jonetta rose barras: Which way forward, DC?

What a difference a day can make. On Monday, watching the swearing-in ceremony for recently elected and reelected DC officials at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center, residents may have thought some kind of unprecedented camaraderie had arrived at the opening of this political era, which is marked by a historic third term for Mayor Muriel Bowser, the return of DC Council Chair Phil Mendelson — the longest-continuous-serving leader of the legislature — and the arrival of Brian Schwalb, the second elected DC attorney general. There was all this talk about working collaboratively and launching big and bold ideas. 

Talk is cheap isn’t just an adage. It’s a fact. 

Consider that in the waning days of the previous political period, there was much discord between the executive and the legislature, and among legislators. Remnants of that dynamic flashed in the council chamber on Tuesday — one day after the kumbaya gabfest. 

Still, it was encouraging that for one day, at least, officials seemed on their best behavior. They gave the perception that over the next four years residents can expect them to cast aside their outsize egos, deep-six their tendency toward power grabs, and end divisive ideological battles.

They declined to take digs at each other. They refused to trash local developers or certain business leaders. And there wasn’t any mention of “dark money” — although incoming Ward 3 Council member Matt Frumin talked about big monied interests that worked against him in the Democratic primary. He seemed to be referencing the controversy surrounding his election and reports that the Office of Campaign Finance has opened a new investigation into the actions of various individuals that resulted in two candidates dropping out during the final weeks before the primary.

Frumin didn’t provide details of that controversy. Instead, he asserted that he always knew he would be on the stage being sworn-in to represent his community.

Really?!

Bowser offered her own spin in the moment. Speaking before a standing-room-only crowd that included former Mayor Adrian Fenty and several former council members, she said: “Our future is working together, and I will set the tone for my administration to work harder, smarter and more engaged with all of our partners — those whose views we share and those with views we don’t share.”

Schwalb, as the city’s second attorney general to be elected by voters rather than appointed by the mayor, offered that he intended to “listen to everyone” and to “collaborate with anyone who is committed to what is best for the District.”

Mendelson made no togetherness pledge. That may have been because he was already prepping for a fight with Ward 7 Council member Vincent Gray, which would take place the next day — on Tuesday at the organizational meeting for Council Period 25.

Instead of abandoning an indisputably flawed political strategy to defeat what they labeled as a flawed reorganization proposal, Gray and his staff — specifically legal consultant Eric Goulet, who is also a newly sworn-in member of the State Board of Education, and pitbull communications director Chuck Thies — had chosen to go scorched earth against Mendelson. Staffers and other supporters had mounted, prior to the swearing-in ceremony, a media campaign and a behind-the-scenes assault on Mendelson’s character that included salacious tidbits about his alleged discrimination against a former staffer.

Mendelson became their target after he decided to remove Gray as chair of the Committee on Health. Mendelson proposed, instead, to assign Gray to helm the newly created Committee on Hospital and Health Equity. 

In making that public announcement, Mendelson failed to spare Gray’s ego and dignity. He made clear that the action being proposed was because there was consensus among council members that Gray needed time to recover from a stroke he suffered in late 2021, surgery from a torn Achilles tendon over the summer, and a fall in his bathroom in November that required weeks of rehabilitation.

On Tuesday Gray participated in the meeting virtually. Most of the other members were in the council chamber at the John A. Wilson Building. 

As promised Gray offered multiple amendments to the proposed rules for the coming term. One would have forced the council to adhere to the city’s Human Rights Act in the appointment of committee chairs. The other would have created a stand-alone Committee on Education; Christina Henderson would have been named the chair of it instead of the Committee on Health as Mendelson had proposed.

Those went nowhere. 

A political battle where someone is pulverized without any shouting, screaming or slinging of profanities is sometimes more brutal than one involving all of that emotional drama and violence. Gray never had a chance. 

On the first amendment he lost 3 to 10. On the second it was 2-11. Then by a vote of 12-1 on the proposed committee assignments, he was removed as chair of the Health Committee.

Later, Gray issued a prepared statement, in which he reiterated his opinion that “Mendelson’s actions run afoul of the Human Rights Act; if not the letter of the law, surely its spirit.”

Gray said he accepted the process but rejected the premise of Mendelson’s proposal: “Concern for my health is appreciated; discrimination based on health is unconscionable,” he continued. “My staff and I will now consider all options.”

What are his options? Who knows? Maybe he will wait until Mendelson needs him as a seventh vote on some critical piece of legislation.

For her part, Henderson, who was mostly silent during the buildup to the fight, said in a written statement that she has “immense respect” for Gray, has worked closely with him in the past and looks forward to “our continued collaboration in Council Period 25.”

Henderson also offered, however, an implied assessment of his tenure in laying out the challenges ahead: “Although the District boasts very high rates of health insurance coverage, health inequities persist. 

“We have much work to do to enhance our health system infrastructure, tackle the growing challenge of substance and opioid abuse, strengthen our school-based mental health program, improve our maternal health outcomes, and address gun violence as a public health issue.”

While legislators may be talking nice — again — the problem for the council isn’t just one committee. It’s all of the committees. A review of their contents reveals an alignment even more chaotic than in previous years. 

Mendelson has relied on the worst aspects of shared governance, acquiescing to council members’ fantasies and favorites. Is there a logical reason, for example, that the Commission on Women and the Office of Women’s Policy and Initiatives sit within the Committee on the Judiciary and Public Safety? 

What does the Commission on Fashion Arts and Events have to do with the Committee on Public Works and Operations? 

Why is the entire Department of Human Services — rather than just its homeless programs — under the Committee on Housing, with no mention of the agency or specific benefit programs in the description of the Committee on Facilities and Family Services? Actually, how did the Department of General Services get grouped in with family services, anyway?

If those choices aren’t disturbing, consider the fact that the newly approved council rules include multiple instances of shared oversight. The Office of the Deputy Mayor for Operations and Infrastructure is shared by the Committee on Public Works and Operations and the Committee on Transportation and the Environment. 

The Department of Buildings is slated to be overseen by the Committee of the Whole and the Committee on Facilities and Family Services. (Please don’t ask me to explain it.)

In a world where every politician gets what is desired, you can bet residents won’t get what they need: clean, clear lines of authority and accountability to ensure quality programs, efficient service delivery and cost-effective management.

It’s hard to jibe the organization for Council Period 25 with at-large Council member Robert White’s assessment and prediction: “We are entering into one of our strongest periods,” he told me last week. “I’m really excited about what this council has the potential to do,” he added.

With all due respect to White, he knows how the DC government’s potential has consistently been unrealized. Which is why I can’t let go of that adage: Talk is cheap. 

In the District it’s at a bargain basement rate. 

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jonetta rose barras is an author and freelance journalist, covering national and local issues including politics, childhood trauma, public education, economic development and urban public policies. She can be reached at thebarrasreport@gmail.com.