Painting the words “Black Lives Matter” on 16th Street in front of Lafayette Square could be described as the ultimate power move. Mayor Muriel Bowser has power. And she wields it.
We’ve said before that the word “power” means something different in Washington D.C. than it does in the rest of the country; the power in our nation’s capital is normally the outward facing kind: the power over foreign policy or tax policy or regulatory policy. Commercial Observer also looks more inwardly; who has the power to make a neighborhood? Who has the power to attract a tenant? Who has the power to bring 25,000 jobs to Crystal City?
Trying to make sense of who are the most powerful people in Washington, D.C. real estate is tough amid an ongoing pandemic, social upheavals and an economic tailspin. We tried to look for a slightly different list than we had last year. (There are, however, some repeats.) Yes, the dealmakers are still critical, and many of them have kept their heads high despite the country’s many travails. (We believe their role will be even more important next year as real estate attempts to crawl out of the hole in which it currently finds itself.) There are plenty of players with a national portfolio who certainly deserve a place on the list, and you might find them in our Power 100 list next month. And while we feel it’s a sober moment, we have to tip our hat to Mark Lerner for bringing a winning ball club to D.C.
The following are the men and women who have made their mark on the district—even if we’ll admit that Bowser gets points for making her mark more singularly than the rest.