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Ward 8 Special Election Profile: Sheila Bunn

June 18, 2025

Sheila Bunn, a lifelong Ward 8 resident with 30 years of public service experience, is campaigning for the vacant Ward 8 D.C. Council seat in the July 15 special election. Bunn's political background includes serving as chief of staff for Councilmember Vincent Gray, deputy chief of staff for Mayor Gray, and 16 years as a high-level staffer for D.C. Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton. Her campaign priorities include increasing access to healthy foods, addressing truancy, supporting small businesses, and creating safer communities, with a particular emphasis on youth involvement in policy decisions.

Who is affected

  • Ward 8 residents
  • Young people/youth in Ward 8
  • Small businesses in Ward 8
  • Women on the east side of the city who can now deliver babies in Ward 8
  • Navy Yard residents who are now part of Ward 8
  • Metropolitan Police Department

What action is being taken

  • Bunn is actively campaigning for the Ward 8 D.C. Council seat in the July 15 special election
  • Bunn is traversing Ward 8 and other parts of the District during her campaign
  • Bunn recently participated in organizing against Republicans' changes to D.C.'s Fiscal Year 2025 budget
  • D.C. Democrats are educating delegates and convention attendees about D.C. statehood

Why it matters

  • The special election will determine who serves out the remainder of Trayon White's council term, which ends in early 2029
  • Bunn's experience in local government and with D.C. Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton positions her to potentially advance D.C. statehood efforts
  • Projects Bunn worked on previously have resulted in developments like Care First Arena, Sycamore and Oak incubating Black businesses, housing, and Cedar Hill Regional Medical Center
  • If elected, Bunn plans to create space for youth representation in the Ward 8 office and bridge divides between different parts of Ward 8

What's next

  • No explicit next steps stated in the article

Read full article from source: The Washington Informer

Ward 8 Special Election Profile: Sheila Bunn