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DC Capital Pride Alliance executive director Anthony Musa and Vida Rangel, a transgender DC government employee, have withdrawn from running in the city’s Nov. 5 election for advisory district board seats after separate challenges were filed questioning the validity of their nominating petition signatures.

Musa was one of at least four unopposed LGBTQ candidates vying for the ANC2B seat representing the Dupont Circle district.

Rangel, who describes himself as the first Latino transgender person of color to run for public office in Washington, DC, was running for the ANC’s 1A10 district seat in the city’s Columbia Heights neighborhood. He was running against incumbent Billy Easley, who identifies as gay. Rangel currently serves as Director of Operations for the DC Mayor’s Office of Human Resources and Personnel.

Under DC election rules, ANC candidates must obtain the signatures of at least 25 registered voters living in an ANC-only district in order to access the election ballot. In DC government, the ANC is an unpaid, independently elected position tasked with advising city officials on neighborhood issues, and city officials are expected to give “weight” to the ANC’s recommendations.

Musa told the Washington Blade on September 3 that he withdrew his candidacy after he found he had only 26 or 27 signatures, some of which were from people who did not live in the ANC’s single constituency, 2B01. He said a purported neighbourhood rival challenging his petition would likely have successfully challenged him, invalidating his candidacy.

“We didn’t get enough signatures,” he said, “I had some people who thought they lived in my district, but didn’t. So if I were to do this again, I would try to get three times as many as we needed.”

Rangel told the Blade on September 4 that after his petition was challenged, he too realized he didn’t have the required number of signatures. “I reconsidered the challenge, looked at the records to see what I could fix, and I ended up being four signatures short,” Rangel said. “So I ended up withdrawing it, which I’m very disappointed about.”

She also said she had decided not to run anonymously for the ANC seat. “My opponent, Billy Easley, is seeking reelection and given his name recognition, I don’t think he can do it anonymously,” Rangel said. “As such, I feel it’s best for me to step aside and allow him to continue in his role.”

Joe Bishop Henchman, a gay political activist in Washington, DC, filed a challenge to Rangel and seven other ANC candidates.

Bishop-Henchman disputed claims by some community activists that he and others who challenged ANC candidates’ signature petitions were targeting candidates because they disagreed with their positions on issues affecting their respective communities. He argued that he was only challenging “candidates who claim to have 25 valid signatures but in fact don’t.”

Vincent Surat, chairman of the ANC Rainbow Caucus, which includes LGBTQ ANC members from across the city, said he knew the names of three or four other LGBTQ ANC candidates whose petitions are being challenged.

Suratt said he believes most of the challenges are “petty” and stem from neighborhood political rivalries. He and Musa noted that Martha “Marcy” Logan, who challenged Musa’s petition, sits on the board of the Dupont Circle Civic Association. Some Dupont Circle activists, including LGBTQ activists, believe the organization, known as DCCA, is biased against nightlife businesses, including gay bars, in the Dupont Circle area.

Musa believes Logan targeted him in challenging the petition because he considers himself an ally of the nightlife industry: He describes himself as a “pro-growth” advocate in terms of local businesses, but Musa believes DCCA is “anti-growth” when it comes to local businesses that he considers an asset to the community.

The DCCA did not immediately respond to a request from the Blade for comment and contact information for Logan.

Musa also said he had decided not to run anonymously for the ANC seat. His withdrawal means there will be no candidate standing for the 2ANC 2B01 seat in the November election.

When Rangel announced his candidacy in July, he said one of his priorities as an ANC commissioner would be to improve language access for the large number of Spanish speakers who live in the Columbia Heights neighborhood.

“We need a commissioner who will promote Spanish language resources so that government officials can hear all Columbia Heights residents, not just English speakers,” she told the Blade.