The crowd at Zion Baptist Church in Northwest didn’t engage in the rowdy shouting that has defined past candidates’ forums. Instead, those attending focused intently on the policies of the candidates vying for the at-large seat on the D.C. Council left vacant when Kwame R. Brown became chairman. Nine people are competing. But only five — Dorothy Douglas, Patrick Mara, Joshua Lopez, Bryan Weaver, and Vincent Orange — attended the forum.

Sekou Biddle, selected by the D.C. Democratic State Committee to temporarily fill the seat, had been arrested by Capitol Police. He and others protested congressional budget action limiting how the District could spend its local funds and reinstating the education voucher program.

Recommended Stories

Paul LePage polarizes Maine voters with comeback bid for Jared Golden’s House seat

Women’s health depends on recognizing sex differences

Nickel-and-dimed voters are ready to send politicians the bill