es, the mayor of the nation’s capital has a drastically different amount of power than mayors of other large cities. Washington, DC is a federal territory established by Congress in 1790 as the seat of newly formed Federal Government. Founding Fathers, concerned with State rights and the ability of a young nation of colonies to survive if the power of the government rested in one state sought to eliminate the concerns that originated from Pennsylvania and New York both hoping that Philadelphia and New York City would become the nation’s capital. Maryland and Virginia ceded land to establish the Federal City and the government moved in at the dawn of a new century, in 1800. Because Washington is a city that is not in any state, the residents of the District of Columbia do not vote or have elections or representation on multiple levels of government. District residents do not have representation in the United States Senate, although many Senators from other states have residences in the District. Furthermore, they do not have a Governor, State Attorney General, State Assembly or any state office. In 1971 Congress gave the District a non-voting Representative. This position is currently held by Eleanor Holmes Norton. The District is also allotted 3 votes in the Electoral College, this number is equal to the minimum number that the least populated states such as the Dakotas and Montana have. The question of who has legal authority over local issues has been wrestled with since the nation was founded. Article 1, Section 8 of the United States Constitution reads: “The Congress shall have power … to exercise exclusive legislation in all cases whatsoever over such district … as may by the cession of particular States, and the acceptance of Congress, become the seat of government.” This clause does not prohibit, the establishment of more localized government, Congress was given the duty to establish...
