From Newsgroup: alt.law-enforcement

DC Mayor Bowser cooperated with Trump, admits the federal
intervention had helped reduce crime in the city

read it all at https://www.seattletimes.com/nation-world/nation/dc-mayor-bowser-announces-she-wont-seek-fourth-term-as-trumps-federal-intervention-continues/

DC Mayor Bowser announces she wonrCOt seek fourth term, as TrumprCOs federal intervention continues
Nov. 25, 2025 at 11:37 am Updated Nov. 25, 2025 at 6:37 pm
FILE – District of Columbia Mayor Muriel Bowser speaks during a
hearing on Capitol Hill, Sept. 18, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein, File)

By Gary Fields
The Associated Press
WASHINGTON (AP) rCo Muriel Bowser, the mayor of Washington, D.C.,
announced on Tuesday that she will not be seeking re-election next year,
a decision that came as she has had to confront a federal law
enforcement intervention into her city launched by President Donald Trump.

Bowser announced her decision in a video posted to social media, where
she did not mention Trump or directly address his steps against the
city. She applauded the cooperation with residents to make the city a
better place to live and called on them to rCLsummon our collective
strength to stand tall against bullies who threaten our very autonomy
while preserving Home Rule. That is our North Star.rCY

Bowser has served three terms since being first elected in 2014, none
more tumultuous than the last year, when she found herself walking a
fine line between staying in TrumprCOs good graces and responding to the concerns of constituents who said she should have pushed back more on
actions taken by the president.

She was at the helm of a city that has long been reliant on the federal government. The district is granted autonomy through a limited home rule agreement passed in 1973, but federal political leaders retain
significant control over local affairs, including the approval of the
budget and laws passed by the D.C. Council.

The federal governmentrCOs involvement in local affairs hit another level
in August when, after Trump issued an emergency order targeting the
city. This federalized D.C.rCOs police force and sent hundreds of National Guard troops there for what the administration called a crime-fighting mission. Although the emergency period has lapsed, the federal law
enforcement presence is still in the city, along with National Guard
members from the district and several states, despite legal action
against the military deployment.

Bowser struck a balancing act between Trump and her constituents
Bowser in many ways cooperated with the administrationrCOs efforts,
including having city workers clear homeless encampments and work more
closely with federal immigration agents. She acknowledged that the intervention had helped reduce crime in the city, which was already on
the decline, but also criticized the deployment of the D.C. National
Guard, saying those resources would be better spent on other matters.
She also said the city would not cooperate with immigration enforcement operations in the city.

She faced criticism from constituents and some in her council for not
standing up stronger to the Trump, who has lauded the D.C. mission as a resounding success.

Asked about BowserrCOs decision not to run for reelection Tuesday evening, Trump said, rCLI got along with her very well.rCY Trump said that his
federal intervention made the city rCLbetter.rCY

The district, led by its attorney general, currently has a lawsuit
against the administration, charging that the deployment of the National
Guard is illegal. A federal judge sided with the city Nov. 20 and
ordered that the deployment end. The administration filed a notice of
appeal Tuesday to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. Another set of plaintiffs is challenging the federal surge and
the roundups being conducted by the U.S. Immigration and Customs
Enforcement.

Bowser sparred with Congress but notched achievements
The mayor, a former city council member, also spent a large part of the
year trying to get the House to release about $1 billion of the cityrCOs funding that was frozen during battles over the federal budget. In
addition, the city also bore the brunt of significant cuts to the
federal workforce by the Department of Government Efficiency.

rCLFor ten years, you and I have worked together on an ambitious agenda to restore faith in our government and ensure that every D.C. resident gets
the fair shot they deserve,rCY she said in her announcement. Among her accomplishments were her role in bringing the NFL franchise back into
the city, along with plans for a new stadium, as well as her part in
keeping the districtrCOs NBA and NHL teams.

Bowser came under fire early this year when she announced that the
rCLBlack Lives MatterrCY plaza painted on the street one block from the
White House would be removed in response to pressure from Republicans in Congress.

BowserrCOs decision opens the door for a number of possible candidates, although at least two of them, D.C. Council members Robert White Jr. and Brooke Pinto, have already announced they are running for the districtrCOs U.S. House delegate seat. Fellow council member Janeese Lewis George
remains a potential candidate.

Matthew Dallek, a historian and professor of political management at
George Washington University, said this past year has been one of the
most intrusive and rCLheavy handedrCY in terms of the federal governmentrCOs involvement rCLin the day to day of the cityrCOs politics and the cityrCOs life. None of it is to make an excuse for BowserrCY but the cityrCOs lack of control over its own affairs has been clearly evident. Dallek called the moment rCLa pretty precarious time for the city.rCY

City council member Kenyan R. McDuffie thanked Bowser in a statement and praised her efforts in housing, education, public safety and economic development.

rCLAs we look ahead to the upcoming year for the District, I have no doubt that Mayor Bowser will continue to be a tireless partner in improving
the quality of life for all residents across the city,rCY McDuffie said.

___

Associated Press writes Ashraf Khalil and Fatima Hussein in Washington contributed.
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