding streateries in DC.

Many operators are not just paying square-foot rent — they are also dealing with permit fees, jersey barriers, engineering and architectural requirements, insurance costs, and restrictions on winterization. Those costs stack quickly, especially for small independent businesses.

So while DC may not technically have the single highest streatery fee in the country, many operators feel the system has become one of the most expensive and administratively burdensome overall.

I also think different neighborhoods and commercial corridors should have flexibility. Not every neighborhood needs or wants streateries, and communities should absolutely have a voice in those decisions. But in many business corridors, outdoor dining has clearly helped increase foot traffic, support nightlife, generate tax revenue, and help local businesses survive.

I would support revisiting the fee structure with a more flexible and tiered approach based on corridor type, business size, and overall operating costs — particularly for small independent restaurants and bars.

Lisa Raymond: The reduction from the proposed $20 to $15 was a positive step, but I think it’s important to look at the broader picture. The fee is only one part of the overall cost of operating a streatery, alongside permits, construction, and design requirements. I’d like to learn more about why so many streateries have struggled or closed before saying what the exact “right” number should be. If the current costs are making it difficult for otherwise successful operators to keep outdoor dining viable, then the District should be open to revisiting the fee structure and exploring ways to reduce barriers, especially for smaller businesses.

Kevin B Chavous: I believe it is better than $20/square foot, but there are other associated fees that burden business owners. It is a step forward, and appears to be an appropriate compromise at this point.

In general, do you believe the current DC streatery rules are just about right, should be looser (to potentially result in more) or stricter (to potentially result in fewer)?

Oye Owolewa: think the current rules should be somewhat looser and more flexible, particularly for small independent operators and in commercial corridors where outdoor dining has clearly helped businesses and street life.

DC moved from one of the best outdoor dining programs in America during COVID to one of the more difficult permanent systems to sustain financially afterward. The challenge is not just the $15-per-square-foot fee — it’s the accumulation of costs and requirements including permits, barriers, engineering, insurance, and winterization limits.

That said, I do not think every neighborhood needs or wants streateries, and communities should absolutely have input on what fits their corridor. A nightlife-heavy corridor like 14th Street or Adams Morgan may need a different approach than a quieter residential area.

So rather than a one-size-fits-all system, I would support a more flexible approach:

• lower barriers and faster approvals in commercial corridors where streateries are working well,
• more neighborhood-level input,
• and clearer standards around safety, accessibility, noise, and public space.

Outdoor dining has proven it can increase foot traffic, support nightlife, activate commercial corridors, and help small businesses survive. The goal should be balancing those benefits with neighborhood concerns — not making the process so costly and burdensome that only the largest operators can participate.

Lisa Raymond: Looser. The goal should be more viable streateries, not fewer, and the current rollout has produced fewer. Real standards are not negotiable: traffic safety, accessibility, driver visibility, and keeping sidewalks usable for everyone, including residents with disabilities. But the design restrictions and cost structure as implemented went past safety and into making streateries unworkable for much of the year, which is why so many came down. I would keep the genuine safety and accessibility standards and allow more design flexibility, pre-approved plans, and a process restaurants can actually navigate. Clear expectations and workable rules are not opposites. We should have both.

Kevin B Chavous: I believe that we should make sure streatery rules are clear and consistently applied. If a restaurant wants a streatery, they should know exactly how much it will cost and receive all government permits and licenses in a reasonable amount of time.

On the other hand, streateries should be utilized and maintained well by the restaurant owners. If a streatery is dormant or noncompliant, the government needs a mechanism to address the situation. Clear guidelines on the issue will benefit both the private and public sectors.

Would you support or oppose efforts to eliminate the tipped minimum wage (currently set to be capped at 75% of the standard minimum wage in 2034)?

Oye Owolewa: I understand this is one of the biggest issues facing restaurant and nightlife owners right now, and I am sympathetic to the financial pressures many operators are under. Rising labor costs are happening alongside higher rents, insurance costs, food costs, credit card processing fees, and regulatory burdens, and those pressures are real.

At the same time, I do not support overturning the will of District voters. DC voters approved Initiative 82, and I believe elected officials should respect that outcome.

My focus would instead be on helping reduce the other costs and inefficiencies surrounding the hospitality industry — streamlining permitting and licensing, improving agency coordination, addressing liability insurance costs, reducing credit card swipe fees and processing percentages that cut into already thin margins, supporting late-night transportation, simplifying outdoor dining regulations, and investing in cleaner and safer commercial corridors.

I think the path forward is helping the industry adapt and succeed within the framework voters approved, rather than reversing a democratically decided policy.

Lisa Raymond: I would oppose efforts to fully eliminate it, and I want to be straight about why. I believe every worker deserves a livable wage, and I also want to be as supportive as possible of the restaurants and bars that keep our neighborhoods vibrant. When the Mayor moved to repeal Initiative 82 entirely, I did not agree with that. The compromise the Council reached, capping the tipped wage at 75 percent of the standard minimum, was a reasonable balance, and I would not reopen it to push toward full elimination. What I would do is hold the Council to actually monitoring the effects on workers and on restaurants, and revising if the data shows we got the balance wrong. Separately, I would push hard on wage theft, because the workers most affected by this debate are also the ones most often cheated out of pay they are legally owed, and that enforcement is something the city controls right now.

Kevin B Chavous: Oppose

What is your favorite DC restaurant?

Oye Owolewa: Bombay Street Food – for the Gobi Manchurian.

Lisa Raymond: Zaytinya

Kevin B Chavous: Highland’s (Penn Branch DC). It has great food, is family-friendly and has a great musical playlist!

What is your favorite DC bar / music venue / other hang-out?

Oye Owolewa: At Mr. Henry’s listening to my man Herb Scott’s jazz band. But I’m also not above arguing about basketball on a Sunday afternoon at Solly’s U Street Tavern.

Lisa Raymond: Oku for a good cocktail, The Anthem for music, and Tunnicliffs to hang out with neighbors.

Kevin B Chavous: DC Bar: Gold Clover Bar / Music Venue: Howard Theatre / Hang-out spot: The Parks at Walter Reed.

Why should a Barred in DC reader vote for you?

Oye Owolewa: Barred in DC readers should vote for me because I understand that nightlife, hospitality, arts, and culture are not side issues in Washington — they are part of DC’s economic and social backbone.

Anyone who has been to one of my campaign events has seen that I bring musicians, poets, artists, and performers into almost everything we do. I do that because arts and nightlife are core to DC’s identity. They create community, support local workers and businesses, and make this city feel alive. A thriving city is not just office buildings and policy debates — it is music venues, restaurants, bars, go-go, DJs, galleries, theaters, festivals, and neighborhood gathering spaces.

Too often DC treats bars, restaurants, music venues, and nightlife operators primarily as enforcement problems instead of recognizing them as small businesses, cultural institutions, employers, and community spaces. My approach is rooted in partnership: making government more predictable, responsive, and collaborative with the people actually running these spaces.

I support streamlining licensing and permitting, improving agency coordination, expanding late-night transit, simplifying outdoor dining rules, addressing rising insurance and credit card processing costs, and investing in safer, cleaner commercial corridors that help nightlife thrive.

I believe DC can support workers while also helping independent operators survive in an increasingly expensive place. My focus is on helping reduce unnecessary burdens while making city government function better.

Most importantly, I listen. I want to engage directly with owners, workers, artists, promoters, and residents to build practical solutions instead of ideological talking points. If we want DC to remain interesting, creative, welcoming, and alive after dark, we need leadership that sees nightlife and hospitality as essential to the future of the District — not an afterthought.

Lisa Raymond: Because I will treat the places you go out as serious infrastructure, not a nuisance to be regulated down. After 30 years working in DC government and nonprofits, including as Chief of Staff at the Office of the Attorney General for the District and a former Council staffer, I know exactly how the oversight and budget process works, and I am committed to improving permitting and making things work better for the businesses that make this city worth living in. I have lived in Ward 6 for decades. I have watched storefronts empty out, and I have watched neighbors lose the streatery or the corner spot that made their block feel alive. I am a problem solver who listens and then executes, and I am not afraid of the unglamorous work, the permitting reform, the oversight hearings, the budget fights, that actually determines whether a bar or venue can open and stay open. A Barred in DC reader should vote for me because I will show up for the nightlife economy as an advocate, and because I will be ready to do the work on day one.

Kevin B Chavous: I am a lifelong resident of DC that has been supporting our nightlife and restaurant scenes my whole life. I’ve enjoyed all sorts of cuisines in restaurants in all eight wards of the city. As a college student at Howard University, I fell in love with DC because I discovered our incredible, unmatched diversity. That diversity comes out most in our nightlife, restaurant and entertainment industries. And here’s what I’d ask you to hold me to: DC’s nightlife shouldn’t be concentrated in Northwest, while Wards 5, 7, and 8 are afterthoughts. I intend to change that. I’ve spent my career learning how the District actually works, and I know how decisions actually get made, where the bottlenecks are, and who’s not at the table. Streatery rules clarification, permit/licensing acceleration, and funding a real nightlife and culture office are issues I’ll begin to address on Day One.