WASHINGTON — Brand new claims of a toxic culture inside Mayor Muriel Bowser’s office. The finger-pointing comes on the heels of a highly anticipated investigation into former DC Deputy Mayor, John Falcicchio.
“It’s suspicious, for lack of a better word, it does, it certainly does not treat the issue with the importance that it deserves,” said Councilmember Brianne Nadeau who questioned the timing of the report released on a Saturday night heading into a holiday weekend.
“Keep in mind, this is not just the former deputy mayor, this is the former chief of staff for the entire government for eight years. So, we have to look top to bottom and figure out where else this has been happening. You know, the mayor has always prioritized hiring women, right? And so, there are a lot of women who are susceptible to this throughout government, I have a lot of concerns,” she explained. “But this is a person who's very powerful, who can use his power in government to make or break someone's career.”
According to the report by the Mayor’s Office for Legal Counsel, for about six months between September and May 2022, Falcicchio made sexual advances, exposed himself, and sent thousands of sexually charged messages via snapshot to the woman's cellphone. A second woman has come forward since then. Falcicchio was not available for comment.
“There are some things I read about in that report that I truly hope MPD will take up, like exposing genitals and things that might have happened in a private residence,” said the Councilmember. “I think the things that were revealed are very important, and they will help the victims move forward with their cases. However, I'm worried about what else is out there. I'm worried about who else was involved.”
Nadeau said she wanted an external investigation that would offer more confidence and transparency. She said while she did not hear of any rumors over the years, doubts the Mayor’s inner circle was unaware.
"It almost feels like a fraternity sometimes. And I think that's the culture that can spawn this type of behavior. So there have to be people in the Mayor's circle who saw this and knew that it was happening," said Nadeau.
“I hope the Mayor is about to get her pen out because she's going to write a very, very large check for his piss-poor behavior,” said Denise Krepp.
Former ANC 6B10 Commissioner Denise Krepp said the city has paid millions of dollars in settlements over the past years. Krepp started asking questions in 2018 and requested documents from the Chief Financial Officer. Krepp posted portions of the documents to Twitter that show several six-figure sexual harassment settlements alone. She said the Council needs to follow the money.
"$72 million in 18 months, that came out from Kathy Patterson's office (DC Auditor), they never held a hearing,” she said.
Nadeau could not answer how much taxpayer money goes to settling lawsuits or what agency is accounting for the money, however, she has her own questions about the process and preventing such abuses in the future.
“I am worried about how deeply this goes into the Bowser operation,” said CM Nadeau. “And those are the things that undermine the trust in government that the people of the District deserve to know.”
The Councilmember said she will be speaking to her council colleagues about next steps including possible legislation. The report also called for further investigation into a pattern of favoritism based on appearances and that Falcicchio used the Wilson Building as his dating pool. We are still waiting to hear back from the Mayor’s office.
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