Matthew Hanson and Ericka Taylor: Jack Evans should resign as Ward 2 DC Council member

Now that Jack Evans has resigned from the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority’s board of directors, is there really any question as to whether he should also step down as Ward 2’s representative on the DC Council?

When news broke earlier this year that Evans was under federal investigation, we at the DC Working Families Party called on the council to remove him from his committee assignments but held off on demanding that he resign from the council. This was not because we had faith in him, but rather because we believed — then and now — that everyone should be presumed innocent until proved guilty. 

Serving in an elected office, however, is a privilege, not a right; as such, a greater level of public accountability is appropriate. Once elected, officials have a solemn responsibility granted by voters to faithfully serve the interests of their constituents, not their high-paying clients. That is why we, like many others, are now calling on Evans to resign from the council so someone else can step up and help clean up this mess. 

There is nothing premature about our demand; in fact, his departure is long overdue. It seems like Evans’ scandals continue to grow everyday, culminating in the recent FBI raid of his house. Regardless of where one stands on the issues championed by Evans — and it’s no secret that we have repeatedly found ourselves on opposite sides of many debates — his behavior as an elected official has been simply unacceptable.

As supporters of public campaign funding and critics of pay-to-play politics, we understand the corrupting influence that big money can have in tilting the government’s agenda toward the wealthy at the expense of everyday people — and that’s exactly what we are seeing here. 

Evans likes to present himself as a “fiscally responsible” protector of the District’s best interests, but he has introduced legislation projected to cost the city millions of dollars for no other reason than to benefit his friends in real estate. He has been caught pitching his power as an elected official to lobbying clients and was forced to resign from Metro’s board because of gross ethics violations. This is to say nothing of the many, many votes he has taken that may now be called into question.

We cannot pretend — nor should any of his fellow council members pretend — that Evans’ behavior and the distraction of an ongoing FBI investigation do not warrant Evans’ resignation or removal from office. At least one other council member has resigned for the mere potential appearance of impropriety. While we applaud Evans’ council colleagues for signaling they will vote to strip him of his committee assignments, this is simply too little, too late. Evans’ lengthy tenure on the council should not grant him any special privileges, and it’s difficult for us to stomach the idea of him holding onto office, warming a seat after being removed from his committees while we all wait for the next shoe to drop. 

This is not a situation that can remain unresolved until next year’s election. The truth is that his alleged abuses of power affect all of us — not just Ward 2 residents — and it is imperative that we take action. Evans will have an opportunity to share his side of the story when the council meets at his request on Tuesday, but we should be extremely skeptical of any explanation he offers. After being given chance after chance to come clean, the situation has only gotten worse.

Evans has violated the public trust, and we cannot afford to take the allegations against him lightly. It’s difficult to imagine his being able to do anything at this point to regain that trust. If Evans doesn’t step down, his situation will remain a distraction from the real business at hand — and he will give residents cause to question whether he is working behind the scenes against their interests in favor of his clients and their buddies.

Evans should do the right thing — both for his legacy and the city — and resign.

Matthew Hanson and Ericka Taylor co-direct the DC Working Families Party.

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