Mike Warburton
for ANC 4C03
Hello!
Having almost finished my first term, I am seeking reelection to ANC 4C03. I hope you’ll vote for me on November 3rd!
About Me
My name is Mike. I’ve lived in the same Petworth group house since 2019 and love the neighborhood! I want to be your ANC Commissioner to help our community be all than it can be. In 2024, I was endorsed by Greater Greater Washington, and I hope to be endorsed again for my second term.
I grew up in Westminster, MD, graduated from St. Mary’s College of Maryland in 2014, and have lived in the DC area since. I was in the northern suburbs for a few years while I had a fellowship at the NIH. But after getting a software engineering job in Penn Quarter, I moved into DC, near Howard University. 2 years later, I moved up Georgia Ave into the group house I’m in now. I’m no longer working in software though. Today, I teach math to special education high school students at the DC Jail.
I made my first political contribution while in high school, to President Obama’s 2008 campaign. 8 years later, I volunteered for Senator Bernie Sanders’ 2016 presidential campaign. His loss hurt, but I found new motivation with the 2018 IPCC report on global warming of 1.5 degrees. I joined the Sunrise Movement that year and participated in my first act of civil disobedience, getting arrested on Capitol Hill while advocating for action on the climate crisis.
In 2020, I was in the streets for George Floyd and the Black Lives Matter movement, and I led other members of the Sunrise Movement to participate as well. I also helped distribute masks and mutual aid in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. I’ve participated in the defense of our unhoused neighbors through physical assistance prior to evictions and testimony to the DC Council. I’ve canvassed apartments owned by slumlords, in hopes of helping folks prevent their evictions and form tenant unions. I was an active participant in my labor union at EveryAction (now under Bonterra) and, after Bonterra laid me off, I pushed for a better pay structure at my part-time job. I have also been in the streets protesting for an end to the American-Israeli genocide of Palestinians.
I am a strong, consistent advocate for dignity, prosperity, and sustainability. I will continue to bring that energy in my next term as Commissioner of ANC 4C03.
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Cars are extremely useful. They are also extremely dangerous. In ANC 4C, they can be more dangerous than guns.
Since the beginning of 2026, ANC 4C has seen 1 person killed and 39 others injured while traveling our streets. Meanwhile, we’ve had 8 reported crime incidents involving a gun and none, thankfully, were fatal.
To address this, I am a consistent advocate for design changes that increase pedestrian safety and allow more people to quickly move about the city without need of a car.
For example, I fully support DDOT’s plan to create dedicated bus lanes in both directions on Georgia Ave. I also support more protected bike lanes, for the climate, the children, and public health.
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The rent is too high and must come down.
We have empty storefronts in our neighborhood because commercial landlords are pricing out local businesses. We have evictions and gentrification because residential landlords are pricing out the working class.
As an ANC Commissioner, I have the most influence when developers seek exceptions or variances from the zoning regulations. When these opportunities arise, I am an advocate for affordable density. Inclusionary Zoning is the primary tool available in zoning cases to reduce rents, but I support all mechanisms that would lower rents, increase density, and protect the quality of people’s homes.
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Prosperity comes in many forms: quality jobs, social bonds, property ownership, safe neighborhoods, and more. It often leaves in the hands of capitalists using us for profit.
I am an advocate for local ownership or control. We’d have stronger social bonds if people could buy their homes more easily. If they were under local control, utilities could be cheaper. If more folks could afford to open a business on Georgia Ave, we’d have less violence.
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I see the ANC Commissioner role as a one-stop-shop for questions about how the city works and for feedback about getting it to work better. I’m always happy to assist and advocate for each person in our neighborhood.
Check out My Record, below, for examples of how I’ve done that so far.
My Priorities
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When I entered office in January 2025, ANC 4C was out of compliance with financial reporting regulations and was on the verge of losing tens of thousands of dollars meant for the community.
As Chairperson, I considered this my most urgent priority. I combed through months of emails and documents to create a timeline of our (missing) finances. I retrieved the necessary documents, where they existed, and I coordinated with grant recipients and other Commissioners - especially Treasurer Heller - to obtain the documents we were lacking.
In the end, we pulled out of our financial crisis and made ourselves eligible to receive the disbursements that were at risk of being withheld.
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Almost as soon as I took office, I started advocating on behalf of the gymnasium users at Raymond Recreation Center. I authored a resolution asking the Department of Parks and Recreation (DPR) for longer hours at the rec center and staffing to support it. I also advocated directly to personnel at DPR.
Although budget constraints prevented DPR from extending the hours, we did reduce the cost for some users of the rec center to reserve space.
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When given the opportunity, I have ensured indoor bicycle parking in new residential developments in the neighborhood. For example, as part of the process to be approved by the Board of Zoning Adjustment, the developers of 3700 14th St NW added bike parking at my request.
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With housing and rent as some of my top priorities, I have dedicated additional time to zoning issues. I believe it is one of the ANC’s best tools, given our limited power. But we unfortunately do not currently have any zoning experts with ANC 4C.
I created and lead the Housing and Zoning Committee so that ANC 4C might find more time to understand the dynamics of zoning and development in our neighborhood.
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After solicitation of public opinion and my own research, I successfully negotiated for conditions on a Wingstop franchise opening at 3831 Georgia Ave.
The business will be required to collect litter on the sidewalk, vent its odors out of the roof, pay for monthly rodent treatment, and more. I also secured a 7-year term on the zoning approval, so that the community can reevaluate the impact after a period of operation.
My Record
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Typically, the government serves the people who control it. Too often it serves the rich and the abusive. I volunteer as Commissioner in hopes of serving everyone else.
Typically, the market also serves the rich and the abusive. For the essential parts of life, the market is not reliable enough. I am aligned with presumptive Mayor Janeese Lewis George on the need for government policy to promote social housing, environmental sustainability, and worker empowerment.
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ICE, and other federal agencies like Homeland Security, the FBI, and the IRS-CI, are operating here. They are engaged in a racist program to disrupt, damage, and kill our communities and families. I completely oppose this.
The National Guard in DC is a military occupation intended to intimidate those who oppose the conservative regime. I want them recalled immediately.
Teaching at the DC Jail, I work directly with people who are at the center of issues like car theft and murder. Police do little to dissuade these behaviors. I see firsthand how policies centered around education, poverty reduction, and family services have a much bigger impact on these individuals.
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I do not practice any religion nor do I believe in any god. But I was raised in the Unitarian Universalist tradition and I do still feel aligned with its teachings, such as the 7 Principles and Purposes, which ask one to uphold:
The inherent worth and dignity of every person;
Justice, equity and compassion in human relations;
Acceptance of one another and encouragement to spiritual growth in our congregations;
A free and responsible search for truth and meaning;
The right of conscience and the use of the democratic process within our congregations and in society at large;
The goal of world community with peace, liberty, and justice for all;
Respect for the interdependent web of all existence of which we are a part.