Meet the Candidate – Franklin Garcia (At-Large)

The DC Voice believes that elections should be more than popularity or name recognition contests. It’s each voter’s responsibility to learn more about the person we ask to represent us. We recently published a post (Grosso Announcement Opens At-Large Floodgates) highlighting how Councilman Grosso’s decision not to run for re-election had “opened the floodgates” for the At-Large seat. We reached out to those candidates to offer them an opportunity to make their case on why you should cast your vote for them.

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Bio:

Since 2015, Franklin Garcia has been serving as the US Representative (Shadow) for the District of Columbia. He is working to bring full democracy to more than 700,000 people in our nation’s capital by helping make the District of Columbia the 51st State.  Representative Garcia is the former President and founder of the DC Latino Caucus, and current President of the non-profit DC Latino Leadership Council.  He has held key positions in the campaigns of Hillary Clinton, former DC Mayor Adrian Fenty, Dominican President Leonel Fernandez, and other politicians.

Representative Garcia moved to Washington, DC at the age of 10. He attended public school in Montgomery County, Maryland where he graduated from Montgomery Blair High School. He holds an undergraduate degree in Finance from George Washington University and a Masters in Financial Economics for Public Policy from the American University.  He is the founder of the DCiReporter, and the DC Statehood Today shows.  He is an active member of the National Association of Hispanic Journalists and lives in the Woodrige neighborhood in Ward 5.

Case for being elected:

DC needs to invest in its collective future. Franklin’s top priorities are Affordable Housing, Education, Public Safety, and Transportation.

Affordable Housing:

As Councilmember, Franklin will continue to support and push for more rent control legislation, he will support fully funding DHCD’s tools and programs, and will push for more initiatives that fund Community Based Non-Profit Organizations (CBO). Franklin will support relaxing rules and regulations that make it difficult for buyers and tenants to get into homes.

Education:

DC needs to bring the public primary school system in line with the higher learning institutions. Franklin will work with students/parents organizations, school administrators and staff and faculty to address issues and bring ideas to fruition that will improve the school system.

Public Safety:

As a Councilmember, Franklin will work to make sure that Public Safety is keeping the public safe. He will work to build trust between community and law enforcement. He will support measures that reinforce accountability and support measures that look at best practices to help reduce homicides.

Transportation:

Now more than ever, DC needs to deal with the long travel times and pollution that clogs our roadways.  Franklin will ensure that there is safe, reliable, and affordable transportation modes in the District.  The DMV continues to grow each year and we need to meet the transportation demands that will make DC the place to live and work.