Tuesday, June 19, 2012
Phil Mendelson is serving as the interim District Council chairman.
Chairman Phil Mendelson (D, At-Large) is officially running to permanently become chairman of the District Council. On Monday, he picked up nominating petitions at the D.C. Board of Elections and Ethics. Mendelson was selected as interim chairman last week by his colleagues. A special election on Nov. 6 will fill the seat vacated by former Chairman Kwame Brown, who recently resigned before pleading guilty to federal bank charges. According to the D.C. BOEE website, three other candidates have also picked up petitions to run for the chairmanship: Though Councilman Vincent Orange had indicated an interest in pursuing the seat, while simultaneously running to keep his At-Large seat, The Washington Post offers unconfirmed reports that Orange …
Tuesday, June 12, 2012
The Board of Elections decided to hold the special election to coincide with the general election
The general election for local candidates just became more interesting. The Board of Elections will hold the special election for the Council Chair seat, recently vacated by Kwame Brown, to coincide with the general election, Nov. 6. Because of DC's primary system and the heavily Democratic nature of the voting population in the District, the "winners" of most races are essentially determined during the primary. But now that the Council Chairman position has opened up on the District Council, there could be a heated contest come November. The Washington Post reports that the Board's attorneys ruled that though the two elections are taking place on the same day and will share a ballot, they are two separate races. The decision means, "a …
Saturday, June 9, 2012
Former Council Chairman Kwame Brown resigned this week
Former DC Council Chairman Kwame Brown pleaded guilty today to a federal charge of bank fraud and a misdemeanor charge for violating DC campaign finance laws. Brown resigned from the District of Columbia Council and agreed to cooperate as the investigation continues as part of a plea agreement, according to a press release from the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). The bank fraud charge stems from a home equity loan Brown applied for and received under false pretenses. He over-estimated his income by tens of thousands of dollars and used the money to buy his boat "Bulletproof" among other expenses. According to the FBI news release: "The bank fraud charge carries up to 30 years in prison. Under federal sentencing guidelines, the …
Thursday, June 7, 2012
Thursday federal prosecutors charged Brown for making an "unlawful cash campaign expenditure”
Less than 24 hours after former District Council Chairman Kwame Brown resigned over federal bank fraud charges, federal prosecutors filed misdemeanor charges againts Brown for making an "unlawful cash campaign expenditure,” according to the Washington Post. The charge was filed as a criminal information, which means it was filed with Brown's knowledge and consent. Such a document is generally a sign that a plea agreement is near, as several media outlets have explained. In the document, obtained by the Washington Post, the prosecution charges Brown with knowingly allowing a person other than his treasurer to open a second "side account" for his 2008 campaign. He is also charged with authorizing that person to make at least one cash …
Wednesday, June 6, 2012
District Council Chairman Kwame Brown resigned Wednesday afternoon
District Council Chairman Kwame Brown handed in his resignation Wednesday afternoon after being charged with bank fraud, according to the Washington Post. Though Brown's 2008 campaign had been under investigation, the charges filed against him stem from a 2006 mortgage. Court documents obtained by the Post charge that Brown lied about his income, inflating it by tens of thousands of dollars in order to obtain a new mortgage so he could buy a boat. As recently as Tuesday Brown told reporters that he was not intending to resign. The Washington City Paper reports that today's resignation came after "Brown had asked prosecutors if they would allow him to serve out the rest of his term, but they said no." In his resignation letter, obtained by …
DC Council Chairman Kwame Brown is under federal investigation
Updated 9:15 p.m. DC Council Chairman Kwame Brown has resigned. Original Post DC Council Chairman Kwame Brown could be charged with fraud Wednesday, according to the Washington Post. The Post reports: "The charges will be filed in the District’s federal court in a “criminal information,” a document that can only be filed with the defendant’s consent and signals a plea deal is near." Though Brown's 2008 campaign has been under investigation, the Post's sources say the charges may actually stem from a 2006 mortgage. Should the U.S. Attorney’s office charge Brown, he will be the second sitting council member facing federal charges this year; former Councilman Harry Thomas, Jr. pleaded guilty to theft charges earlier this year. Do you think …
Wednesday, May 16, 2012
Mayor Vincent C. Gray and D.C. Council Chairman Kwame Brown plan to renovate 24 playgrounds across the city.
Rose Park's playground is one of 24 playgrounds across the city slated for renovations under a new plan from Mayor Vincent C. Gray and D.C. Council Chairman Kwame Brown. "Renovating these playgrounds is an investment in the well-being of our children, and I can think of nothing worthier" said Gray in a prepared statement. Rose Park is one of only two Ward 2 parks selected for the renovation. Nearby Ward 3 will have five playgrounds upgraded. The Friends of Rose Park are already undertaking an upgrade of the neighborhood park, paid for with private funds. Plans to upgrade the existing paths, replace railroad timbers, increase the flag poll plaza, add seating, plant trees and more are underway.
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2600 O St NW, Washington, DC
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Saturday, September 10, 2011
Race organizers cancel swimming portion, eliminating Arlington's Fisette's best event.
- THE NEIGHBORHOOD FILES
- Holly Nunn
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Saturday, September 10, 2011
Jay Fisette hates running. Until January, he had never even been on a treadmill. But when the Arlington County Board member decided to participate in the Nation's Triathlon, he figured it was time to become a runner. "A lot of this is about what condition your heart is in, your cardiovascular health," Fisette said. "If you have that, then it's just a matter of learning the motions of running, swimming, biking." Fisette has the swimming down. In high school he was an All-American swimmer, and he has kept fit through swimming ever since. That's why the rain over the past week, with some localities along the Potomac getting up to 10 inches, has really put a damper on Fisette's plans for his first Olympic-length triathlon. Race organizers and …
Sunday, June 19, 2011
Unethical politicians, and the ethics reforms they propose.
When a governing body such as the D.C. Council tackles ethics reform, it's a sign that lawmakers have failed the public trust. What's an elected representative to do? The obvious public relations fix is to pass a new set of laws. Brilliant. It doesn't matter what's contained in the ethics reform bill being proposed by D.C. Council Chair Kwame Brown and Mary Cheh. The simple fact that Brown faces serious campaign ethics violations makes this one of the most ridiculous attempts at legislation in recent memory. Thank goodness someone in the D.C. government has stood up to point out how silly it all looks. Attorney General Irvin Nathan deserves credit for going before the council and testifying how the Cheh/Brown bill falls way short. His …
Wednesday, November 3, 2010
With the exception of Mayor, Georgetown voted similarly to the rest of the District.
District Council Chair Vincent Gray won the D.C. general election for Mayor on Nov. 2. Gray received 63.4 percent of votes for mayor, winning out over the write-in candidate(s) who received 32.5 percent of votes. Wednesday Gray will announce details of his planned transition; as of 9:20 a.m. the website www.graytransition2010.com was not live. At his victory party at LOVE in NE D.C., Gray told an enthusiastic crowd, "It doesn't matter to me whether you voted for me or not. We are all citizens of the District of Columbia." Good thing, since many Georgetown voters did not vote for the mayor-elect. MAYORAL VOTES COMPARED As for the remaining offices, Georgetown and Ward 2 voted much like the rest of the District. Eleanor Holmes Norton (D) …
J.Choi Family
7:10 pm on Tuesday, June 19, 2012
I wish Mr.Meldelson all the best.In my dealings with him he has been a gentleman. Thank You-J.Choi more ›