Endorsement Questionnaire Responses: Greater Greater Washington
WHY I’M POSTING THIS:
Transparency and accountability are at the core of how I approach public service. Residents deserve to know where their elected officials stand, what commitments they have made, and whether they are following through. That is why I am publishing my complete responses to Greater Greater Washington’s 2026 Advisory Neighborhood Commissioner candidate endorsement questionnaire so voters and residents can see exactly where I stand today and hold me accountable for the decisions I make if re-elected.
2026 Advisory Neighborhood Commissioner candidate questionnaire
Submitted: Thursday, Aug. 20, 2026
Question 1: Contact Information
Name: Brad Howard
Campaign website:bradhoward.us
Fundraising:account.venmo.com/u/Howard4ANC
Question 2: Select the ANC in which you are running
Answer: ANC 1E
Question 3: Select the SMD in which you are running
Answer: 01
Question 5: Do you think there are not enough homes, enough homes, or too many homes in your ANC?
Answer: Not enough homes.
Question 6: Which of the following statements most aligns with your beliefs?
Answer: It’s more important to enable more homes, and more types of homes, in more of our neighborhoods, even if that results in pushback for “changing a neighborhood’s character.”
Question 7: I consider affordable housing to be:
Means-tested or income-restricted
Subsidized
Costing no more than 30 percent of one’s household income
Question 8: I consider market-rate housing to be:
Not means-tested or income-restricted
Unsubsidized
Question 9: What do you believe to be the distinction between affordable housing and market-rate housing?
To me, affordable housing is deliberately priced so low- and moderate-income residents can afford it — for example, through income limits, subsidies, etc. I like the HUD definition: people don’t have to spend more than 30% of their income on housing.
Market-rate housing is not income-restricted or subsidized. While the market decides the sale price, that doesn’t always mean it’s expensive. A market-rate home could be affordable to one household because of their income or preferences, but too expensive for another.
Question 10: What do you consider social housing?
I selected:
District-owned housing on District-owned land, built by a District agency and managed by a District agency
District-owned housing on District-owned land, built by a District agency and managed by a private property-management company
District-owned housing on District-owned land, built by a private construction company and managed by a District agency
District-owned housing on District-owned land, built by a private construction company and managed by a private property-management company
Question 11: What does family-sized housing mean to you?
Family-sized housing is housing designed for families. Families come in all shapes and sizes, so it’s hard to set one specific criterion, but generally I think it means 3+ bedrooms and 2+ bathrooms with reasonable living spaces — kitchen, living room, storage, etc.
Any type of home — condo, duplex, rowhouse, etc. — could be family-sized. The real goal should not be one definition but to understand these diverse needs and increase the diversity of housing options in the District.
One example is that we need more options for multigenerational families, which is especially important to many Hispanic and Latino families culturally, but also for any family struggling to find affordable childcare where a grandparent in the home is a lifesaver.
Question 12: Are there not enough historic districts, enough historic districts, or too many historic districts in your ANC?
Answer: Enough historic districts.
Question 13: Do you think inducing residents and visitors to drive less should be an explicit policy goal of the District?
Answer: Yes. Inducing residents and visitors to drive less should be an explicit policy goal of the District.
Question 14: Do you think there are not enough cars, enough cars, or too many cars in the District?
Answer: Too many cars.
Question 15: How many vehicles do you think a family of four needs to get by in the District?
Answer: One.
Question 16: Do you think there is not enough parking, enough parking, or too much parking in your ANC?
Answer: Enough parking.
Question 17: Do you think there are too few bars and restaurants, enough bars and restaurants, or too many bars and restaurants in your ANC?
Answer: Too few bars and restaurants.
Question 18: Which statement do you agree with most?
Answer: New housing of all types should be built throughout all neighborhoods. Building more densely near transit is important, but people also deserve the option to live in rowhomes and small apartment buildings, even if those homes are not within a set proximity to a bus stop or train station.
Question 19: Should apartments — for example, sixplexes — be legal in all parts of all the District’s neighborhoods?
Answer: Yes. Apartments should be legal in all parts of all the District’s neighborhoods.
Question 20: If you selected “No,” explain why you think apartments shouldn’t be legal in all parts of all the District’s neighborhoods.
Answer: N/A
Question 21: Should the District’s historic preservation laws be amended to remove height and mass from the purview of the Historic Preservation Review Board?
Answer: Yes. Height and mass should be removed from the purview of the Historic Preservation Review Board.
Question 22: Mayor Muriel Bowser failed to meet her 2019 target of achieving “an equitable distribution of no less than 15 percent affordable housing in each planning area by 2050.” Do you agree that 15 percent of all homes in a planning area should be affordable?
Answer: I agree that 15 percent of all homes in a planning area should be affordable.
Question 23: Janeese Lewis George, the Democratic nominee for mayor of Washington, D.C., committed to a goal of building 72,000 new homes in five years. That’s equal to about 210 units per single-member district, or 1,565 units per ANC. Hypothetically, where do you think 210 new homes should be built in your SMD or ANC?
ANC 1E can accommodate 210 new homes and more.
I’d concentrate the greatest density along Georgia Avenue, around the Petworth Metro up north and the Shaw-Howard/U Street metros down south. When Bruce Monroe is finished, it’ll anchor the middle. More residents along this once-vibrant corridor will be a game changer, and it’s why our ANC is working to strengthen the corridor’s businesses and fill vacant storefronts.
But Georgia Avenue should not carry all of the growth. Park View and Pleasant Plains also have vacant buildings, underused lots, and single-family homes that can become duplexes, triplexes, ADUs, or small apartment buildings. My own condo exists because someone converted one large home into two affordable units.
In 1E01, children and teens make up roughly one-third of residents, yet only four subsidized affordable units have been completed since 2015 — and none are currently in progress. New growth has to include both family-sized and affordable homes.
Question 24: Planned Unit Developments
Planned unit developments allow developers flexibility in exchange for public benefits that exceed what could be achieved under ordinary zoning. Which approach most aligns with your preferences?
Answer: I would prefer that development in my ANC be by-right. Knowing that what is zoned is all that is possible to build creates predictability for residents and housing providers, which is worth forgoing a negotiation for possible benefits.
Question 25: Would you support enabling an additional home per lot in R and RF zones?
Answer: I would support enabling an additional home per lot in R and RF zones, and would introduce a resolution in support of such a zoning text amendment.
Question 26: At what point do you no longer consider someone’s home “near transit”?
Answer: If their home is further than a 10-minute walk to a bus stop or train station.
Question 27: Do you support removing parking and travel lanes to build dedicated bus lanes?
Answer: Yes. I support removing parking and travel lanes to build dedicated bus lanes, and would introduce a resolution in support of doing so in my ANC.
Question 28: Do you support removing parking and travel lanes to build protected bike lanes?
Answer: Yes. I support removing parking and travel lanes to build protected bike lanes, and would introduce a resolution in support of doing so in my ANC.
Question 29: Do you support the implementation of road pricing, also referred to as congestion pricing, in downtown Washington, D.C.?
Answer: Yes. I support the implementation of road pricing, and would introduce a resolution in support of the District doing so.
Question 30: Will you participate in the yearly National Week Without Driving?
Answer: Yes. I will participate in the National Week Without Driving every fall.
Question 31: Describe at least one trip you currently take by car that you can commit to taking on foot, by bus, by train, via a mobility device, or by bike instead.
My job requires me to use my car during the workday for work-related travel, both on-site and off-site.
Outside of work, though, I’ll make a deliberate effort to leave the car at home when Metro or the bus is a practical option on weekends, such as taking public transit to church on Sundays and to more social activities.
Question 32: What do you feel is the biggest issue in your neighborhood, and what is your position on it?
The biggest issue in Park View is that too many residents feel they are not getting the government they deserve.
Basic services, like public safety, are inconsistent, 311 and agencies can be difficult to navigate or broken, and people often feel they have to fight City Hall just to get problems acknowledged.
That is a problem in its own right, but it also threatens our ability to build the more abundant, growing neighborhood I want. It is difficult to ask residents to embrace more housing and greater density when they do not believe the city can adequately serve the people who already live here.
If residents are asking, “The city cannot handle things now — what happens when we add another 210 homes?” we need a credible answer.
My position is not to stop growth. It is to demand that government improve alongside it.
Given the limited scope of commissioners’ authority, what would you most realistically do about that issue if elected?
I would keep using the ANC as an accountability tool: documenting problems, gathering evidence, bringing agencies before residents, filing formal complaints when necessary, passing resolutions, testifying before the Council, and following up until there is a result.
That approach has already helped us win action on repeated Pepco outages, trash collection, street safety, public safety, and protections for condo owners.
That commitment to transparency and accountability starts with me. I have posted this questionnaire and all of my responses on my campaign website so residents can see exactly where I stand and hold me accountable for the commitments I make.
But I also want to make the ANC itself much more accessible. I would make a concerted effort to ensure residents understand what ANCs do, how we can help them, and how they can participate directly in decisions affecting their neighborhood.
I have already passed a resolution authorizing a district-wide mailer inviting residents to join ANC 1E committees because I believe those committees are where some of the most valuable neighbor-to-neighbor relationships are built. They give residents a place to learn about issues, work through disagreements, develop solutions, and have a real hand in shaping their community.
That matters for housing, too. People are more willing to accept change when they believe they have a voice in how that change happens and some control over the future of their neighborhood.
Better government and stronger civic participation are not alternatives to growth; they are part of how we build durable support for it.
Question 33: ANC commissioners represent about 2,000 constituents, on average. With the understanding that you are not going to hear from every single one of them during your term, and that those you do hear from may not represent a majority view of the 2,000 people you represent, describe how you plan to make decisions as an elected representative.
I start by doing my homework.
I read the available data and research, look for credible arguments on both sides, and study how other jurisdictions have approached the same issue. Most importantly, I try to separate theory from practice. A proposal may sound great in principle, but that means very little if it cannot be implemented, administered, enforced, or funded.
I want to know: Who is responsible for carrying it out? What will it cost? What happened when another city tried it? What could go wrong?
Research alone is not enough. I talk directly with the people who will be affected and try to understand not only what they want, but what is driving their concerns. I ask questions and hear them out.
I also invite residents to participate in committee meetings, which are often less intimidating and allow for a more substantive conversation than the limited public-comment period at a full Commission meeting.
I rely heavily on my fellow commissioners, too. ANC 1E includes people with very different backgrounds, life experiences, and areas of expertise. It is a commission with an enormous amount of experience, and I have learned a great deal from my colleagues’ mentorship over the past two years. Honest conversations with them frequently expose a complication, consequence, or perspective that I had not considered.
Ultimately, however, I accept responsibility for making the decision. My vote must align with my values, my conscience, the commitments I made to voters, and what I believe is in the long-term interest of both our neighborhood and the District. We are not separate from the future of this city; we are all invested in it together.
And I never consider a position permanent simply because I have taken it before. If new evidence, experience, or governing and economic realities show that an assumption was wrong or that a policy is not working as intended, I will reevaluate it.
Changing my mind in response to better information is not inconsistency. It is part of doing the job responsibly.
Question 34: Why do you think you are the right person to serve as an ANC commissioner for your SMD?
I think I’m the right choice for 1E01 because I’ve shown that I can make the ANC useful.
I don’t see this job as simply attending meetings and casting votes. My job is to identify problems, bring the right people to the table, and keep pushing until residents get results.
I bring nearly two decades of experience in government — from City Hall, to the Obama Administration, to Congress — including constituent services, communications, and grassroots mobilization. I know how to press an agency, and when necessary, how to take an issue public and build enough attention to get the response our neighborhood deserves.
And when we fix one problem, I don’t stop there.
When a condo association in my district spent years believing it could be on the hook for hundreds of thousands of dollars because the city had lost track of a required security warranty, I pressed the agency until it found it.
Then we kept going: pushing for process reviews, reforms, and commitments to provide clearer guidance to every ANC so another association doesn’t get trapped by the same preventable clerical failure.
That’s how I approach this job: solve the immediate problem, figure out why it happened, and force the system to work better for the next resident too.
I live here, I own my home here, and I’m running again because there is more work to do — and because I’ve shown that I know how to get it done.
Question 35: Is there anything else you’d like Greater Greater Washington to take into consideration about your positions on housing, affordable housing, transportation, and land use?
A few clarifications on my responses:
Question 16 — Parking Minimums
I oppose mandatory parking minimums for new developments. Housing providers should determine actual parking needs rather than be forced to build parking that increases costs and can make housing harder to produce.
Questions 27 and 28 — Dedicated Bus and Protected Bike Lanes
I support dedicated bus and protected bike lanes, even when they require reallocating space from cars.
On Georgia Avenue, I think implementation should be thoughtful and tied to the corridor’s growth. As more housing, residents, and foot traffic come online, we should continue reducing the amount of space devoted to cars while protecting the corridor’s economic vitality.
I also want designs that prioritize safe pedestrian crossings, accessibility, and a connected bike network that actually gets people where they need to go.
Question 29 — Congestion Pricing
I support downtown congestion pricing with protections for low-income drivers. I also support measures that discourage unnecessary out-of-District vehicle traffic, particularly during major events.
I would generally support a Sunday morning exemption from certain pricing requirements. Many longtime Washingtonians who were displaced from the District still return to attend churches and other places of worship that have anchored their communities for generations. We should not penalize them for maintaining those ties.
Questions 12 and 21 — Historvic Preservation
While researching this issue, I learned of a pending 2021 application for a Park View Historic District. After reviewing it, I do not believe the application makes a strong case or that designation is in the best interest of Park View.
Park View’s history is important, but broad neighborhood-wide restrictions can also limit housing and redevelopment without adequately weighing those consequences.
In September, I intend to introduce a committee resolution opposing the application and requesting its withdrawal.
Ensuring Existing Residents Benefit From Growth
I also want to raise an issue the questionnaire did not address. I think we in the pro-housing community should do more to ensure existing residents directly benefit from housing growth.
D.C. should make it easier for longtime homeowners and seniors to add housing through pre-approved plans, clearer guidance, and accessible financing. Missing-middle housing can create homes while helping residents build wealth or generate retirement income.
We should also do more to help renters become homeowners, help condo associations protect themselves when developers fail to meet their obligations, and help residents understand how to advocate effectively through ANCs and the Council.
Doing these things might help make existing homeowners less resistant to pro-density reforms.
For me, abundance is not just about unit counts. It is about creating more housing while giving residents more opportunity to build wealth, stay in their communities, and shape their neighborhoods.
