June 27, 2008
Fenty Nominates Nickles for Permanent AG Spot
Mayor Adrian Fenty this morning formally nominated Peter Nickles to be the District's permanent Attorney General. The move was widely expected; Fenty had been visibly lobbying D.C. Council members on behalf of Nickles, who has been serving as interim AG for almost six months, and the Post called it official on Tuesday.
“Peter Nickles has done a fantastic job for the residents of the District in his interim capacity,” said Mayor Fenty. “In just a few short months, he and his team have done some great work. We’re privileged to have him continue to serve.”
But just because we knew this was going to happen doesn't mean the nomination is without controversy. Nickles has come under fire over the last six months for a number of calls he made.
At the outset, he fired Alan Morrison, the original lead attorney for the city on the Supreme Court handgun ban case. As we now know, the court ruled against the District. While it's unlikely sticking with Morrison would have led the court to rule differently, there's also no way to know for sure.
Later, Nickles fired eight attorneys and several other staffers in the AG's office. A Superior Court judge recently ruled that seven of those firings were not done properly.
Last but not least, there's the issue that the city's top attorney is required to live in the District. Nickles has lived in Great Falls, Va. for over 40 years. The reliably grumpy Phil Mendelson (D-At large) was quick to send out a statement this morning on that issue.
“I expect a robust discussion regarding many of the questions surrounding this nominee, including the well-known residency requirement for this position," Mendelson said. "It is mystifying, even though the Mayor clearly intended to make this choice months ago, the nominee still resides outside the District and has made no known effort to change that fact.”
Mayor Fenty also named Andrew “Chip” Richardson, his Interim General Counsel since January, as General Counsel to the Mayor.
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I wonder who would have standing to sue if he's confirmed yet doesn't move into the District in violation of the residency requirement.
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"It is mystifying, even though the Mayor clearly intended to make this choice months ago, the nominee still resides outside the District and has made no known effort to change that fact.”
I'm starting to like this Nickles guy and his 'f**k you' attitude. "Yeah, I'll fire your ass and the residency requirement doesn't apply to me and I rape, cook, and eat babies and the hell with you. I'm a cranky old sonovabitch and I didn't have both my legs blown off at Ypres just to take crap from little pukes like you." He's like that cranky uncle you only see at Christmas and he's usually drunk and staring at your cousin's boobs and making racist remarks about Black celebrities.
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he should just get the cheapest possible apartment he can find in deanwood and declare that his residence. we all know he's going to keep living in great falls, so why not make as big a joke as possible about his official residence for DC purposes...
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He can probably get a good deal on that closet Jesse Jackson rented back when he was Shadow Senator or Twilight Rep or whatthef**kever he was.
And can I add that I freaking LOVE the "Got Herpes?" banner ads? Can't wait until dcist starts shilling for canine viagra, so that old Buster can get some spice back into his life. I tell ya, this is a class joint.
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He's supposedly been looking at apartments for his "residency."
I'd like to see Nickels and Mendelson duel it out.
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Wasn't there a District fire chief who was forced to resign a few years ago because he was skirting the residency requirement? He had an apartment in NE, but he actually lived in Mitchellsville with his wife and family; his son lived in the DC apartment. This was under Mayor Williams and it was a while back, so I can't remember the name.
If the lead attorney for the city is going to be a "letter of the law vs. spirit of the law" guy (and clearly he is going to skirt the law on this issue), then should he really get the job? By this standard, why not let Wayne Curry get an apartment in DC and then run for mayor? He was a kickass County Executive for Prince Georges County, after all.
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This is becoming standard Fenty operating procedure, blatantly ignoring the law and doing whatever he damn well pleases. And this now extends to all of his pals, such as ol' Peter Five-Cents.
Did anyone else see his interview with Katie Couric about the handgun thing? Holy shit, he made George W. Bush sound like a good public speaker.
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Nickels has 6 months to become a DC resident after he's confirmed as AG. No doubt he'll find a nice place and will make sure to spend at least 183 days a year at that residence. I fully expect Mendelson to be following Nickels in a disguise to make sure he's headed to his DC residence and not to his VA house.