WASHINGTON — D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser made history Monday becoming the first African American woman to serve three, four-year terms as mayor of an American city.
With her family by her side, Bowser officially took the helm of her hometown for a historic third term at the inauguration ceremony.
“Now is the time to be bold and set a course to win for the tough fight ahead,” the mayor told the crowd at the Walter Washington Convention Center.
Campaigning as an experienced leader, the 50-year-old started her inaugural speech by listing some accomplishments over the last 8 years.
“Our population crested 700,000, we created an 800,000-job economy, we had a record number of visitors coming to DC each and every year, we drove down unemployment in 7 and 8, we closed DC General, and now we see Cedar Hill Medical Center taking shape in Ward 8.”
But she’s not resting on the rewards of the past. In this third term, Bowser promises to rebuild downtown bringing business back and adding 15,000 residents in the next few years, with an eventual goal of 100,000 new residents. The mayor also pledged to address some of the racial and economic inequities that have priced out so many D.C. natives.
In 2019, a study by the National Community Reinvestment Coalition found the District of Columbia had the highest intensity of gentrification of any U.S. city with more than 20,000 Black residents displaced. She said D.C. will be home for everybody.
“We made historic investments in affordable housing over $1.4 billion in the housing trust fund alone,” said Bowser. “Now we have a new strategy: 20,000 new Black homeowners by 2030.”
Schools, statehood, sustainability, and safety are also among her top priorities moving into the next four years. While police show crime numbers are down, the community is still traumatized from losing far too many young people to both sides of the gun.
The mayor said her new transition team will go out into the community to talk to residents about their needs and big ideas. They will also actively seek to pair city resources with the people who need them.
“When we send that child back to the same environment without intense intervention, we have failed that child and our community,” said Bowser. "We know especially for our young people, accountability is not punishment, it’s a lifeline. So, we know that sometimes the best way to save a child and change his trajectory is to require that they get the help they need.”