WASHINGON, D.C., March 27, 2012- The Executive Board of Local 25 has voted to endorse Sekou Biddle’s 2012 campaign for election in the D.C. Council At Large seat representing Local 25 members and District of Columbia residents.

“We endorsed Sekou in 2011 and we still firmly believe he has the integrity and leadership skills that the District needs right now. He understands the issues hotel workers face and has stood by our members through challenging times. We look forward to reaching out to Local 25 members and District voters in the coming week in support of Sekou,” says John Boardman, Executive Secretary Treasurer of Local 25.

Dear Friends,

The District of Columbia is at a crossroads. In the upcoming Democratic primary you have the choice to vote for moving the city forward or for the continued toleration of corrupt and self-serving politicians. If you want to vote to move the District of Columbia forward I urge you to vote for Sekou Biddle for DC Council At-Large on April 3.

It is clear to me that Sekou is the smart, dedicated leader who will champion progressive policies that the DC Council needs. Sekou is by far the best choice in this race for progressives who are committed to cleaning up the DC Council.

Sekou will bring his years of experience advocating for those who would otherwise not have a voice, as an educator and champion of urban education reform, to the Wilson Building. He will speak up and push for progress on ethics, education, affordable housing, and jobs. I know Sekou will be an excellent voice for the residents who have for too long been left out of the legislative process.

On Tuesday, April 3 I encourage you to support the future of the District, by voting for Sekou Biddle in the Democratic primary for DC Council At-Large.

Sincerely,
Governor Howard Dean

Washington, DC – Today, Democratic DC Council At-Large candidate Sekou Biddle was endorsed by Patrick Mara a well known District Republican and a education advocate. Mara is the second opponent of Biddle’s from the 2011 At-Large special election to endorse him. Bryan Weaver announced his support for Biddle in January.

“I am honored to have Patrick Mara’s support. It is clear, as a former campaign opponent and a Republican, that Patrick knows that we all need to come together as residents and voters if we are going to clean up our Council and elect honest leaders.”

Mara endorsed Biddle saying, “Voters who seek change have but one choice in this election, Sekou Biddle. Ridding the D.C. Council of corruption and shady dealings by its members should be the number one thing on the minds of all voters on Election Day. The quest for an honest government transcends party lines. That is why I am endorsing Sekou Biddle.”

Great news! The Washington Post has endorsed our campaign calling me “by far the best choice” in the Council at-large race. The endorsement echoes what we’ve been saying on the campaign trail about ethics, education and the need for change on the council. You can read the entire endorsement below and see it in tomorrow morning’s paper.

Washington Post: 3/18/2012  

As we head into the last two weeks before the election make sure to tell your friends and spread the word about the endorsement and the campaign. Our momentum is only continuing to build and together with your support we can bring the change we need to the council on April 3.

Thanks for all you do,
Sekou Biddle

Biddle will end loopholes and follow spirit, not just letter of the law 

Washington, DC – Today Sekou Biddle, Democratic candidate for DC Council At-Large, called on his opponent, Councilmember Vincent Orange, to stop using government resources and employees to promote his campaign, and to reimburse the District for the cost. On Friday, March 16 Councilmember Orange used official email and other government resources to send out a newsletter touting his “accomplishments”, these are the same so-called accomplishments he uses daily in his stump speech while campaigning to stay in office.

Under DC Government rules, the use of government resources, specifically newsletters and other mass communications, is prohibited within 90 days of an election that a councilmember is running in.  In the year 2012, when the vast majority of communication is electronic, Orange is defying common sense by using a narrow interpretation of the word “mail” to only mean paper mail and in turn skirt the law. Orange is exploiting a loophole that should be closed, and has used public resources for personal and political purposes.

I am emailing the below letter out to all of my friends and contacts in the District to let them know why I’m supporting Sekou Biddle in the April 3 Democratic Primary for Council At-Large. I am sending this email out today because I want to reach everyone I know before early voting starts in five days, on Monday, March 19. Can you send an email about why you are supporting Sekou out to your friends before early voting starts as well?

You can write your own letter to your friends or use the same one I am sending out by copying and pasting it into your email browser. It is clear that we can win this campaign, but we need to make sure that everyone knows about Sekou and why they should vote for him in order for that to happen.

I am looking at our campaign filing that we submitted last night and there are some really great signs in it for the last three weeks of the campaign.

Yet again, more of our donors come from inside the District than any of our opponents. It’s clear that our campaign is about DC residents taking their government back from the pay to play culture dominated by outside corporate interests.

Additionally, our campaign is being funded by individuals, not corporations. While corporate money and personal loans are funding my opponents’ efforts, District residents and corporations know that I am committed to implementing real ethicsreform and their bundled contributions will not sway my opinion on this or any other issue.

This information is very encouraging as we head into the home stretch. Your support so far has been critical to this campaign; and for every one of you that donated there are many, many more DC residents who are supporting our campaign with a yard sign, by volunteering and of course by voting.

During these last weeks I will need all of your help to reach out to even more voters. As the Washington Post pointed out this morning many District voters are still unaware of our new primary date on April 3. One of the best ways to get voters to start paying attention is through their social networks. Can you commit to spreading the word about the campaign through facebook, twitter, yard signs and emails?

I look forward to working with you over the next three weeks as we work to take our Council back on April 3.
Thanks

Sekou Biddle

In just over 24 hours we will be filing our next campaign finance report. Will your name be on it?

Unlike our opponent, our campaign finance reports don’t read like a who’s who of politically connected business interests and government contractors. Our finance reports are filled with the names of regular District residents, because that is who is supporting my campaign. Average folks who want to make sure their concerns and interests will be the top priority for the Council.

Last time we filed a campaign finance report, we had more low-dollar donations, more individuals and more regular dc residents than anyone else in the At-Large race. Can you help us make that happen again by donating today?

Whether it is $10, $25 or $100 or even $1000, every donation make will make a big difference going into the last three weeks of the campaign. Our strength comes from not just the amount people give, but the number of people who give. Will you donate today to make our campaign to clean up the DC Council and fix their priorities stronger than ever as we go into the home stretch of the campaign?

Sekou Biddle

Dear Friends,

The FBI and the IRS have raided the home and offices of Vincent Orange’s largest contributor. Jeffrey Thompson, who holds the District’s single largest contract, has given Orange almost $100,000 over the past few campaigns. Last year alone, Thompson gave Orange over $40,000 in bundled contributions.

Last month, when Orange was the deciding vote that defeated the bill to lower gas prices and end a gas station monopoly, we saw what $9,000 in contributions to Vincent Orange from gas station monopoly owner Joe Mamo will get, what do you think Jeff Thompson has been getting from Orange for his $100,000?

PLEASE JOIN

Neil Albert, Johnny Allem, Frank Hankins, Josh Kern, Emeka Moneme, Bandele McQueen, Adam Rubinson, Kay Savage and Daanan Strachan

FOR A RECEPTION HONORING

SEKOU BIDDLE

DEMOCRATIC CANDIDATE FOR D.C. COUNCIL AT-LARGE

Friday, March 9th 6:00 pm

SOVA – ESPRESSO AND WINE 1359 H Street, NE Washington DC

Find out how to get involved in the campaign, mobilize your neighborhood and spread the word about Sekou. This will be a great opportunity to meet the campaign team and other friends and neighbors who are supporting the campaign!

SUPPORT LEVELS

SPONSOR ($1,000 PER PERSON) PATRON ($500 PER PERSON) BENEFACTOR ($250 PER PERSON) DONOR ($100 PER PERSON) FRIEND ($25 PER PERSON)

FOR MORE INFO OR TO RSVP, PLEASE CALL OR EMAIL:

202-213-9029 or info@sekoubiddle.org