Photo by ivan sciupac

Good morning, Washington. Ever wonder what might be driving all the scandals that have recently plagued the D.C. government? The Examiner’s Freeman Klopott looks into that very question today, and concludes that a bigger D.C. budget, easy access to campaign funds and high-rolling lifestyles have served as a foundation for some of the ethical and legal transgressions we’ve seen in government in past years. There’s certainly some truth to all of that, but I’d add two additional factors — the District’s ethics rules aren’t particularly good, and we’re seeing what’s left of the city’s political old guard trying to have its way before its pushed aside. The majority of the scandals happening now involve officials that have either been in politics for a long time or who have family that has been — consider that both D.C. Council Chair Kwame Brown and Councilmember Harry Thomas, Jr. (D-Ward 5) are scions of D.C. political families, and Councilmember Marion Barry, well, he’s been around for as long as the city has had Home Rule. A little fresh blood in D.C. politics is sorely needed, isn’t it?

Henderson Moves Towards D.C. Council Approval: Interim D.C. Schools Chancellor Kaya Henderson was selected by Mayor Vince Gray without much of a national search — only her resume was submitted to a search committee — and that’s apparently just fine with the D.C. Council. According to the Examiner, Henderson seems to have locked in the support of at least seven councilmembers, all but assuring that she’ll be elevated to the position once held by her boss, Michelle Rhee. The council will vote on her approval on June 21. (The Post’s Mike DeBonis writes that the lack of fireworks at Henderson’s hearing shows how much things in education have changed since Rhee left.)

Ehrlich Campaign Officials Indicted for Election Violations: Maryland rarely elects Republicans for governor, and after this news, it likely won’t for a while to come. Two officials that worked with former Republican Robert Ehrlich’s campaign have been indicted for a variety of violations related to thousands of robocalls placed on election day last year which were aimed at suppressing turnout amongst African-Americans, reports the Post. If found guilty, Paul E. Schurick, Ehrlich’s campaign manager, and Julius Henson, a consultant, could face five years in prison for each violation.

Think Pepco Is Doing a Good Job?: Apparently Pepco and its lawyers do. Montgomery County officials begged to differ during a hearing yesterday on the utility’s reliability, writes WTOP.

Briefly Noted: House subcommittee passes D.C. budget without much fanfare, but the fireworks are yet to come…Streets to be closed for triathlon on Sunday…U.S. flags burned in Arlington neighborhood…Additional scrutiny for DYRS chief nominee…Why is Capital One buying up every bank I use?

This Day in DCist: On this day in 2010, two of the defendants in the murder trial of Robert Wone saw charges dismissed and Virginia Governor Bob McDonnell had a hissy fit over the commonwealth’s contribution to Metro. Back in 2009, the D.C. sex offender registry was mapped and opponents of same-sex marriage kept trying to force a vote on the issue.