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Though he says he’s saving an official announcement until after he’s collected the necessary 3,000 valid signatures to get on the ballot, ex-D.C. Councilmember Michael Brown wants his old job back.
Brown switched back to being a Democrat and picked up petitions today to be on the April 23 ballot for an at-large Council seat. He had petition gatherers stationed outside the convention center this morning, where several councilmembers were sworn in. Among them: Councilmember David Grosso, who beat Brown in November’s election.
Brown says he’s planning on running a much more invigorated campaign than his last rather listless effort. Two reason for this, Brown says: 1) A large chunk of his campaign funds won’t be stolen, which is what he says happened last time. 2) He’ll be putting together a “second to none” campaign team that includes operatives from various presidential campaigns, including from President Barack Obama‘s campaigns, who weren’t available during the last race and whose services Brown wouldn’t have been able to afford in any event. Brown declined to give names, but said these operatives are well-known in Democratic political circles.
“A lot of folks are very happy,” Brown says of his decision to run and his switch back to the Democratic Party. (Brown, the son of former Democratic National Committee Chairman Ron Brown, switched to being an independent in 2008 in order to facilitate winning an at-large seat effectively set aside for non-Democrats.)
Not likely to be one of those happy folks: newly appointed Councilmember Anita Bonds, who is also running in the April race. “I hope he does not run,” Bonds said in November.
Photo by Darrow Montgomery