District of Columbia

Ward 5 Member of the Council

Vote for: 1
Term: 4 years
Candidates: 3
Election: Nov 3, 2026

What this office does: The Ward 5 member of the Council of the District of Columbia represents the ward, voting on the District's laws and budget.

Ranked-choice voting (Initiative 83): voters may rank up to 4 choices.

Candidates Compare by issue

Joyce Robinson-Paul

DC Statehood Green

The gist

Proposes easing housing eligibility formulas to fill vacant units.
Supports DC statehood under the existing DC constitution.
Proposes intergenerational youth programs through senior villages.
Supports reaching youth before they enter the justice system.
Proposes job training and wages for incarcerated residents.
Proposes parenting and child-development classes for incarcerated residents.

More about Joyce

View sources (1)

Proposes easing housing eligibility formulas to fill vacant units.
VOTE411 Voter Guide: DC Ward 5 Member of the Council (candidate questionnaire)
Candidate questionnaire · League of Women Voters of the District of Columbia (VOTE411) · onyourballot.vote411.org
“Our formulas for qualifying for housing leave too many units vacant. Simplify the formulas vs having vacant space in the newly built housing. … Change the formula, so more low and moderate income residents qualify.”
Supports DC statehood under the existing DC constitution.
VOTE411 Voter Guide: DC Ward 5 Member of the Council (candidate questionnaire)
Candidate questionnaire · League of Women Voters of the District of Columbia (VOTE411) · onyourballot.vote411.org
“yes, We already have a constitution and plans are available to implement.”
Proposes intergenerational youth programs through senior villages.
VOTE411 Voter Guide: DC Ward 5 Member of the Council (candidate questionnaire)
Candidate questionnaire · League of Women Voters of the District of Columbia (VOTE411) · onyourballot.vote411.org
“No intergenerational activities, with our youth. The senior villages should have a intergenerational component.”
Supports reaching youth before they enter the justice system.
VOTE411 Voter Guide: DC Ward 5 Member of the Council (candidate questionnaire)
Candidate questionnaire · League of Women Voters of the District of Columbia (VOTE411) · onyourballot.vote411.org
“Work with youth before they get into the justice system.”
Proposes job training and wages for incarcerated residents.
VOTE411 Voter Guide: DC Ward 5 Member of the Council (candidate questionnaire)
Candidate questionnaire · League of Women Voters of the District of Columbia (VOTE411) · onyourballot.vote411.org
“Train them in meaningful jobs while incarcerated. … Let them earn wages to send home to families.”
Proposes parenting and child-development classes for incarcerated residents.
VOTE411 Voter Guide: DC Ward 5 Member of the Council (candidate questionnaire)
Candidate questionnaire · League of Women Voters of the District of Columbia (VOTE411) · onyourballot.vote411.org
“Teach them early child development to change parenting skills.”

Jeffrey Kihien-Palza

Republican

Founder and CEO, G & K Management LLC

The gist

Supports means-tested housing aid prioritizing first-time homeownership.
Proposes regulatory reform and price transparency to lower health costs.
Pledges rigorous oversight and resource management to restore order.
Supports expanding technical and vocational education.
Supports enforcing fare-evasion laws to reduce crime on Metro.
Opposes prioritizing speed-camera revenue over street safety.
Supports more mixed-use centers like Union Market and McMillan.

More about Jeffrey

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Supports means-tested housing aid prioritizing first-time homeownership.
Issues That Matter to Our Community | Jeffrey for Ward 5
Campaign website · Jeff Ward 5 · jeffward5.com
“We will champion fiscally responsible policies that prioritize first-time homeownership and eliminate the systemic inefficiency that burdens our taxpayers … delivering streamlined support and means-tested solutions to ensure every resident has stable and affordable housing”
Proposes regulatory reform and price transparency to lower health costs.
Issues That Matter to Our Community | Jeffrey for Ward 5
Campaign website · Jeff Ward 5 · jeffward5.com
“Our plan calls for immediate regulatory reform and cost transparency to bring down soaring prices for every Ward 5 family”
Pledges rigorous oversight and resource management to restore order.
Issues That Matter to Our Community | Jeffrey for Ward 5
Campaign website · Jeff Ward 5 · jeffward5.com
“We will implement the rigorous oversight and disciplined resource management necessary to restore law and order.”
Supports expanding technical and vocational education.
Issues That Matter to Our Community | Jeffrey for Ward 5
Campaign website · Jeff Ward 5 · jeffward5.com
“Technical and vocational education is the key for our next generation of students”
Supports enforcing fare-evasion laws to reduce crime on Metro.
Issues That Matter to Our Community | Jeffrey for Ward 5
Campaign website · Jeff Ward 5 · jeffward5.com
“immediately enforcing our existing laws to stop fare evasion and reduce crime on Metro”
Opposes prioritizing speed-camera revenue over street safety.
Issues That Matter to Our Community | Jeffrey for Ward 5
Campaign website · Jeff Ward 5 · jeffward5.com
“We must stop prioritizing speed camera revenue over actual street safety and demand efficiency from WMATA”
Supports more mixed-use centers like Union Market and McMillan.
Issues That Matter to Our Community | Jeffrey for Ward 5
Campaign website · Jeff Ward 5 · jeffward5.com
“Creating more key areas like Union Market (the redeveloped Florida Avenue Market) and the McMillan Sand Filtration Site”

Zachary Parker

DemocraticIncumbent

Ward 5 councilmember; former teacher

The gist

Introduced the District's local Child Tax Credit.
Supports density near transit, faster permitting and public-land housing.
Supports expanding mental health and trauma-informed care to prevent crime.
Supports youth rehabilitation and reducing recidivism as committee chair.
Supports fair-chance hiring and record-sealing for returning residents.
Supports DC statehood through a national education campaign.
Introduced the Environmental Justice Amendment Act of 2023.
Pledges to improve attendance, school facilities and career pathways.

More about Zachary

View sources (3)

Introduced the District's local Child Tax Credit.
Meet Zach — zacharyparker2026.com
Campaign website · The Committee to Re-Elect Zachary Parker 2026 · zacharyparker2026.com
“introduced transformative legislation, including the District Child Tax Credit”
The Fight Forward: Zachary Parker Delivers Real Results for DC & Ward 5
Campaign website · The Committee to Re-Elect Zachary Parker 2026 · zacharyparker2026.com
“making DC the first city in the nation to provide a local child tax credit”
Supports density near transit, faster permitting and public-land housing.
VOTE411 Voter Guide: DC Ward 5 Member of the Council (candidate questionnaire)
Candidate questionnaire · League of Women Voters of the District of Columbia (VOTE411) · onyourballot.vote411.org
“I would prioritize supply-side reforms like increasing density near transit, streamlining permitting, activating public land for mixed-income housing … I would expand rental assistance like ERAP and targeted vouchers for vulnerable populations”
Supports expanding mental health and trauma-informed care to prevent crime.
VOTE411 Voter Guide: DC Ward 5 Member of the Council (candidate questionnaire)
Candidate questionnaire · League of Women Voters of the District of Columbia (VOTE411) · onyourballot.vote411.org
“We also need to expand access to mental health and trauma-informed care in our communities.”
Supports youth rehabilitation and reducing recidivism as committee chair.
VOTE411 Voter Guide: DC Ward 5 Member of the Council (candidate questionnaire)
Candidate questionnaire · League of Women Voters of the District of Columbia (VOTE411) · onyourballot.vote411.org
“my top priority is supporting youth rehabilitation and driving down recidivism”
Supports fair-chance hiring and record-sealing for returning residents.
VOTE411 Voter Guide: DC Ward 5 Member of the Council (candidate questionnaire)
Candidate questionnaire · League of Women Voters of the District of Columbia (VOTE411) · onyourballot.vote411.org
“advancing fair-chance hiring and record-sealing policies”
Supports DC statehood through a national education campaign.
VOTE411 Voter Guide: DC Ward 5 Member of the Council (candidate questionnaire)
Candidate questionnaire · League of Women Voters of the District of Columbia (VOTE411) · onyourballot.vote411.org
“More than anything, we need a strong public education campaign in all 50 states to build support.”
Introduced the Environmental Justice Amendment Act of 2023.
The Fight Forward: Zachary Parker Delivers Real Results for DC & Ward 5
Campaign website · The Committee to Re-Elect Zachary Parker 2026 · zacharyparker2026.com
“introducing legislation like the Environmental Justice Amendment Act of 2023 to confront decades of inequities that have treated Ward 5 as a dumping ground”
Pledges to improve attendance, school facilities and career pathways.
VOTE411 Voter Guide: DC Ward 5 Member of the Council (candidate questionnaire)
Candidate questionnaire · League of Women Voters of the District of Columbia (VOTE411) · onyourballot.vote411.org
“I will work to improve attendance, invest in school facilities and support systems, and expand career pathways and out-of-school programs.”

Challengers are listed first and incumbents last; otherwise candidates appear in ballot order. The Gist does not rank, rate or endorse candidates. Only positions backed by a cited source are shown; 10 issues covered in this race.