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A deliberative roundup of one city’s local politics. Send your tips, releases, stories, events, etc. to lips@washingtoncitypaper.com. And get LL Daily sent straight to your inbox every morning!
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT:
Another Candidate in Ward 7
Good morning sweet readers! LL knows not to throw the baby out with the bathwater. But what about letting the baby drink some of the bathwater? That’s probably bad, too, right? News time:
The Sulaimon Show Doesn’t End: Is it possible to get enough Sulaimon Brown news? You tell LL after watching these TV news reports on Brown’s arrest yesterday for allegedly driving with an expired Maryland driver’s license. Brown held a news conference to proclaim that he’s being targeted because of his outspoken opposition to the Gray administration. (Last year around this time, of course, he was an outspoken opponent of the Fenty administration.) Still unanswered: Why did Brown have a police baton and police parking placard in his car? If you still want more, here’s the police report of Brown’s arrest, which quotes Brown as telling his arresting officers: “You complete me,” oops, LL meant to say “That’s OK, you all know who I am, I’ll have each and every one of you on the news by next week!” Remember, this is a guy who Mayor Vince Gray once said “has the requisite skills” to be a $110,000-a-year health care finance auditor.
AFTER THE JUMP: Kwame on Ethics; The Post on Ethics; Challenger for Brown…
Kwame on Ethics: Council Chairman Kwame “Fully Loaded” Brown sat down with reporters and editors of The Washington Times to chat about ethics and other city related issues. Some highlights: Brown says he’s going to try and tighten the spending rules on constituent service accounts, and the council is a “solid institution” despite the recent string of ethic scandals. “‘The institution itself has done a phenomenal job,’ Kwame Brown said of the council as a whole. ‘Clearly, there’s been issues with different members, whether it’s been Harry Thomas, whether it’s been Jack Evans, whether it’s been Jim Graham’s staff, whether it’s been Yvette Alexander … people say there’s been issues with iGaming.'” Brown dismissed questions about whether his own problems with Navigators or the federal probe into his campaign finances would hinder him from pushing a ethics reform legislation. “No, I think I’m in a perfect position to push it.”
Not So Fast: As if on cue, the Washington Post editorial board says Brown can’t be taken seriously as an ethics reformer given the federal probe and his “desire for a posh city car” that cost taxpayers $20,000. “Unfortunately, no one seems to be in a position to offer leadership in this critical area. … Ethics reform is supposedly going to be high on the list of the council’s priorities this fall. Given the failure of the city’s leaders to speak out against wrongdoing, it’s hard to be optimistic.”
Brown Challenger: At-Large Councilmember Michael Brown has his first official challenger, David Grosso, a former aide to Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton and former Ward 6 Councilmember Sharon Ambrose. “David represents a new breed of Washingtonians. He comes at it from the best possible direction. He’s kind of an outside insider, if you will,” says Ambrose.
In Other News:
- District to get out from under court oversight of its treatment for the mentally ill.
- Harry Jaffe dares the mayor to sell One Judiciary Square.
- Police probing attacks on transgender people. More DCPS teachers accepting bonuses.
- Adrian Fenty fired some social workers improperly.
- Very long interview with DOES boss Lisa Mallory.
Gray sked: On Newstalk at 10 a.m.; Greater Washington Board of Trade meeting at 12 p.m.; Interagency meeting on homelessness at 1:30 p.m.; Cabinet meeting at 4:30 p.m.; Celebration of Hispanic Heritage at 7 p.m.