Anita Bonds facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Anita Bonds
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Member of the Council of the District of Columbia at-large |
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Assumed office December 11, 2012 |
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Preceded by | Phil Mendelson |
Chair of the District of Columbia Democratic Party | |
In office November 2006 – September 20, 2018 |
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Preceded by | Wanda Lockridge |
Succeeded by | Charles Wilson |
Personal details | |
Born | 1945 (age 79–80) |
Political party | Democratic |
Education | University of California, Berkeley (BS) |
Anita Bonds is an American politician from Washington, D.C.. She is a member of the Democratic Party. Since 2012, she has been an at-large member of the Council of the District of Columbia. This means she represents the entire city, not just one specific area. Before joining the Council, she led the Democratic Party in D.C. from 2006 to 2018.
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Early Life and Education
Anita Bonds grew up in Southeast Washington, D.C. She went to college at the University of California, Berkeley. There, she studied chemistry.
Political Career
Anita Bonds has a long history in D.C. politics. She helped with Marion Barry's first campaign for the Board of Education in 1971. In 1972, she was chosen as a delegate for the Black Political Convention.
In 1973, Bonds ran for a seat on the Board of Education. She worked on campaigns for mayor, including for Clifford Alexander in 1974. She was also a deputy campaign manager for Marion Barry's mayoral campaigns in 1978 and 1982. In 1979, Mayor Barry made her a special assistant.
Bonds continued to work on many political campaigns. She managed John L. Ray's campaign for councilmember in 1980. In 1983, she directed the D.C. Office of Community Services. She also worked on Jesse Jackson's presidential campaign in 1984. She managed Barry's third mayoral campaign in 1986.
In the 1990s, Bonds continued her work in D.C. government. She was a special assistant to the chief of staff for Mayor Sharon Pratt Kelly in 1994. In 1998, she managed Councilmember Harold Brazil's mayoral campaign for a short time. From 2004 to 2005, she was the director of the mayor's Office of Community Affairs. Later, she became a senior adviser to Council member Kwame R. Brown.
Before becoming a councilmember, Bonds worked as an executive at Fort Myer Construction. This is one of D.C.'s biggest construction companies.
Serving on the D.C. Council
Becoming a Councilmember
In November 2012, Phil Mendelson became the chair of the D.C. Council. This left his at-large seat open. D.C. law says that the political party of the person who left the seat gets to choose someone to fill it temporarily. This happens until a special election can be held.
Anita Bonds decided to try for this open seat. Other people also wanted the position. The D.C. Democratic State Committee voted, and Bonds won with 55 out of 71 votes. She was sworn in as a councilmember on December 11, 2012. She then won the special election in 2013 to keep her seat.
Key Work and Reelection
As a councilmember, Anita Bonds has worked on important issues. She introduced a bill to help senior citizens with their property taxes. This bill would help homeowners with lower incomes who have lived in D.C. for 15 years or more.
In 2017, Bonds attended the parade for the inauguration of Donald Trump. She won reelection in 2018. Many of her campaign donations came from people and companies in D.C.'s building industry.
In December 2019, Bonds was criticized for accidentally sharing the name of a person who reported a problem in public. She said it was a mistake.
In July 2020, Bonds did not support a plan to move money from a streetcar project. This money would have been used to fix public housing. She had previously said she supported the budget change. In October 2020, activists protested outside her home. They wanted her to support affordable housing more.
Personal Life
Anita Bonds is a widow. She has one adult daughter and two adult sons. She also has seven grandchildren.
Committees
Anita Bonds is currently part of several important committees on the D.C. Council:
- Committee on Executive Administration and Labor (She is the Chairperson)
- Committee of the Whole
- Committee on Business and Economic Development
- Committee on Judiciary and Public Safety
- Committee on Housing
She was also a member of the Committee on Education and Finance and Revenue in the past.