We're approaching the halfway point of 2012 and Mayor Vince Gray is looking more and more vulnerable by the day. That can only mean one thing—it's time to speculate as to who could challenge or replace him come 2014.
Let the Speculating Begin! Bowser, Evans and Wells Among Crop of Mayoral Hopefuls
Caribbean Festival and Parade May Survive as Organizers Search for New Location
Councilmember Muriel Bowser's (D-Ward 4) office is working with organizers of the annual Caribbean Carnival Festival and Parade to see if a new location can be found.
On Primary Day, Gray Backs Incumbents
On NewsTalk with Bruce DePuyt this morning Mayor Vince Gray gave a blanket endorsement to all the incumbents running for re-election to the D.C. Council today, though he did so with little apparent energy or enthusiasm.
City Paper Doubles Down on Post Endorsements
Just like the Post before it, the City Paper has jumped on board with Sekou Biddle, Muriel Bowser and Jacque Patterson in the April 3 D.C. primary.
WaPo Sides With Challengers in Three D.C. Races
Over the weekend the Washington Post's editorial board endorsed candidates for the D.C. Council, and in three races it opted for the challengers.
Ethics Bill Passes D.C. Council on First Vote
The D.C. Council yesterday approved comprehensive ethics legislation on a first vote, moving the city closer to establishing a Board of Ethics and Government Accountability, tightening reporting requirements for elected officials and government employees, barring elected officials convicted of felonies from serving and giving the District's Attorney General additional powers to go after scofflaws.
Ethics Enforcement is Expensive
Ethics are good and all, but policing the unethical isn't cheap.
Ethics Bill Moves Forward, Though Progress May Slow
Legislation that seeks to strengthen the District's ethics laws moved forward today, though its progress might be slowed by members of the D.C. Council who want more time to discuss, digest and debate it.
Ethics, Meet Elections
The District needs ethics reform, but it also has an election coming up. It was only a matter of time before the two started to mix.
Ahead of Ethics Debate, Disagreements
When a D.C. Council committee gathers tomorrow to consider comprehensive ethics legislation, it will do so in the midst of continued disagreements as to how far the proposal goes in addressing ethics violations that have marred the District's government this year.
Constituent Services Funds Not Often Spent on Constituents
Constituent Services Funds exist to allow D.C. councilmembers to help constituents in times of need. The problem is that the funds aren't really being used for that.
Critics Say Ethics Reform Proposal Doesn't Go Far Enough
The 58-page comprehensive ethics bill Councilmember Muriel Bowser (D-Ward 4) previewed late last week would certainly put some muscle into enforcing ethics in the District, but the measures she proposed don't go far enough for some.
Council Bill Would Create New Ethics Board
Just as she promised at a hearing in late October, a new three-person Board of Ethics and Government Accountability is the centerpiece of comprehensive ethics legislation Councilmember Muriel Bowser (D-Ward 4) has drafted and will put to her colleagues before the end of the year.
Reduced Speed Limit Among Council's Proposed Pedestrian Safety Measures
Today, members of the D.C. Council introduced two measures which would put additional emphasis on pedestrian safety, including a law which would reduce the speed limit in residential areas to 15 miles per hour.
D.C. Council Debates Ethics Proposals, But Outcome Unclear
During a lengthy hearing yesterday, members of a D.C. Council committee discussed how best to address the ethical scandals which have plagued the District's elected leaders this year. Still, little consensus emerged on the next steps to take.
Ethicspalooza Hits D.C. Council Today
After what has been a rocky year for Mayor Vince Gray and various members of the D.C. Council, city legislators are sitting down today to start the work of sorting out how to improve the District's ethics-related laws and enforcement mechanisms.
Orange Loses Ethics Battle, But Still Fighting Political War
Did Vincent Orange (D-At Large) gain more in having his emergency ethics bill voted down than he would have had he won the support of the majority of the Council?
Gray Drops Election Board Nominee
I was off by an hour, but my Friday News Dump radar was close enough -- the Post Mike DeBonis reports that Mayor Vince Gray won't be sending Robert Mallett's nomination to chair the D.C. Board of Elections and Ethics on to the D.C. Council for consideration.
Bowser Defends Council Privacy, Criticizes Thomas
On "The Kojo Nnamdi Show" this afternoon, Councilmember Muriel Bowser (D-Ward 4) defended the D.C. Council's decision to meet privately yesterday, while at the same time laying out her vision for ethics reform and criticizing a colleague facing legal troubles.
Gray Administration May Seek Waiver for BOEE Nominee
After news emerged yesterday that its nominee to lead the D.C. Board of Elections and Ethics may not meet residency requirements for the position, Mayor Vince Gray's administration has said that it's exploring seeking a waiver to the law.
Should Metro Officials, You Know, Use Metro?
The Examiner's Kytja Weir reports today that six of Metro's top executives and 116 Metro employees have access to a pool of take-home vehicles, some of whom use them to get to and from work, others not.
Kwame Brown Tackles Ethics Reform
D.C. Council Chair Kwame Brown has been buffeted by scandal since earlier this year. In recent days, though, Brown has taken to flying the flag of ethics reform, proposing strict new internal disclosure rules for the D.C. Council and telling the Washington Times this week that he'd also like to see changes to how Constituent Service Funds are used.
OCF, Council Interpretations of Fund Law Clash With GOP Allegations
Last week, the D.C. GOP filed a complaint with the D.C. Office of Campaign Finance claiming that 10 of the 13 members of the D.C. Council had broken city regulations by steering money from their Constituent Service Funds to partisan organizations. It looks like some of the accused may be off the hook, though.
Wells' Chief of Staff Calls Brown Reshuffling "Lost Opportunity"
In the wake of this morning's news that D.C. Council Chair Kwame Brown plans to strip Councilmember Tommy Wells (D-Ward 6) of his chairmanship of the Committee on Public Works and Transportation, questions are flying as to the wisdom of the move, the impact it may have and if Brown even has the votes to pull it off.
Get Ready, D.C.: The 2012 Campaign Season Has Started
Campaign signage for the April 26 At-Large Special Election has only recently come down -- but it will soon be replaced by signs for candidates vying for seats on the D.C. Council in 2012. With a new election calendar in place for the year to come -- the primary date has been moved from September to April 3, while the general election remains in November -- campaigning is beginning earlier than usual.
Marion Barry, Your Presence Is Requested
Ward 4 Councilmember Muriel Bowser is none too pleased about Ward 8 Councilmember Marion Barry's thoughts on Mayor Vince Gray's appointment of Dr. Rochelle L. Webb as the Director of the District's Department of Employment Services. But (perhaps) a more pressing concern: how in the world is there not a real -- or at the very least a reliably hilarious fake -- Marion Barry Twitter account out there? Someone's got a hold on the "MarionBarry" handle, but it's been updated once since November 2009. This really needs to be rectified as soon as possible, doesn't it?
The Local Races: Change Also Came to D.C.
While we soak in Barack Obama's historic victory over Senator John McCain (who delivered a moving and honorable concession speech), we can't ignore the change that came to our own backyard. Few of the results caught any of us by surprise. We did, though, rid ourselves of a pesky ANC commissioner, though.
Muriel Bowser on The Daily Show
In case you missed Friday's special episode of The Daily Show, check out the video excerpt above to catch D.C. Council member Muriel Bowser (D-Ward 4) being interviewed by John Oliver on the floor of Invesco Field on Thursday night. Bowser's short appearance begins around the 46 second mark. Oliver and his crew taped the segment shortly before Barack Obama gave his acceptance speech in Denver, and it appeared as though Bowser and several other members of the D.C. delegation had no idea who Oliver was when he approached her.
D.C. Council Debates Tax Payout Signs
Remember those billboards that popped up in the 1980s that counted up the national debt, dollar by dollar? Pretty scary, huh? Well, District voting rights activists want something similar for their cause. Today the D.C. Council held a hearing on legislation that would allow the city to place two large LED billboards -- one outside the John A. Wilson Building and the other outside the new Washington Nationals stadium -- that would display the amount...
Council Meeting on Tax Refund Fraud: Still Going
The overwhelming consensus so far at today's D.C. Council hearing on the recent theft of what looks to be $30 million-plus from the District's tax coffers? The scandal has damaged the reputation of the city government, and the council members are pissed. While most statements have clung to the nasty tidbits of information we already know (the enormity of the crime, that an auditor's warnings may have been ignored) and palliative cliches, council members provided...

