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With Friday’s entry of Andy Shallal and Vincent Orange into the mayor’s race, April primary voters now have at least six candidates to choose from. But Washingtonians hoping to back Tommy Wells could have another, more confusing choice of their own: which Wells should they vote for?
That’s because, along with the livable, walkable councilmember, a woman named Octavia Wells picked up nominating petitions after they became available Friday. LL hasn’t been able to figure out much about Octavia Wells, other than the fact that she registered to vote for the first time the same day that she picked up petitions.
If it’s as hard for would-be petition signers to contact Octavia Wells as it was for LL, the councilmember’s campaign has nothing to worry about. Octavia Wells’ listed address, like Ward 6 Council candidate Joseph Slovinec, is the Community for Creative Non-Violence homeless shelter near Judiciary Square (neither responded to emailed requests for comment). LL’s phone call to the number Octavia Wells provided to Board of Elections ended when the woman on the other line said there was no one named Octavia Wells there.
Is one of Tommy Wells’ rivals pulling a trick on him? Campaign manager Chebon Marshall isn’t concerned. “D.C. is an interesting political scene—-only time will tell,” Marshall writes in an email. “I’m confident that it won’t affect our race.”
Photo by Darrow Montgomery