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Sorry, Ward 2: Jack Evans is back to being a part-time councilmember. After leaving law firm Patton Boggs in January 2015, LL has learned that Evans landed at firm Manatt, Phelps & Phillips last October. The new position makes Evans coworkers with two of city hall’s top lobbyists.
Evans’ six-figure job at Patton Boggs made him the poster boy for the Council rules that allows councilmembers—who already make nearly $133,000 for their city jobs—to hold positions on the side. But while Evans’ old colleagues at Patton Boggs didn’t lobby last year at the Council, according to lobbying disclosures, Manatt employees John Ray and Tina Ang did.
Ray isn’t just any lobbyist. As a former at-large councilmember and now a Manatt partner, Ray and associate Ang might be the most well-connected duo at the Wilson Building. Lobbying records show that the pair have had frequent lobbying contacts with Evans and his staff in recent years.
With Ray’s clients ranging from Pepco and Exelon to District gasoline magnate Joe Mamo and various developers, it’s easy to imagine his work for Manatt crossing over with Evans’ work at the Council. Evans spokesman Thomas Lipinsky says in a statement that his boss plans to abstain from conflicts of interest that might arise from his $60,000-a-year Manatt salary.
It makes LL wonder: Aren’t there any other places in town where Evans could supplement his meager Council salary besides a law firm that actively lobbies on behalf of some of the biggest businesses in D.C.?
Putting conflicts of interest aside, LL needs to consult with Evans for productivity tips. How does he find so much time in a week? In addition to his Council work and his law job, Evans also serves at the reform-minded chairman of the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority.
Photo by Darrow Montgomery