Martin AustermuhleSince 1983, Loose Lips, the City Paper’s weekly local politics column, has been the place to get quirky news and commentary on the District’s political figures. But today, James Jones, Loose Lips columnist for the last two years, bids farewell to the paper.
Jones came to the City Paper after a stint at WAMU, and his first column was published on March 11, 2005. According to the folks at the City Paper, Jones has taken a position at the D.C. Appleseed Center for Law and Justice, and a replacement will be named in the coming weeks.
Given Jones’ apparent betrayal of the guild, he would be the first of the column’s writers to move out of journalism since creator Ken Cummins quit in 1999. Erik Wemple, who took the reigns after Cummins, went on to become a Senior Editor at the paper and eventually Editor in Chief, though he was almost lost to the Village Voice last year. His replacement, Jonetta Rose Barras, is currently a columnist for the Examiner and co-hosts the D.C. Politics Hour with Kojo Nnamdi on WAMU. Her sucessor, Elissa Silverman, is currently following local politics for the Post.
We’ve always enjoyed Jones’ writing, and the world of local politics will surely miss him. But who will take his place? Could the City Paper try to steal Mark Plotkin and his decades worth of political experience and commentary away from WTOP? Or might they opt for Dorothy Brizill, finally giving her the official soap-box she’s been seeking for so long? Maybe NBC 4’s Tom Sherwood? Or Capital Community News’ Gabrial Pacyniak? Maybe someone from the inside? Or might they pull a Fenty and make a midnight announcement that they’re bringing in outside talent from New York?
We remain in suspense.
