On Tuesday, Nov. 6, Washington D.C. will have a mayoral election in concurrence with the national midterm elections to determine if Mayor Muriel Bowser will win reelection to a second term as the city’s governor. While she has not faced any serious challengers, her first term in office has faced significant scrutiny. There are many lingering questions surrounding her running of the government’s services, especially of its schools and hospitals. 

According to an article by The Washington Post, the schools of Washington D.C. continue to perform poorly and have been marred by increasing levels of corruption. Enrollment fraud, especially by a high-ranking official, has plagued Washington’s elite schools. Also, graduation rates have in D.C’s public schools have fallen since Bowser took office four years ago. 

Also according to an article by The Washington Post, Washington’s only public hospital is in a state of chaos due to mismanagement. It has also suffered from deaths that may have been preventable, something that has put a significant scar on its reputation. 

All of this has culminated in high levels of frustration with Bowser, although largely due to a lack of any strong opponents she won the Democratic nomination for mayor with 80% of the vote and is poised to easily be reelected. 

She is not disliked by all, though, largely due to Washington, D.C. having a continuing economic resurgence in recent years. Crime in Washington, D.C. has also gone down in recent years, although it has had slight upsurges in very recent times. 

While McLean students are mostly not significantly affected by the decisions of the Washington, D.C. government, many have heard about its actions and their affects, especially pertaining to Mayor Bowser, through the media.

“I’d say that she’s doing a fine job overall,” senior Matt Hutchison said. “I’d definitely like to see more initiative taken on the east side of the Anacostia river, however.” 

Another problem that Bowser has had to contend with recently is the issue of what to do with people in neighborhoods undergoing development.

“Many residents of Wards 7 and 8 are being displaced due to city development,” Hutchison said. 

While Bowser has been met with strong degrees of criticism from many people, she has been lauded for people’s perceptions of her as someone who is smart, mature, and capable of carrying out the duties of her position. This is in contrast to many of D.C.’s former mayors, such as Vincent Gray, who have had serious ethical scandals and even FBI investigations. 

Senior Ayushman Ghosh has frequently followed Boswer’s extensive coverage in the media. 

“I think she’s doing a good job, she’s keeping the ship steady,” Ghosh said. 

Although Bowser is likely to win reelection, she will not do so without sharp criticism. Her perceived maturity and D.C.’s improving economy and lowering crime rates are what primarily separate her from previous far less successful first-term mayors.