Anita Bonds

Anita Bonds (born 1945 ) is an American Democratic politician in Washington, D.C. She is an at-large member of the Council of the District of Columbia. She served as the Chair of the District of Columbia Democratic Party from 2006 to 2018. She worked as an executive at Fort Myer Construction, a District contractor. Bonds announced she would not seek reelection to the Council on December 7, 2025.

Early life Bonds was raised in Southeast Washington, D.C. She attended college at University of California, Berkeley,

Career Bonds helped run Marion Barry's first campaign for the District of Columbia Board of Education in 1971. In 1973, Bonds ran in a special election for the Ward 2 seat on the District of Columbia Board of Education. Bill Treanor won the election with 62 percent of the vote. She served as deputy campaign manager for Barry's 1978 and 1982 bids for District mayor.

Bonds served as manager of John L. Ray's reelection campaign for at-large councilmember in 1980. In 1983, Bonds was director of the District of Columbia Office of Community Services. She was campaign manager for Barry's bid for a third term as District mayor in 1986. In 1994, Bonds became special assistant to District Mayor Sharon Pratt Kelly's chief of staff, Karen A. Tramontano. In May 1998, Bonds was named campaign manager for Councilmember Harold Brazil's bid for District mayor. In August 1998, she left that role after a campaign reorganization.

From 2004 to 2005, she served as director of the mayor's Office of Community Affairs. In 2005, she became a senior adviser to Council member Kwame R. Brown.

When elected to the D.C. Council, Bonds worked as an executive for Fort Myer Construction, one of the district's largest contractors. creating a vacancy of his former seat as at-large member of the council. District of Columbia law provides that, in the event of a vacancy of an at-large seat on the council, the political party of the former incumbent shall decide who will fill the seat until a special election can be held. Bonds served as Chair of the DC Democratic State Committee at the time.

Bonds won reelection in the 2013 special election.

Service

Bonds introduced legislation to limit property taxes on senior citizens. Her bill exempted homeowners with a moderate income or lower who have lived in the District for 15 consecutive years.

In 2017, Bonds attended the parade for the inauguration of Donald Trump.

Bond won reelection in 2018 against a trio of challengers who were half her age. Most of her donors came from people and companies associated with DC's building industry.

In December 2019, Bonds was criticized in the media for revealing the identity of a whistleblower during a public hearing. She claimed the outing was accidental, but some D.C. government employees suggested on background that they believed it was an intentional act of retaliation.

In October 2020, Bonds complained after activists from the advocacy group Sunrise Movement demonstrated in front of her home, protesting that she was not more supportive of affordable housing and her endorsement of a developer for a vacant at-large position on the DC Council. Bonds equated her treatment to other African Americans who suffered at the hands of the Ku Klux Klan.

In January 2026, Bonds was elected as chair pro tempore.

Personal life Bonds is widowed. She has one adult daughter, two adult sons, and seven grandchildren.

Election results

2012

2014

2018

2022

Committees Bonds currently serves on the following committees: Committee on Executive Administration and Labor (Chairperson) Committee of the Whole Committee on Business and Economic Development Committee on Judiciary and Public Safety Committee on Housing

Bonds is also a former member of the Committee on Education and Finance and Revenue.