Three candidates are challenging Trayon White, Sr. in the July 15 Special Election to represent Ward 8 on DC Council. Meet the candidates:
Candidate Bios:
Salim Adofo / salimforward8.com
Re-elected to represent ANC 8C07 since 2018 and Chair of the ANC since 2021, Adofo is a graduate of the University of the District of Columbia (UDC) and a US Army veteran. Adofo says it is time for new leadership with a vision for the community. He placed second in the June primary, gathering 25 percent of the vote.
During his time on ANC 8C, Adofo established the Ward 8 STEM Academy, which serves elementary and middle schoolers. He has also had success in improving road safety in Ward 8 and as a tenant organizer.
His platform centers on improving housing quality by ing tenant associations; reducing Ward 8 healthcare disparities by reducing costs and increasing health awareness; making citizens more safe by reducing truancy; a data-driven use of components in the Secure DC bill to benefit the community and ensuring adequate family s.
At the election forums, Adofo was the only candidate who said he would term limits for DC Council. He opposed changes to the Tenant Opportunity to Purchase Act (TOPA) and he would consider a moratorium on luxury development unless DC funds a Ward 7 and 8 homeownership program.
Mike Austin / mikeaustin8.com
Mike Austin was Chief of Staff in the Deputy Mayor of Economic Development (DMPED) and a staffer to former Ward 8 Councilmember, LaRuby May (D). He also has roots in the ward; raised in Bellevue, he ran for Ward 8 council in 2020 and later went on to work on the closure of the United Medical Center (UMC).
A lawyer, he characterizes himself as a fighter, capable of finally getting the District government to give Ward 8 its fair share of resources and attention. Austin says he has the experience and policy background to go into the job on day one to create policies and fight for budget wins.
Former Chair of ANC 8C and a new father, Austin has been on the board for many nonprofits, including the Untied People’s Organization and the Far Southeast Family Strengthening Collaborative.
For Austin, economic development and sustainability are key to the success of Ward 8 and its residents.
Sheila Bunn / bunnforward8.com
Sheila Bunn was raised in Congress Heights and now lives in Bellevue where she is raising her 15-year-old daughter.
Bunn, who ran for Ward 8 council member in 2015, has more than 30 years experience with policy at all three levels of government. She is a former staffer to Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (DC-D). She also worked in both the Mayor’s Office and Ward 7 Council Office under Vincent Gray (D). Bunn argues that in light of the sometimes frought relationship between the federal and District government, this experience is more important than ever. She points to her work with Norton on the DC TAG program and with Gray on deals like St. Elizabeth’s East, Care First Arena and the new Ward 8 hospital as proof of her efficacy.
If elected as Ward 8 Councilmember, she said she wants to improve access to fresh food, improve literacy and math proficiency rates in the schools through high impact tutoring, and improve access to affordable and safe housing.
Trayon White (D) / no campaign website at press time
Trayon has won re-election to Ward 8’s council seat in every election since 2017. Before that, White was the Ward 8 Representative on DC’s State Board of Education (SBOE). White attended Ballou High School and founded non-profit Helping Inner City Kids Succeed (HICKS).
White has significant historical , that many say could remain despite the fact that he was charged with Bribery of a Public Official in August 2024. He faces a judge in January 2026.
In primaries, White stood on his record, citing his work on the Dream Grant and Ward 8 Investment Fund, six new recreation centers delivered or in the works for the ward, a new senior center slated for Kramer Middle School and new businesses at Sycamore Oak.
But to retain his seat, White will have to overcome bad press from the federal charges of bribery piled on to several past controversies, including news that he owes the District about $80,000 in fines from past campaigns.
