jonetta rose barras: Jockeying for committee chairmanships

At-large DC Council member Anita Bonds recently announced she intended to relinquish her position as chair of the DC Democratic State Committee, choosing instead to run for the second-place leadership position. Much applause was heard coming from the homes of many political activists who had yearned for her departure, complaining that the local party was not growing and was no longer a dynamic organization.

One reason Bonds gave for her action was that she wanted to devote more time to being chair of the Committee on Housing and Neighborhood Revitalization. Who, I wondered, had promised her she would keep the chairmanship of that committee?

I could not reach her for an answer to that question. During the primary campaign, facing opponents who challenged the quality of her oversight and legislative initiatives around housing issues, Bonds defended herself. She cited reforms to the city’s rent-control laws, her push for stronger efforts to preserve low-cost housing and her support of the Office of the Attorney General’s use of the Consumer Protection Act to defend tenants. Despite that robust defense, John A. Wilson Building sources told me this week that the housing chairmanship may be on the line.

Advocates, lobbyists and others who pay close attention to the goings-on at city hall have been engaged in their own wishful game of musical chairs. Who should oversee education and libraries? Should Jack Evans continue as chair the Committee on Finance and Revenue after holding the post for more than a decade? What should be done about all those special-constituent commissions and offices — the Advisory Commission on the Caribbean Community and the Commission on African American Affairs, among others? They seem misplaced in certain committees, like the Committee on Government Operations.

“Whatever the traditional lines are right now, I don’t think that has to continue,” said John Capozzi, a longtime DC community activist. “I’m sure the business community is insisting Jack stays on Finance and Revenue.”

Council Chairman Phil Mendelson is the decider, however. He creates the committees and decides who will lead them. He is expected to present his recommendations to the full council for a vote at the start of the new council session in January. Between now and then, however, there will be much lobbying by members.

Traditionally, there have been one or two freshmen hanging on the sidelines without the opportunity to lead a committee. Neither at-large Council member Robert White nor Ward 8 representative Trayon White, both of whom were elected in 2016, received chairmanships for the current term; they are expected to receive appointments in January. All incumbents in the November elected are projected to win; that means every council member likely will be assigned a chairmanship.

Chairing a committee means a council member can lord over multiple executive-branch agencies, boards and commissions — and their budgets. That, in the parlance of politics, is power. Even better is overseeing major agencies or areas, like economic development, housing and education, which affect a diverse and large population of residents.

Near election season, committee chairmanships often are used as political platforms and vehicles for distributing favors to special constituents, pontificating or generally giving grief to an unpopular executive.

Capozzi said he favors appointing a new chairperson for the housing committee — perhaps at-large member Elissa Silverman, assuming she’s re-elected. “She’s done a good job with employment services,” Capozzi said.

Mary Filardo, executive director of the 21st Century School Fund, has been involved on the political and public-policy scene in DC for decades. She singled out the Education Committee. “Of late, [it] has been kind of problematic. I don’t fully understand the deference the chairman has shown to the executive.”

No one does.

After David Catania left the council, I wrote frequently about the need to retain a separate Committee on Education, rather than reverting to the days when it was in the Committee of the Whole. That structure made every council member responsible on the issue, which meant no one was responsible. I also advocated for David Grosso’s appointment. He has been a huge disappointment. And, his new proposal to pull control of the Office of the State Superintendent of Education from Mayor Muriel Bowser is misguided. (Does this lock current superintendent Hanseul Kang in position? Let’s hope not.)

Of the current members, Robert White might provide the more aggressive and thorough oversight that is sorely needed. During a telephone interview, I tried to squeeze him to reveal the committee for which he is lobbying. He declined to comment.

Sources told me Ward 3’s Mary Cheh has expressed interest in education. Her appointment would be inconsistent with the past; generally an at-large member has been selected to lead that committee. Increasingly, however, Cheh has demonstrated deep concern for what is happening in the city’s public schools. Consider that last year, she raised questions about test scores and graduation rates before anyone else. She knew there was a disconnect between the celebration at Ballou High School and the data. She tried to persuade her colleague Grosso to send a joint letter with her to administration officials. He refused. She sent the letter anyway.

Cheh called me Wednesday after the publication of this column to disavow any reports that she has expressed interest in the Education Committee. “I’m not trying to get that job,” she told me.

Too bad.

While I have disagreed with some of Cheh’s proposals — namely, creating an education research board and pulling OSSE from the executive — her appointment to head the Education Committee could help bridge the divide between public schools in the more affluent wards like hers and those in low-income communities. She might help to establish a universal standard and reduce the inequity that currently plagues the system.

There also is good reason for Mendelson to reshape other committees: Why should the DC Board of Elections, Office of Campaign Finance and Board of Ethics and Government Accountability fall under the auspices of the Committee on the Judiciary and Public Safety? Is the Committee on Transportation and the Environment really the right place for the Department of Parks and Recreation or the Department of General Services?

Residents should not wait until January to raise concerns about a particular committee, especially since decisions already will be firm by then. They can send their ideas to Mendelson whenever they like. These aren’t just political considerations. A committee that is expertly led and conducts strong oversight can mean the difference between dysfunction and fiscal waste on one hand and an efficient, effective and ethical government on the other.

This post has been updated to include Ward 3 DC Council member Mary Cheh’s comment.

jonetta rose barras is a DC-based freelance writer and host of The Barras Report television show. She can be reached at thebarrasreport@gmail.com.