Seeking relief from the scent of scandal permeating the Wilson Building these days, I high-tailed it for the streets. Treat me to some clean air. Show me a fresh face. Give me a reason to hope! I found solace on a sunny afternoon, walking the neighborhoods of Columbia Heights, campaigning with Joshua Lopez. He’s a long shot to win the at-large council seat vacated when Kwame Brown moved up to chairman. He’s worth a look — and more.
In a city that’s had a rising Hispanic population for the past decade, Lopez is the first serious Latino candidate for public office. The Census Bureau reports Hispanics make up nearly 10 percent of the city’s 550,000 residents. That’s about 50,000 people who have never had an elected official who was a native speaker of their language, who could understand their predicament, who could advocate for them.
