Janeese Lewis George, a lifelong Washingtonian and current Ward 4 DC Council member, recently won the Democratic primary for mayor, pulling off one of the most dominant electoral performances in the city’s history. That means she’ll almost certainly be the District’s next mayor. With the prima ry now behind her, we called up Lewis George for a getting-to-know-you chat. Childhood Role Model “My grandmother, Mary Lewis. She was a lunch lady at Alice Deal, my junior high school. She always spoke to me with guidance as if she knew she was preparing me for life. One of the greatest things was when I got to walk across the stage for law school [graduation]. I remember that moment where she said, ‘You did it, you did it.’ She was like, ‘You listened to everything I taught you.’ ” Pets “I have a Cavapoo. His name is Sully. He is very loud and very cuddly. [His name comes from] the British-based crime show [ Top Boy ]. Everybody on my neighborhood block was like, ‘Oh, our dog’s name is a Disney character, too!’ The whole block has Disney characters. Then me and my husband were like, ‘Yes, a Disney character . . . not a British crime show.’ ” Favorite Ice Cream in DC “I want to note that Ward 4 has great ice-cream shops across the board. But Everyday Sundae [in Petworth] is my absolute favorite. It’s the most community space ever. There’s pictures of all the kids all over the walls. I literally went yesterday. The Banana Pudding flavor is to die for.” Something Always in Her Bag “Baby wipes are with me at all times. It’s not even just for my [one-and-a-half-year-old] son—now I realize that baby wipes should just universally be in everybody’s bags, because I use them as everything. It’s now my makeup wipes, too. They’re actually very effective.” Place in DC That’s Overrated “The newly renovated Reflecting Pool.” Someone She’d Love to Have Dinner With “I just finished reading Lovely One by Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson. I’m now, like, obsessed with her. Anybody questioning whether this woman should be on the Supreme Court is crazy because I’ve never seen someone with a résumé this impressive. So I am a fangirl of Ketanji Brown Jackson, and I would love to have dinner with her and tell her how obsessed I am with her.” Song She Hopes Will Describe Her Mayoral Term “I am always inspired by Andra Day’s ‘Rise Up.’ It is a song that embodies both hope and progress, recognizing the strength of our past and then capitalizing on what our future can feel and look like. ‘Rise Up’ embodies what I hope people will feel at the end of my first term, which is hope for our future, what we’ve accomplished, and what we can continue to accomplish when we put people first.” This article appears in the August 2026 issue of Washingtonian.The post Janeese Lewis George on Her Likes and Dislikes first appeared on Washingtonian. ...read more read less