Robert White (Washington, D.C., politician) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Robert White
|
|
|---|---|
White in 2017
|
|
| Member of the Council of the District of Columbia at-large |
|
| Assumed office September 16, 2016 |
|
| Preceded by | Vincent Orange |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 1982 (age 42–43) Washington, D.C., U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse | Christy White |
| Children | 2 |
| Education | St. Mary's College, Maryland (BA) American University (JD) |
Robert C. White Jr. (born in 1982) is an American lawyer and politician. He has been a member of the Council of the District of Columbia since 2016.
From 2008 to 2014, he worked for Eleanor Holmes Norton, who represents Washington, D.C., in the United States House of Representatives. In 2014, he tried to win a seat on the council but did not succeed. In 2016, he won the Democratic election for an at-large seat, beating the person who had held the seat for 12 years, Vincent Orange. When Orange left his seat, Robert White was chosen to take his place and started work on September 16, 2016. He won the election for his seat in November 2016. In October 2021, he announced he would run for mayor in the 2022 election. He finished second in the Democratic Primary, losing to the current mayor, Muriel Bowser.
Contents
Robert White's Early Life and School
Robert White was born in Washington, D.C., in 1982. He is one of five children. His father is a deacon in the Catholic Church. When Robert was young, his parents divorced. His mother passed away in September 1990 when he was eight years old.
A month after his mother's death, Robert was seriously hurt in a car accident. A large truck hit the car he was in. He suffered a bad skull injury and had several operations. Luckily, he made a full recovery.
Robert went to Archbishop Carroll High School in Washington, D.C. He started playing lacrosse in his last year of high school. After graduating, he went to St. Mary's College of Maryland. In 2004, he earned a bachelor's degree in political science and philosophy. He was the first person in his family to graduate from college.
Later, Robert went to American University in Washington, D.C., to study law. He earned his law degree in 2007 from the Washington College of Law.
Robert White's Career in Public Service
From 2007 to 2008, Robert White worked as a law clerk for a court in Maryland and at a law firm. In July 2008, he started working for Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton as a legislative counsel. He focused on laws about economic growth, protecting the environment, and local government.
In January 2013, Robert White helped start the Brightwood Park Citizens Association and became its first president.
Running for Council in 2014
In September 2013, Robert White left his job with Delegate Norton. He decided to run for an at-large seat on the Council of the District of Columbia. He wanted to win one of the two seats held by David Catania and Anita Bonds.
During his campaign, Robert White said he wanted to stop companies and private groups from donating money to political campaigns. He believed that public money should be used for all campaigns for D.C. government jobs.
Many people and groups supported Robert White. These included Council members David Grosso, Yvette Alexander, and Kenyan McDuffie. He also had support from labor unions, real estate groups, hotel associations, and the Sierra Club. The Washington Post newspaper also supported him.
However, on election day, voters chose Anita Bonds and Elissa Silverman for the at-large seats. Robert White came in fourth place. He later said his campaign, which was run by volunteers, did not have enough time or experience to get enough people to vote for him.
Running for Council in 2016
Primary Election
In February 2015, Karl Racine, the new Attorney General of the District of Columbia, hired Robert White. He became the first Director of the Office of Community Outreach.
In October 2015, Robert White's supporters started a group to see if he should run for an at-large council seat again. He planned to challenge the current council member, Vincent Orange. However, a city ethics agency said that Robert White's group could not raise money while he was a city employee. So, the group stopped raising funds.
Even though Vincent Orange had many major endorsements, Robert White gained support from other groups. He was endorsed by a progressive group called D.C. For Democracy. Council member Mary Cheh also supported him and helped him raise money. The Washington Post newspaper supported Orange, but White received endorsements from groups that help tenants, LGBT activists, and Latino political groups.
During the campaign, Robert White talked about some concerns regarding Vincent Orange's past actions. He also said Orange's ideas for economic growth were not good enough. White also criticized another challenger, David Garber, for not paying enough attention to African American and poor neighborhoods. Robert White promised that if he was elected, he would improve how the city's transportation and consumer protection departments work. He also wanted to make housing more affordable and support laws that would give workers paid sick leave.
On June 14, 2016, Robert White won the Democratic Party nomination for the at-large seat on the city council. He beat Vincent Orange and David Garber. Many people thought White won because he kept talking about Orange's ethics and because voters wanted a change.
Interim Council Appointment
On July 28, 2016, Vincent Orange announced he would become the next president of the D.C. Chamber of Commerce. Other council members thought this was a conflict of interest. So, Orange resigned from the council on August 15, 2016.
On September 15, 2016, officials from the D.C. Democratic State Committee voted to appoint Robert White to Vincent Orange's council seat. He was sworn in the next day.
General Election
.jpg)
In June 2016, Robert White supported a plan to change how political campaigns are funded in D.C. This plan would stop any person or company from getting a city contract worth $100,000 or more if they donated to a city council election. This was one of the strictest ideas to deal with concerns about how money influences politics in the city.
On November 8, 2016, Robert White easily won the election for the seat he had been temporarily appointed to. He received 37.9 percent of all votes. David Grosso, another at-large council member, also kept his seat.
Running for Mayor in 2022
Robert White announced he would run for Mayor in the 2022 election in October 2021. He received support from many groups, including the D.C. Attorney General Karl Racine, the D.C. Nurses Association, the Washington Teachers Union, and the Sierra Club D.C. He is also supported by Moms Demand Action, a group that works for gun safety.
Council Term and Work
Robert White was sworn into office for a full four-year council term on January 2, 2017.
In 2019, White voted to approve a large contract for the District's sports betting operations. He had initially been against the deal because it was given without other companies being able to bid. His position changed after his committee was offered to oversee the transit agency. White said he changed his mind because the contract would help local businesses.
As the head of the Committee on Facilities and Procurement, White received a donation for his 2020 re-election campaign from the leader of a security company. This company had a contract to provide security officers to the D.C. Government. There were some concerns about this company, including claims that their staff worked with expired licenses and sometimes fell asleep on the job. White said he would look into these concerns. Before he took office, White had said that all donations from companies should be stopped.
Robert White's Personal Life
Robert White met his wife, Christy, in law school. She is also a lawyer and works for the SEC. Their first child, a daughter, was born in July 2016. Their family is Catholic.
Robert White has lived in different parts of Washington, D.C., including Southwest D.C., Brightwood Park, and Shepherd Park.
Images for kids
-
White in 2017
-
White speaking at a protest against President Donald Trump's proposed immigration bans in January 2017
