Washington: Rini Sampath, a 31-year-old government contractor born in Theni, Tamil Nadu, on Wednesday announced her candidacy in the Democratic primary for Mayor of Washington, DC, pledging to “fix the basics” and restore confidence in city governance.
Sampath, who immigrated to the United States at age seven and has lived in the US capital for over a decade, launched her campaign with a sharp critique of the city’s political establishment, focusing on infrastructure and essential services.
“As Mayor, my priority will be to make sure our city lives up to its basic commitments to our residents: fill the potholes, stop the catastrophic wastewater spill in the Potomac, lower prices, and improve 911 wait times,” she said.
Her campaign slogan underscores this approach: “A CITY WHERE WE FIX THE BASICS, STRENGTHEN OUR NEIGHBORHOODS, AND LOWER THE COST OF LIVING. IT’S TIME FOR SOMETHING NEW.”
In her launch video, Sampath contrasted herself with what she calls entrenched leadership in City Hall. “Why would you give a promotion to someone who has failed at the basic functions of their job?” she asked, referring to the “current front runners in the DC Mayors race” as “political insiders who have served on the city council for years.”
“We all know DC government is broken,” she added, citing recent snowstorms that left streets and sidewalks unpassable, trash piled up, and waterlines burst due to aging infrastructure. “People lost income because they couldn’t get to work, and businesses suffered because their customers couldn’t get around the city.”
Sampath argues the problems go beyond a single weather event. “While we watch our city's infrastructure crumble around us, the same political insiders have been in City Hall for years sitting on their hands,” she said.
Positioning herself as an outsider, she said: “I’m not a politician. I’m not backed by any special interest groups. I’m a federal contractor who spent my career improving government programs and citizen services. We need someone new. We need to go back to basics and fix our roads and sidewalks and city services.”
She described her Tamil Nadu roots as central to her motivation for public service. “My grandfather has always been a driving force for me and a source of inspiration. He and my grandmother only completed seventh and first grade education respectively, so it means the world to me to be in the US and live in our nation’s capital,” she said in a campaign video.
Sampath also credited her father for moving the family to the United States. “He pushed the envelope and took risks to give us a better life, and it reminds me that I have to do the absolute best with what I’ve been given,” she said.
Tamil is her first language, according to campaign materials. Sampath has raised more than $15,000 since entering the race.
Washington, DC, operates under a mayor-council system, with the mayor serving as the city’s chief executive. The Democratic primary is often decisive, given the party’s strong voter base in the capital.
With IANS inputs