D.C. City Council

Elissa Silverman has focused her career on making the District of Columbia government accountable, responsive, and accessible to residents through her work as a reporter, budget analyst, and progressive reformer. In 2014, she was elected to an at-large seat on the D.C. Council, where she serves as chair of the Council’s Committee on Labor and Workforce Development. She co-authored a groundbreaking family leave bill, now law, which gives D.C. workers the time necessary to take care of themselves and their family members during critical life events without fear of financial repercussions. She also authored a bill that strengthened the District’s unemployment insurance program, an important support for workers who lose a job through no fault of their own. Elissa served on the mayor’s Housing Preservation Strike Force and is an active member of the Council’s Committee on Housing and Neighborhood Revitalization. Her efforts have delivered more money to repair D.C.’s aging public housing communities, more resources to identify and address vacant properties, and more tools to keep landlords accountable to tenants. She has also introduced legislation to create greater rental subsidies for seniors and those with disabilities. And she has been a champion of putting at least $100 million into affordable housing production every year.

"Elissa Silverman has been a progressive hero in D.C., including as a leader on paid family leave which she passed over the mayor's veto. Now she's being targeted because of that work. We need to support our champions. Elissa deserves the support of MoveOn members." –Drew from Washington, D.C.