The Politics Hour with Kojo Nnamdi
WAMU 88.5Join Kojo and resident analyst Tom Sherwood on Fridays at noon for our weekly review of the politics, policies and personalities in the District of Columbia, Maryland, and Virginia. Each week Kojo and Tom help make sense of legislation, hold elected officials accountable and provide in-depth analysis of local issues and elections. The Politics Hour is also a vital forum for Washingtonians to engage directly with their local leaders.
Join Kojo and resident analyst Tom Sherwood on Fridays at noon for our weekly review of the politics, policies and personalities in the District of Columbia, Maryland, and Virginia. Each week Kojo and Tom help make sense of legislation, hold elected officials accountable and provide in-depth analysis of local issues and elections. The Politics Hour is also a vital forum for Washingtonians to engage directly with their local leaders.
The Politics Hour: D.C. Councilmember Charles Allen on the $3 billion deal for a new D.C. football stadium
D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser and the Washington Commanders are reportedly close to striking a $3 billion deal to build a new football stadium anchoring a massive mixed-use development at the old RFK site. It's believed to include at least $850 million from the District for parking and preparing the site, with the team paying to build the stadium itself. And the price tag could raise with an addition of a Metro station. However, not all city officials support using taxpayers' dollars to help finance a home for the Commanders. Ward 6 D.C. Councilmember Charles Allen joined the show to explain his long-time opposition to building a new sports venue at the RFK site.
He said the city doesn’t need to subsidize a stadium to attract development. "The public investment on this is going to be more than a billion dollars already and I don't think that's a good deal for DC," he said.
Allen also said the deal should include moving its headquarters from Virginia to the District.
Plus, what could be on the chopping block as D.C. grapples with Congressionally-mandated budget cuts?
The U.S. Supreme Court considered a Montgomery County case this week that would allow religious families to opt their kids out of public school lessons with LGBTQ-themed books. It's a case with national implications. Montgomery County Council Vice President and chair of the county's education committee, Will Jawando, got behind the mic to weigh in. He also weighed in on County Executive Marc Elrich's proposal raise income taxes rather than property tax rates. The county-level income tax increase was made possible by a change in the tax structure by the Maryland General Assembly earlier this month.
Jawando said he supports the income tax bump.
"I make $150,000 a year. I'll pay $150 more in income tax next year if this passes. It's $100 per $100,000 in taxable income is the increase. It's a very small amount, but it'll allow us to fully fund our schools and our teachers," he said.
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