Photo courtesy Phil Mendelson

Well, that was fast. The Post reports that Councilmember Phil Mendelson (D-At Large) may well have the votes sewn up to be chosen interim D.C. Council Chair by his colleagues next Wednesday.

Mendelson was quick to receive the endorsement of Councilmember David Catania (I-At Large)—who has an outside job he’d have to quit if he was elevated to the council’s top job—and Councilmember Michael Brown (I-At Large), who would likely become chair pro tempore as part of the deal. Councilmember Vincent Orange (D-At Large), though, isn’t sitting idly by:

“Talking to members, it sounds like Phil has this pretty much locked up,” said a council member who has done a vote count but asked to remain anonymous to speak freely about internal deliberations.

But council member Vincent B. Orange (D-At large) is vowing he’s still a contender for the interim seat.

“In my count, Mr. Mendelson does not have the votes,” Orange said. “I have the skills to be acting chair and maintain the status quo…I’m available. If my colleagues think I should be acting chairman. so be it.”

Even more interestingly, both Mendelson and Orange have hinted that they would run in a special election to finish out Brown’s term. If that happened, it would be quite the ascension for mild-mannered Mendelson and a full circle for Orange, who in his 2010 campaign for chair against Brown raised the very issues of personal finances that ultimately sunk him.

Regardless, Orange has something else to worry about—his own relatively safe At-Large seat, which is up for re-election in November. Should he run for chair, he’s probably have to abandon his At-Large race.