These lists include all members of the Council of the District of Columbia since its creation in 1975. All members are elected to 4-year terms (except for the initial 2-year terms for half the members elected to the first council, in 1974).
These lists include all members of the Council of the District of Columbia since its creation in 1975. All members are elected to 4-year terms (except for the initial 2-year terms for half the members elected to the first council, in 1974).
On June 1, 1967, President Lyndon B. Johnson ordered that the 3-member commissioner system that had governed the District for nearly 100 years be replaced by a single commissioner and a 9-member city council all appointed by the President. The commissioner, sometimes referred to as the mayor-commissioner, would be able to veto the actions of the council, and council could overrule the veto with a 3/4ths majority. [1] Congress had 60 days for either house to reject the rule. Only the House introduced a disapproval resolution, supported by Republicans and Southern Democrats, but it failed 244–160. [2] Each member of the council served a 3-year term starting February 1, with seats staggered by three years; except for those appointed initially in 1967. In the event that a member's term expired, they would remain a member until a replacement was confirmed and sworn in. By law, a maximum of six members could be from any one party.
Because of a low salary and the fact that terms lasted until a replacement was available, membership was quite fluid. (Changes in italics)
On October 30, 1973, members voted to represent areas of town. They did not use the ward system, which had been created for the school board, but instead used the service area system created by the mayor in 1970. There were 8 wards, 9 service areas and 9 members of the council. [15] They were assigned:
The chairman who served the longest uninterrupted period of time is Linda A. Cropp, who served 9 years, 146 days, from August 8, 1997, to January 1, 2007. [16] David A. Clarke served the longest as chairman, counting all terms (with interruptions), serving 10 years, 185 days (from January 3, 1983, to January 3, 1991, and again from September 27, 1993, to his death on March 28, 1997). [17] The chairman who served the shortest period of time is Kwame R. Brown, who served 521 days from January 2, 2011, to June 6, 2012. [18]
The council member who served the longest uninterrupted period of time is Jack Evans, who served 28 years from May 13, 1991, to January 17, 2020. Evans also holds the record for serving the longest period of time counting interrupted service. The council member who served the shortest period of time is Arrington Dixon, who served 121 days between his special appointment to an at-large seat on August 15, 1997, and December 14, 1997 (when David Catania was sworn in after winning a special election on December 3, 1997).
The at-large council member who served the longest uninterrupted period of time is Hilda Mason, who served 21 years, 273 days from April 2, 1977, to January 1, 1999. Mason also holds the record for serving the longest period of time counting interrupted service. The Group 1 at-large council member who served the longest uninterrupted period of time is John L. Ray, who served 17 years, 359 days from January 8, 1979, to January 1, 1997. Ray also holds the record for the Group 1 at-large council member serving the longest period of time counting interrupted service. The Group 1 at-large council member who served the shortest period of time is Arrington Dixon. The Group 2 at-large council member who served the longest uninterrupted period of time is Hilda Mason. Mason also holds the record for the Group 2 at-large council member serving the longest period of time counting interrupted service. The Group 1 at-large council member who served the shortest period of time is Sekou Biddle, who served 123 days from his appointment on January 7, 2011, until May 9, 2011 (his successor, Vincent Orange, was sworn in on May 10 after a special election held April 26, 2011).
There are four at-large members at any time, elected in groups of two. Group 1 was elected in 1974 to 2-year terms and elected in years divisible by 4 thereafter: 1976, 1980, ..., 2008, 2012, etc. Group 2 is elected in years divisible by 2 but not by 4: 1974, 1978, ..., 2010, 2014, etc. In 1974, Group 1 consisted of Marion Barry and Jerry A. Moore, Jr. [19]
The Ward 1 member is elected in years divisible by 2 but not by 4: 1974, 1978, ..., 2010, 2014, etc.
The Ward 2 member was elected in 1974 to a 2-year term and elected in years divisible by 4 thereafter: 1976, 1980, ..., 2008, 2012, etc.
The Ward 3 member is elected in years divisible by 2 but not by 4: 1974, 1978, ..., 2010, 2014, etc.
The Ward 4 member was elected in 1974 to a 2-year term and elected in years divisible by 4 thereafter: 1976, 1980, ..., 2008, 2012, etc.
The Ward 5 member is elected in years divisible by 2 but not by 4: 1974, 1978, ..., 2010, 2014, etc.
The Ward 6 member is elected in years divisible by 2 but not by 4: 1974, 1978, ..., 2010, 2014, etc.
The Ward 7 member was elected in 1974 to a 2-year term and elected in years divisible by 4 thereafter: 1976, 1980, ..., 2008, 2012, etc.
The Ward 8 member was elected in 1974 to a 2-year term and elected in years divisible by 4 thereafter: 1976, 1980, ..., 2008, 2012, etc.
Background colors indicate party:
| Democratic | Republican | Statehood | independent |
| Year | Chair | At-large councillors | Ward-level councillors | Makeup | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | |||||||
| 1975 | Tucker | D. Moore | Hobson | Barry | J. Moore | Clarke | Wilson | Shackleton | Dixon | Spaulding | Winter | Hardy | Coates |  |
| 1976 | ||||||||||||||
| 1977 | Mason | Rolark | ||||||||||||
| 1978 | ||||||||||||||
| 1979 | Dixon | Kane | Ray | Jarvis | ||||||||||
| 1980 | ||||||||||||||
| 1981 | Crawford | |||||||||||||
| 1982 | ||||||||||||||
| 1983 | Clarke | Smith | ||||||||||||
| 1984 | ||||||||||||||
| 1985 | Schwartz | |||||||||||||
| 1986 | ||||||||||||||
| 1987 | Nathanson | Thomas Sr. | ||||||||||||
| 1988 | ||||||||||||||
| 1989 | Lightfoot |  | ||||||||||||
| 1990 | ||||||||||||||
| 1991 | Wilson | Cropp | Evans | Brazil | ||||||||||
| 1992 | ||||||||||||||
| 1993 | Clarke | Chavous | Barry | |||||||||||
| 1994 | ||||||||||||||
| 1995 | Patterson | Whittington | ||||||||||||
| 1996 | ||||||||||||||
| 1997 | Cropp | Dixon | Brazil | Schwartz | Ambrose | S. Allen |  | |||||||
| 1998 | Catania |  | ||||||||||||
| 1999 | Mendelson | Graham | Orange |  | ||||||||||
| 2000 | ||||||||||||||
| 2001 | Fenty | |||||||||||||
| 2002 | ||||||||||||||
| 2003 | ||||||||||||||
| 2004 | Catania | |||||||||||||
| 2005 | K. Brown | Gray | Barry |  | ||||||||||
| 2006 | ||||||||||||||
| 2007 | Gray | Cheh | Bowser | Thomas Jr. | Wells | Alexander | ||||||||
| 2008 | ||||||||||||||
| 2009 | M. Brown |  | ||||||||||||
| 2010 | ||||||||||||||
| 2011 | K. Brown | Biddle | ||||||||||||
| Orange | ||||||||||||||
| 2012 | Mendelson | Bonds | McDuffie | |||||||||||
| 2013 | Grosso | |||||||||||||
| 2014 | ||||||||||||||
| 2015 | Silverman | Nadeau | Todd | C. Allen | May | |||||||||
| 2016 | ||||||||||||||
| 2017 | R. White | Gray | T. White | |||||||||||
| 2018 | ||||||||||||||
| 2019 | ||||||||||||||
| 2020 | Pinto | |||||||||||||
| 2021 | Henderson | George | ||||||||||||
| 2022 | ||||||||||||||
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