Photo by M.V. Jantzen.

Today’s lengthy Council hearing on hirings made by the Gray administration is still going, as I type. But this morning, Brandon Webb was the first to take the microphone — and that’s when things got sloppy.

Webb, who was not accompanied by a lawyer, testified that he applied for a job with the city government before his mother, Rochelle, was brought on as the director of the city’s Department of Employment Services. (She has since been relieved of those duties.) Webb also admitted that he didn’t know FEMS Chief Kenneth Ellerbe before he landed a an excepted service job as a community liason with the fire department. (The job apparently consisted of reading the news for the Chief.) This contradicted what D.C. Human Resources director Judy Banks said under oath during a hearing last week — Banks had said that Ellerbe hired Webb directly. Councilmember Mary Cheh proceeded to read emails during the hearing which proved that Banks hired Webb, another big hit to Banks’ testimony.

The rest of the testimony revealed a version of events that make it seem like Webb — as he was portrayed in a profile published last night in the City Paper — was kind of screwed by the whole process.

Webb said that he “never negotiated” his salary; but was given a $22,000 raise anyway. Webb claimed that, due to his qualifications, he “did not find it unusual” that he got a job so quickly; both Cheh and Councilmember David Catania hammered Webb for being naive. Webb said that he regretted resigning; Catania countered that he “would not have been hired had it not been for your mother…that’s as clear as the nose on my face.” (Ellerbe later testified that Webb telling people his mother worked in D.C. government “was something he should stop saying.”) Webb — who said that Mayor Vince Gray once called him “the new guy in town” — said that the administration then tried to “‘limit the hit of [his hiring] coming out,” but that he was promised a private job if he resigned from the fire department. Ellerbe also admitted that he “didn’t think it was fair” that Webb was fired.

It was almost as if the political machine broke down and started spewing grease uncontrollably.

“I am learning everyday about this city,” Webb concluded.

Aren’t we all.