DC Council

One of the more fascinating races in the June 16 Democratic primary may be the contest for DC Council chair. Incumbent Phil Mendelson is pitted against his former colleague and friend, Jack Evans, who represented Ward 2 for nearly three…

It probably doesn’t matter that despite a historic rise in violent crime that is instilling fear in many DC residents, causing them to dramatically alter their daily routines while contributing to the closure of significant numbers of…

John Falcicchio’s sexual harassment of women under his supervision may not have risen to the level of that perpetrated by the notorious Hollywood producer and filmmaker Harvey Weinstein. However, the serial nature of the abuse performed by…

The DC Board of Elections released its formal ruling earlier this week, making official its declaration that the Make All Votes Count Act of 2024 is a proper subject for a ballot initiative. That decision is reckless and without…

At its last meeting before the summer recess, the DC Council voted unanimously to pass two bills related to housing. The first reforms a major housing program for people exiting homelessness. The second builds on existing tenant…

The doublespeak by DC elected leaders and the massive level of government mismanagement they have allowed or enabled through professional neglect is breathtaking. Nevertheless, they have deflected responsibility and accountability, blaming…

That question seems a legitimate concern, considering the near-illogical demand Ward 1 Councilmember Brianne Nadeau makes in her proposed emergency legislation expected to be considered Tuesday during the DC Council’s next legislative…

DC’s public housing agency is set to have a busy 2023.  Responding to criticism in a stinging U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) assessment made public in October, the DC Council installed a temporary DC Housing…

DC residents, especially those who are either Medicaid recipients or DC Health Care Alliance members, should be elated that the seemingly endless managed care procurement finally ended this week. In a 10-2 vote, the DC Council approved…

Don’t expect me to mince words here. The DC government and, thus, the entire city, particularly low-income residents, have been drowning in high-cost mediocrity and breathtaking incompetence for decades. Some of the adverse consequences of…

DC voters began receiving their ballots for the November general election this week. The contests for mayor, DC Council chair and council seats in wards 1, 3, 5 and 6 are mostly sleepers; the winners of the June Democratic primary are…

A movie scene keeps coming to mind: Someone is operating a metal detector, hoping to get rich quick by discovering gold. The device makes a sound and just beneath the surface is a coin that looks like the real thing — but is it? Unsure,…

Ward 3 DC Council member Mary Cheh stood in front of the Days Inn at 4400 Connecticut Ave. NW on Jan. 27 waiting to begin a community meeting and press briefing. Earlier that morning five people had been shot in one of the rooms inside the…

Late again. DC Deputy Mayor for Health and Human Services Wayne Turnage and Chief Procurement Officer George Schutter failed to meet the noon July 28 deadline set by the DC Council to address its questions and concerns about why Mayor…

“There is a difference between talking loudly and having warm and fuzzy relationships with the press and somebody who gets you-know-what done,” outgoing Ward 5 DC Council member Kenyan McDuffie told me last week during an extended…

Someone should have warned DC residents at the start of this political season to “fasten your seat belts; it’s going to be a bumpy night,” as Margo Channing did in the movie All About Eve. The District’s primary, or more precisely the…

DC’s voucher waitlist is 37,000 people long, but the city government is only planning to fund 20 new vouchers for the residents on it.

DC residents are one step closer to knowing what their city will spend money on next year. The DC Council took its second vote on the fiscal year 2023 budget on May 24, passing a set of allocations similar to those approved in the…

The DC Council last week gave initial approval to the city’s budget for the next fiscal year, providing funding for some new housing vouchers sought by advocates but far fewer than they recommended. The council’s version of the…

The DC Council took its first vote earlier this week on the city’s fiscal year 2023 budget, which is based in large part on $11 billion in local revenues. Legislators are expected to take a second vote later this month on the Local Budget…