D.C. Council Chair Kwame Brown resigned his seat this afternoon, sending a letter to Secretary Nyasha Smith after he had met with colleagues to somberly admit that he had lied on a bank loan application years prior. His resignation letter is below:

June 6, 2012

Dear Madame Secretary:

I hereby resign my position as Chairman of the Council of the District of Columbia effective immediately. I have made some very serious mistakes in judgment for which I will take full responsibility.

Because of the great respect that I have for the institution that is the Council of the District of Columbia, I have chosen the only honorable course in submitting my resignation at this time. I simply will not hold this body, and its important work hostage to the resolution of my personal indiscretions.

I have behaved in ways that I should not have. I was wrong, and I will face the consequences of that conduct. I have apologized to the residents of our great city, and I also offer my unconditional apology to the members of the Council for all of the negative attention that my conduct has brought about.

Sincerely,

Kwame R. Brown

Brown is due in court on Friday, and the D.C. Council is expected to choose a replacement from the crop of four At-Large councilmembers next Wednesday. Councilmember Mary Cheh (D-Ward 3) will preside over the council in the interim, and said in a statement this evening that the body’s work will also go uninterrupted.

She also clarified that whomever is chosen to hold Brown’s seat until a special election can be held cannot hold any outside employment; both Councilmembers David Catania (I-At Large) and Michael Brown (I-At Large) have second jobs that they’ll have to give up if they want to be in the running. Her full statement is below:

I want to reassure everyone that the work of the Council will continue uninterrupted. We will move forward focused on the business the people elected us to do.

In accordance with Section 401(b)(3) of the Home Rule Act, I plan to convene the entire Council for a special meeting next Wednesday, June 13th, when we will adopt a resolution to elect an Interim Chair and Interim Chair Pro Tempore. Under the Home Rule Act, both positions will be selected from among the at-large members. Consequently, after their election, I will step aside as Chair Pro Tempore. The meeting will be open to the public.

Under the Council Rules, the Interim Chair would become Chair of the Committee of the Whole, and would retain his role as Chair of his existing standing committee. Also, according to the Home Rule Act, the Interim Chair cannot hold outside employment, and will be eligible to receive an increase in compensation at the rate of the Chairman. The Interim Chair of the Council will serve in that role until a special election.