Photo by philliefan99.Good morning, Washington. Were you wondering how Harry Thomas, Jr. was going to pay back all the money his organization misspent while still keeping some white-collar counsel on retainer? Well, that’s what friends are for. The Examiner reports that Thomas’ lawyer, Fred Cooke, has set up a legal defense fund for Thomas, with the goal of handling the Ward 5 Councilmember’s hefty legal fees. (Though he settled with the city to repay the $300,000 spent by Team Thomas, there are federal criminal investigations pending.) The fund will reportedly be placed in a trust unknown to Thomas, so as to comply with the settlement’s terms that Thomas not be involved in nonprofit management for five years. But there’s nothing on the books that will require the trust to reveal where donations to the fund come from, how much was donated, or what the money was used for. Oh yeah, I’m sure that’ll go over well.
Resignation Roundup: In more Thomas news, calls for him to abandon his Council post continue to roll in. Last night, Ward 6 Councilmember Tommy Wells released a statement calling on Thomas to step down; Wells joins David Catania (I-At-Large) and Mary Cheh (D-Ward 3) as members of the body who have said Thomas should resign. Muriel Bowser (D-Ward 4), Jack Evans (D-Ward 2) and Phil Mendelson (D-At-Large), meanwhile, have some kind of objection to the settlement, though they haven’t explicitly said Thomas should resign. Yvette Alexander (D-Ward 7), meanwhile, thinks asking Thomas to resign is pointless, joining Michael A. Brown (I-At-Large) in Thomas’ corner. Meanwhile, Council Chair Kwame Brown chimed in yesterday with a quizzical statement. “I have urged Councilmember Thomas to consider seriously doing what is best for his family and his constituents as he moves forward from the settlement,” said Brown. So, uh, whatever that means.
In short, though: the only ways Thomas can be removed from the Council without resignation is recall (which, under D.C. law, cannot occur until next January), or if he’s convicted of a felony.
H20, No: Did you get used to drinking water on board Metro trains and buses without reproach last weekend? Well, you can forget that happening again soon. Kytja Weir reports that it’s unlikely that WMATA will allow riders a similar courtesy as the heat comes back. “It won’t do it again to unless the region has an “extraordinary streak of 100 plus days,” spokesperson Dan Stessel told Weir, explaining that there are laws in D.C., Maryland and Virginia disallowing the consumption of any beverage on trains and buses. The agency must have been spooked by such brazen lawlessness — they’ve even taken down the press release that announced the water amnesty last Friday. (There’s a cached version of the press release here for you conspiracy theorists.)
Briefly Noted: 11 hospitalized due to carbon monoxide leak in Rockville…”Two men will be charged with assault after one apparently attacked the other with a wooden club in a road rage incident on the Capital Beltway.”…D.C. doesn’t make cut of best cities for single people…Gray to dedicate new 9th Street Bridge this morning…Redskins’ official team blogger loses job thanks to “restructuring”…Federal downsizing could cause huge jump in Maryland unemployment…Fairfax County authorities are searching for a “serial butt stabber.”
This Day in DCist: Last year, massive winds caused some severe damage around the District, businesses were preparing to install “no smoking” signs which carried no penalties and eco-terrorists (uh, kind of) were in our midst.
