In this episode of The TRM Podcast, we sit down with Rashida Brown, a longtime Advisory Neighborhood Commissioner and Democratic candidate for the Ward 1 seat on the DC City Council. With more than a decade of experience serving residents on the ground, Brown brings a rare combination of practical governance, deep community ties, and a systems-level understanding of how local power actually works.

Our conversation moves beyond campaign slogans and into the real mechanics of democracy in Washington, DC: how decisions get made, who gets heard, and why working-class and immigrant communities so often bear the costs of policies shaped by a small, organized minority. We discuss housing, public safety, the limits of siloed government agencies, the politics of “not-in-my-backyard” opposition, and the controversial stadium deal that redirected public money away from urgent social needs.

Throughout the episode, Brown lays out a vision of leadership rooted in people power rather than special interests, drawing on her background as a social worker, her experience navigating DC’s advisory commission system, and her belief that democracy only works when regular citizens are actively empowered to shape outcomes.

This is a candid, substantive conversation about what local government can be—and what it must become—if it is to truly serve the many rather than the few.

For more about Rashida Brown, please visit: https://rashidaforward1.com/