Ebony Lofton is running again for Dumfries Town Council, bringing a decade of local experience, a banking background, and a blunt critique of how the town has handled its sudden influx of gaming revenue.
In a recent Potomac Local News podcast interview with host Uriah Kiser, Lofton outlined her platform centered on accountability, transparency, and putting residents first in the 1.7-square-mile town.
Lofton, a longtime Dumfries resident and current treasurer of the Town of Dumfries Economic Development Authority, previously worked as a PRTC bus driver and in commercial lending and banking roles. She has served as president of the South Cove Homeowners Association and has run for local office multiple times, including an unsuccessful 2022 mayoral bid against incumbent Mayor Derrick R. Wood and a 2024 Town Council race.
She was an early opponent of the Rose Gaming Resort through the “No Dice for Dumfries” effort, raising environmental questions about the former landfill site. Now that the facility is operating and generating significant tax dollars, Lofton said the revenue has transformed the town’s budget but raised new questions about priorities.
She pointed to repeated council pay raises, the $1.2 million ARPA-funded purchase of the old rescue squad building that remains largely unused, and limited progress on delivering a community center residents can actually use. Lofton argued the building once served as a campaign backdrop yet has not produced the public benefit residents expected.
“People over politics,” she emphasized, stressing that seats on the Dumfries Town Council are officially independent. Voters, she said, should evaluate candidates on local issues rather than outside party labels.
Lofton wants more practical improvements for daily life: additional grocery and retail options beyond gas stations, vape shops, and fast food; tools such as C-PACE financing to support local entrepreneurs and property improvements; and a consistent practice of treating Dumfries residents like VIPs instead of afterthoughts at large events.
She said she will continue door-knocking year-round, hold regular town halls, and prioritize listening over speaking. Lofton described herself as a bridge-builder willing to work across differences in a small town where relationships matter.
Seats on the November 2026 Ballot
According to the official Town of Dumfries website, the following terms expire December 31, 2026, and will be on the ballot in November:
- Mayor Derrick R. Wood
- Vice-Mayor Monaé S. Nickerson
- Chair Pro Tem Selonia B. Miles
- Council Member Caetrina A. Peterson
The remaining three council seats — held by Brian K. Fields, Shaun R. Peet, and Russell A. Young — expire December 31, 2028, and are not up this cycle.
Lofton currently serves as treasurer of the Economic Development Authority, with a term expiring September 30, 2026.
In the interview, she returned repeatedly to the same themes that have defined her previous campaigns: transparency in spending, integrity in decision-making, and whether new money is actually improving quality of life for the people who live in Dumfries.
The full conversation is available as a podcast and video. The YouTube video appears below.
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