WASHINGTON, D.C., USA — After 28 years, Ward 2 councilmember Jack Evans is the longest serving DC councilmember in history, and Tuesday might be his worst day on the job.
The DC Council chair, Phil Mendelson, introduced a resolution of reprimand for Ward 2 Councilmember Jack Evans on Tuesday, as several other councilmembers said his punishment for ethics violations should go much further.
Evans faces accusations he used his power, influence and connections as a councilmember to solicit work from private law firms.
He admitted to using his council email to send out those messages.
“In retrospect, I would have done things very differently and I certainly made a lot of mistakes,” he said at a DC Council meeting Tuesday. “I’m going to take this opportunity to apologize to my constituents, to the residents of the District of Columbia and to my colleagues. I am deeply sorry for what happened.”
The council's code of conduct says members cannot use the prestige of their office for private gain.
Mendelson said there is no question Evans broke that rule.
Evans could also face legal jeopardy. The Washington Post is reporting a grand jury subpoenaed documents on a bill his introduced that would have benefitted Digi Outdoor Media, a company which he had received stock and money from.
Evans said he returned both, and withdrew the legislation.
“The reprimand does not go far enough,” councilmember David Grosso said.
He believes the council chair should do more to punish Evans.
“I think he’s trying to brush this under the rug,” Grosso said. “In fact, what we need to do is a full investigation. I’ve called for a committee pulled together of my colleagues.”
Grosso was one of three councilmembers who filed a letter to Mendelson on Monday asking for such a committee to investigate Evans for code of conduct violations.
The Monday letter outlines violations of the code of conduct as including accepting gifts from outside sources, accepting anything of value personally or for another person for official acts of influence, accepting gifts from prohibited sources, inappropriate use of government resources and using the prestige of office for private gain.
“Investigating a colleague is not something we take lightly,” the letter – signed by Grosso, Brianne K. Nadeau, and Elissa Silverman – reads. “However, holding ourselves to the highest ethical standards reinforces that the Council of the District of Columbia is dedicated to the accountability of our elected officials.”
Mendelson said Tuesday a grand jury investigation would preempt their own investigation.
“The news reports have been that there’s an investigation by a grand jury,” he said. “A grand jury always preempts the field. Those are not issues that we can investigate.”
Grosso said if the council declines to create a special investigative committee, it should at least go a step further than the reprimand and strip Evans of his chairmanship of the Committee on Finances and Revenue.