Candidate Profile: Salah Czapary For DC City Council In Ward 1

May 27, 5:20 p.m.: Patch published a response from Ward 1 Councilmember Brianne K. Nadeau about assertions, which she said were false, made by challenger Salah Czapary in his Patch candidate profile.

WASHINGTON, DC — Salah Czapary is a 31-year-old Adams Morgan resident and former D.C. police officer who says public safety is the single most pressing interest for Ward 1.

Czapary is on the ballot for the June 21 Democratic Party Primary, running against fellow challenger Sabel Harris and incumbent Brianne K. Nadeau for the Ward 1 seat on the City Council. There is currently no Republican challenger in Ward 1 for the Nov. 8 general election.

Patch has asked each of the candidates running in select races to fill out a questionnaire, sharing facts about themselves and why voters should choose them to represent their party in November.

Name
Salah Czapary

Campaign website

Salah2022

DC Neighborhood

Adams Morgan

Office sought

Councilmember, Ward 1

Party affiliation

Democrat

Education

Bachelor of Arts, California University of Pennsylvania; Certified Public Manager - Program for Excellence on Municipal Management, George Washington University; Fellowship in Innovative Policing, Georgetown University

Occupation
Former DC police officer and administrator, 5+ years

Family
John (70), Maha (65), Irene (39), Nada (35), Yousef (33)

Does anyone in your family work in politics or government?

Just me

Age

31

Previous public office, appointive or elective

I was previously a MPD police officer and the civilian lead for DC's volunteer & community outreach programs as well as the Reserve Corps.

Why are you seeking this office?

DC should be a national leader in public safety and inclusive development. But our progress is being lost after nearly 8 years of the current leadership on the DC Council. Not only are violence and crime on the rise but ATVs and aggressive drivers put our pedestrians in danger, housing costs and homelessness are rising rapidly, and our schools still aren't good enough.

This is why I'm running to be Ward 1's Councilmember. We can't afford 4 more years of failed Ward 1 leadership and I know we can do better.

My experience running the District's volunteer and outreach programs and as an MPD officer gives me unique insight about where our system is failing and where it is working. DC has studied and recommended police reform & accountability measures yet the Council has not adopted them. In 2020, Council defunded the police, reducing the force by 280 officers and detectives and failing to replace them with any alternative response to non-violent 911 calls. This is not progressive leadership, this is negligence.

I see the same story of failure on almost all progressive priorities and am tired of inaction by our elected leaders. We can do better and that starts by building coalitions so we have the votes to fund our priorities and enact reforms that make DC a place where everyone can enjoy a high quality of life, not just the wealthy.

Please complete this statement: The single most pressing issue facing my constituents is ___, and this is what I intend to do about it.

Public safety is the number one issue facing Ward 1 voters. Our current leadership voted to defund the police while violence is on the rise. Our leadership has failed to innovate to reduce the workload of now a smaller police department, by creating alternatives to police response.

If elected, I'd prioritize the following 6 actions to address our immediate public safety needs and to reduce the stressors and trauma that leads to violence and crime.

1. Committing to a social-services-first approach
2. Creating alternative mechanisms for response to non-violent 911 calls
3. Reforming how we police communities through training & increased accountability
4. Preventing gun violence by building stronger cases against repeat offenders
5. Engaging our youth & vulnerable residents in education & employment programs
6. Installing traffic calming measures & enforcing penalties on reckless drivers

What is your position on DC statehood?

DC needs to elevate the conversation about DC statehood nationally by challenging the legality of taxing residents when the District does not receive its fair share of tax revenues from the federal government. In a Supreme Court case this year, the court ruled that Puerto Rico is not eligible to receive the same federal funding as other states because they do not pay federal income taxes. This now sets a precedent for DC to make the opposite argument since we do pay federal income taxes.

District residents should not have to pay federal income taxes unless we have received commensurate benefits and are granted Statehood. By applying this approach, we can turn the disgusting arguments of our nation's new conservative majority justices on themselves.

How would you address the problem of gun violence in the District?

MPD continues to recover illegal firearms at an alarming rate, even after our current leadership reduced their staffing by 280 officers and detectives. Year to date, gun recoveries are up by 54%. However, with no united federal strategy to address the flow of illegal firearms, arms will continue to flow into the city.

I will advocate for the strengthening of cases against violent offenders, to ensure those who endanger our community with illegal firearms are prosecuted. Currently, the average homicide suspect in DC has been arrested 11 prior times. In addition, only 500 people are responsible for 70% of the gun violence. While MPD focuses on building strong cases, our social services must be directed to infuse themselves into the lives of the most at risk of committing violence in an effort to get them engaged in productive life.

What are the major differences between you and the other candidates seeking this post?

As a community mobilizer for the volunteer policing program and MPD first responder, I have personally saved the lives of DC residents who have been the victims of violence. I have also seen first-hand trauma and stressors that some of our residents face that lead them to violence.

If we are serious about preventing violence we need more than words. My opponents have been taking a very one-sided approach to public safety focused on empowerment initiatives that may take decades to create an impact. We need a measured balance of empowerment and enforcement. We need to fund investments that will create an immediate impact by stabilizing at-risk individuals through affordable housing and employment programs as well as ensuring the 500 individuals responsible for 70% of gun violence do not become repeat offenders.

If you are challenging an incumbent, in what way has the current officeholder failed the community?

The incumbent Brianne Nadaeu has failed on almost every major issue. In fact, she has so few social achievements to claim she has now changed her platform to prioritize public safety. She claims to have fought for MPD training and resources, when she has in fact voted to cut the MPD budget. When hosting a public safety forum, she has left MPD out.
Aside from public safety, the incumbent has failed on nearly every progressive priority:

AFFORDABLE HOUSING - There has been no meaningful increase in affordable units that has led to a reduction in average housing costs for Ward 1 residents. Costs are still rapidly rising. And the majority of income restricted units that have been created received no funding from Brianne and exist because of DC's inclusionary zoning regulations (passed by effective progressive council members before Brianne's tenure). Brianne was removed from the Housing Committee for not taking an active interest and role. If elected, I will not only work to increase public funding for affordable housing, but work with communities to identify where it is best located. We also can't rely exclusively on new construction and need to utilize incentives or the District Opportunity to Purchase Act (DOPA) to buy existing housing to increase and preserve their affordability commitments.

HOMELESSNESS - The number of unaccompanied individuals living on the streets and public spaces is rising fast. We all see it with tent encampments popping up all over Ward 1 and the city. We have to find more meaningful ways to engage these residents by providing housing and employment opportunities for them in the neighborhoods where they want to live. Providing them options that are too far away is unfair and our residents experiencing homelessness will just go back to living on the streets where their social ties exist.

STABILIZING AT-RISK FAMILIES - Brianne's leadership as chair of the Committee on Human Services Committee will lead to 913 households becoming homeless by September this year alone because they've fallen out of her flagship Rapid Re-housing Program that provides financial assistance for low-income households to pay rent. Advocates have pleaded with her to exercise better oversight and move legislation to fix the program, but she’s done neither of those things.

Advocates have pleaded with Brianne for years to address the poor quality case management and simplify the overly burdensome process for struggling families. Yet she has done nothing to make the program more effective. Even more families eligible for subsidies will become homeless if nothing is done even though DC has already committed the funds to support them.

If I’m elected, I will advocate for and work with colleagues on legislation reforming the rapid re-housing program so it can serve as a bridge for homeless families to receive permanent supportive or targeted affordable housing vouchers.

ROAD SAFETY - DC Council's lead initiative to reduce traffic fatalities called Vision Zero pass had no impact. Fatalities are on the rise and the $100+ million they committed last year alone has either gone unspent or led to cheap plastic "flex-post" bollards at intersections that we regularly see getting knocked over by aggressive drivers & ATVs. DC needs to get more serious about transforming our streets and intersections to slow traffic to speeds safe for pedestrians and bicyclists. This is especially critical in Ward 1 for most people do not own a car and most vehicular traffic is just crossing through our neighborhoods Ward 1 is one of the most walkable communities in the nation and we should be a model that other cities replicate across the country. We should be on par with the success of cities like Amsterdam, Paris, and Milan and not just settling for some green and red paint.

What other issues do you intend to address during your campaign

• Prioritizing affordable housing, transit & bicycle/pedestrian safety •
• Investing in education that leads to gainful employment
• Supporting our homeless & close tent encampments
• Bringing LGBTQ+ representation to the D.C. Council
• Protecting women's rights & support family needs • Helping our city to GO GREEN

What accomplishments in your past would you cite as evidence you can handle this job?

• Member of the MPD headquarters staff running a number of outreach and volunteer programs
• Led the Community Engagement Academy and the Domestic Violence Liaison Program, a volunteer co-response initiative to connect victims of domestic violence to resources
• Led the sworn reserve officers and civilian volunteers overseeing their recruiting, background investigations, training, and requalification.
• Led the Community Policing Working Group in 2019 and 2021, partnering with Howard University 2021 to conduct a series of listening sessions across the city.
• Oversaw the marketing and outreach budget to hire entry-level officers.
• Completed a Fellowship at the Georgetown Law Center in Innovative Policing.
• Graduate of the George Washington University’s Program for Excellence in Municipal Management and pursuing a Master’s degree at the Naval Postgraduate School.
• Awarded the 2019 Homeland Security Today Mission Award
• Awarded the 2020 Leadership in Volunteer Police Service Program
• Award - Auxiliary/Reserve Police Programs by the International Association of Chiefs of Police

What is the best advice anyone ever gave you?

Anything worth doing, is worth doing well. And wear sunscreen.

Is there anything else you would like voters to know about yourself and your positions?

I am running because this election will determine the trajectory of our city. Whether or not, we can reverse the trends of rising violence, rising unaffordability, and rising inequality. Voters are deciding whether or not they want to lay down roots in our city based on these trends.

We cannot weather 4 more years like the past 8 years under Brianne Nadeau. DC residents should expect more of its leaders. They must deliver results and improve quality of life — not go backwards.

Related:

Candidate Profile: Sabel Harris For DC City Council In Ward 1

Candidate Profile: Brianne K. Nadeau For City Council In Ward 1