Phil Mendelson
State legislature · District of Columbia · District Chairman
Democratic
Biography
Phil Mendelson has been serving his constituents as Councilmember since 1998. He was first elected to the Council in November 1998 as an At-Large Councilmember and served the District in that role until June 2012 when, following the resignation of the previous Council Chairman, Phil was selected by his colleagues to take over that role. In November 2012, 2014, 2018 and 2022 District voters elected and re-elected Phil as Chairman of the Council. As Chairman, Phil leads the Council on all legislative matters. Prior to becoming Chairman, Phil served eight years chairing the Council’s Committee on the Judiciary (2005-2012). During his tenure on the Council, Phil has authored hundreds of laws including: establishing an elected attorney general and an independent Department of Forensic Science; authoring Budget Autonomy, the District’s gun control laws, marriage equality, Universal Paid Leave, and the District’s tree canopy protection law; recrafting Mayor Gray’s plan to build the DC United Soccer Stadium; coordinating an increase in the minimum wage; Co-introducing the Neighborhood Engagement Achieves Results (NEAR) Act; Breaking up the Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs into two agencies; and Approving the Racial Equity Achieve Change (REACH) Act. Phil has also been a regional leader, serving twice as Chairman and three times as President of the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments (MWCOG). Four times he has chaired the National Capital Region Transportation Planning Board. He is also a Past President of the Association of Metropolitan Planning Organizations (AMPO). Phil has been an active participant in District politics since 1975, when he became an officer of the McLean Gardens Residents Association. In 1979, Phil successfully ran for a seat on the Advisory Neighborhood Commission (ANC) and continued to serve as an ANC Commissioner until he took office as an At-Large Councilmember. Phil came to the District from Cleveland, Ohio in 1970 to obtain a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science from American University. He grew up in a family dedicated to public service.
On the record
- Education
- American University, Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science, 1970
- Born
- 1952-11-08
- Family
- One daughter.
Contact
- pmendelson@dccouncil.gov
Confirmed accounts