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WARD 6 DEMOCRATS

OFFICER ELECTIONS

Save the Date! Ward 6 Dems Biennial Convention and Officer Elections - Saturday, July 17
 
The Ward 6 Democrats biennial convention and officer elections will take place at Mr. Henry's (601 Pennsylvania Avenue SE) Saturday, July 17, starting at 10:00 a.m. 
 
The event will feature a welcome from our president, a special guest speaker, and, of course, the elections.
 
RSVP here.

Weather permitting, we will be OUTSIDE, so come prepared. Also bring a mask in case rain moves us indoors.

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Ward 6 Dems Elections: How to Run 

On Saturday, July 17, we will be electing the following Ward positions:
 

  • President

  • First Vice President

  • Second Vice President

  • Secretary

 
We will also be holding a special election for our open Ward 6 committeewoman position to the DC Democratic State Committee. 

In order to run, please submit the following items no later than Saturday, July 3:
 

  • Headshot photo

  • Brief biographical statement

  • Written candidacy statement

  • Candidacy video (no longer than two minutes)

 
Submit your candidacy support documents to ward6dems@gmail.com. They will be posted on our website in the order they are received.

For more information, see our constitution and bylaws.

Still have questions? Contact Ethan Van Ness, the Ward 6 Dems parliamentarian and the chair of our Rules Committee, at ethan.vanness@gmail.com. 

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CANDIDATES

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Matt LaFortune: Second Vice President 

Biographical Statement: Matt is a strategy consultant, former campaign manager, and active member of the Ward 6 Dems and DC Democratic Party. Over the past few years, he has worked with leaders across the District to engage voters and advocate for DC Statehood.

Candidacy Statement: I'm running for Second Vice President with a slate of experienced Ward 6 activists (Ward 6 United) to build on the progress that this organization made to engage the community and represent the whole ward. As GOTV lead since 2019, I have organized volunteer efforts to turn out voters in swing districts in Virginia and across the country in support of strong Democrats who support DC Statehood. Last year, 20+ volunteers contributed to writing more than 2,000 postcards and I know we can do even better over the next two years.

Interest in national elections is a great way to get new Ward 6 residents involved locally. I'm proud of the progress we've made to bring new people into the fold through our GOTV work and of the Young Democrats of Ward 6 group that I helped to found earlier this year. By continually refreshing our party with new talent and energy, we will continue to demonstrate our role as the way to get involved with the Democratic Party in Ward 6.

In addition to my work with the Ward 6 Dems, I led Councilmember Robert White's voter outreach in our ward last year and am an elected member of the DC Democratic State Committee. As the other members of the Ward 6 United slate and others throughout the District can testify, I'm here to do the work. I pledge to continue in these efforts as your 2nd VP.

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Elizabeth Weaver Engel: President 

Biographical Statement: Elizabeth has lived in DC for 24 years, 20 of them in Ward 6’s Near Northeast neighborhood. She’s been in the nonprofit sector her entire career, and for the past nine years, she has run her own small business providing consulting services to nonprofit membership associations. In addition to her volunteer work with the Ward 6 Dems, she also volunteers in the community (NoMa/H Street Civic Association, tutor and board member with Reading Partners), is active with the DC Statehood movement, and has volunteered for many Democratic campaigns both inside and outside DC.

Candidacy Statement: I am running for president of the Ward 6 Democrats, heading up the Ward 6 United slate. 
 
I’ve been an active volunteer with the Ward 6 Dems since 2016. In 2017, I started producing our bi-weekly newsletter and assumed responsibility for volunteer orientation. If you’ve ever raised your hand to volunteer with us, you’ve heard from me, welcoming you and sharing whichever opportunities are current. In 2019, I was officially elected to the 2nd Vice President position. 
 
In the past six years, I’ve worked with our events committee to put on our highly successful debates and candidate forums for local DC elections in 2018 and 2020. I’ve worked closely with Matt LaFortune and Andria Thomas on our GOTV efforts, which Matt has described in more detail above. I’ve worked closely with Marci Hilt on fundraising and on our efforts honoring the 100th anniversary of the 19th amendment, including our highly visible presence at the 2019 Barracks Row Independence Day parade. 
 
I’m proud of what the Ward 6 Dems have accomplished under Chuck Burger’s leadership these last several years. Our membership is growing, as is our community of active volunteers. We’re in a sound financial position. This spring, I managed the volunteer group that launched our beautiful, refreshed website. The new site is more visually oriented, more engaging, more focused, and easier to navigate. During the pandemic, we successfully launched the Young Dems of Ward 6, thanks to the volunteer efforts of Matt, Frank Avery, and Ethan Van Ness, among others. We moved quickly to shift to video conferencing so we could continue our popular salon conversation series. We’ve got an effective social media team that, under the leadership of Katarina O’Regan, is growing our audience and impact daily. 
 
I’m honored to be leading the Ward 6 United slate – myself, Dorinda White for 1st Vice President, Matt LaFortune for 2nd Vice President, and Regine Charles-Bowser for Secretary. Although we’re sad that Chuck is stepping down as chair, I think our slate combines the energy and experience that will allow us to continue and build on our success. 
 
Our slate has had extensive conversations about our vision for the Ward 6 Dems in the coming months and years. We want to be an organization that represents the full diversity of our Ward - certainly categories like race, gender, and sexual orientation, but also our many unique neighborhoods that touch all four quadrants of DC, our large, vibrant community of seniors, our families with young children, the idealistic young Democrats who move to Ward 6 to work on the Hill, life-long residents and newcomers alike – and provides a home for everyone. We are Ward 6 United and we (and I) are asking for your vote.
 

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Margaret Edwards: DCDSC Ward 6 Committeewoman

Biographical Statement: Margaret Edwards first moved to Washington, DC almost two and a half years ago and has lived in Ward 6 for the entirety of her time here. She works as a government affairs professional at an engineering association, and prior to moving to Ward 6 from her home state of Pennsylvania, she worked as a field organizer. Since then, she has seeked ways to continue her involvement, which include participating in the Young Dems of Ward 6's steering committee and volunteering for various campaigns. Margaret is a proud Carnegie Mellon alumna and continuously gives time back to Carnegie Mellon University’s Washington Semester Program here in DC.

Candidacy Statement: I am running to fill Ward 6’s open committeewoman position to the DC Democratic State Committee, and my desire to do so stems from my current involvement in the Young Dems of Ward 6. As someone who still considers herself new to DC, my participation in the Young Dems of Ward 6’s steering committee and my attendance at our issue series have really opened my eyes to issues that matter here in DC, as well as the numerous ways to take action on these local issues. 

I want to and feel like I can do more. Serving as a committeewoman is how I see myself doing more and increasing my service to democrats living here in Ward 6. 

When reflecting on why I want to run for this position, I think back to my time as a field organizer and how working on a campaign presented me with opportunities to interact with the local county democratic committee. I saw the value in the work that they did and the power that local and state democratic committees have, and I know I can bring my experiences from that phase of my career to serving as a committeewoman here in DC. Also, you should know that the field organizer in me has not gone away. I was a regular volunteer for the state democratic party back in my home state of Pennsylvania during the 2020 presidential campaign and have been an active participant in the Young Dems of Ward 6.

I understand that being a committeewoman is more than just having the title, and please know that I am willing to put forward the time and effort to make you voting for me worthwhile. I hope you will consider supporting my candidacy and I look forward to continuing my involvement with the Ward 6 Dems, which I hope will include serving as a committeewoman to the DC Democratic State Committee.
 

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Dorinda White: First Vice President

Biographical Statement: Dorinda is a long-time resident of the SW Waterfront in Ward 6. She is a public servant/public affairs professional serving the District's most vulnerable residents since 2011. Dorinda has volunteered in various capacities on the DC Democratic State Party (DCDSC) and the Ward 6 Dems. She has been active in women's issues locally and nationwide. More recently, Dorinda completed a term as President of the DC Federation of Democratic Women (2019-2021) and was elected to the National Federation of Democratic Women (NFDW) Executive Board of Directors in June 2021. Dorinda has been an active member of the DC Democratic Party since 2000 where she started as the press secretary and attended all DNC Conventions in some capacity since 2000. She was later appointed the Communications Director of the DC Democratic Party and then ran for At-large Committeewoman in 2014 DC Elections where she garnered over 24,000 votes city-wide. Dorinda is a former Congressional Staffer in the US House of Representatives and was a Senior Communications Staffer and speechwriter in the Anthony Williams, Vincent Gray and Muriel Bowser Administrations. In the 2020 Elections, Dorinda was elected by the DCDSC to serve as a Temporary Member of the DNC Rules Committee in advance of the DNC Democratic National Convention. 

While serving as President of the DC Federation of Democratic Women, Dorinda launched several ground-breaking initiatives including DCFDW Team 2020 whose mission was to strategize and create innovative outreach methods and GOTV projects to ensure that Democrats locally and nationally would win in their elections; created several virtual workshops on Voter Suppression, What's on the DC Ballot, the 411 on the Plum Book and Presidential Appointments and the creation of the 1st DCFDW Commission on Presidential Appointments to create a pipeline of Democratic Women to apply for consideration as appointees in the Biden-Harris Administration. 

Dorinda has received extensive training in running for office and running campaigns. She was instrumental in conducting the social media and communications efforts of the Democrats Moving Forward slate which was a successful slate in several major DC elections. Dorinda is a graduate of the Women's Campaign School at Yale University; Emily's List Political Opportunity Program; the Congressional Black Caucus Institute Political Bootcamp (where post graduation she returned to teach future cohorts); and the Harvard University Kennedy School of Government Senior Managers in Government Executive Education program. 

Candidacy Statement: I ask for your vote to serve you as the 1st Vice President of the Ward 6 Democrats!

I am running for re-election as 1st VP of the Ward 6 Democrats to continue in my efforts to enhance opportunities for Ward 6 residents to get involved in the Democratic process. I have worked with current President Chuck Burger on many initiatives and have been a strong proponent of including all neighborhoods in Ward 6 in our efforts and activities. Our Ward 6 is a collective of residents from all parts of the country and from around the world. It is important that as democrats, we promote a democrat community where everyone can have their voices heard and respected. Ward 6 has such a variety of backgrounds and cultures and we, as Ward 6 Democrats, will work to ensure that we can stand together and work towards causes under a common Democratic umbrella.  

I believe that our Ward 6 has continued to thrive as a Democratic stronghold in the District due to the active residents in all sectors of the Ward. The new residents are excited to become involved in the political environment so that they can become a part of the District's existing fabric. Although there are many transient residents, they do find the time to get involved and learn how to become active while they are residing here. They also take what they've learned in the Ward 6 political landscape and are able to replicate their experiences in their next urban or rural political home. I ask for your vote for 1st VP so that I can contribute to their involvement in our Ward 6 Democrats projects and initiatives.

It is my fervent hope that all Ward 6 Democrats can find a niche where they can use their expertise and skill sets to ensure that the Ward 6 democratic landscape remains strong and viable. 

In conclusion, I ask for your vote as the 1st VP of the Ward 6 Democrats and I remain committed to lending my political acumen and mentoring skills to create a continuous pipeline of active Democrats in Ward 6! 

A vote for Dorinda White is an investment towards a Ward 6 United! I thank you in advance for your support.
 

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Regine Charles Bowser: Secretary

Biographical Statement: Regine is a Community Development Planner, Facilities Architect in Airport Construction and a participating member of Ward 6 Dems. She’s completed community development and airport planning projects at local, national and international levels. She’s smart, She’s fun, She gets things done. 

Candidacy Statement: I’m running for Secretary of the Ward 6 Democrats, completing the Ward 6 United slate of experienced and active community members, to work with each of you to build a more livable community, city, country and planet.

In 2019, the Presidential Campaign and 2020 Elections sparked my interest in participating directly in making our country and planet more livable. As I volunteered for Campaign activities, I worked with Dorinda White, who introduced me to our neighbors at Ward 6 Dems and current Ward 6 activities. Working with Andria Thomas and Matt LaFortune writing numerous postcards I advanced the Ward 6 Dems GOTV activities. Assisting Matt with Councilmember Robert White’s voter outreach we made a difference. I also worked numerous well spent hours phone banking, reaching voters, while volunteering for the Presidential Campaign.

As a former Board Member of DC Preservation League and an active University of Pennsylvania Alum, I will dedicate my time and energy to Ward 6 Dems and working with you to create a livable community for everyone.

I am asking for your vote for Secretary of the Ward 6 Democrats to continue creating our livable community for all.
 

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