Photo by michael starghill

Councilmember Michael A. Brown (I-At Large) doesn’t want to talk about the fact that a former staffer allegedly stole over $113,000 from his re-election campaign, but he might not have much of a choice. Even as Brown tried to change the subject yesterday, two of his challengers released statements saying that the apparent theft reflected badly on the incumbent councilmember.

At a brief press conference outside the Wilson Building yesterday (the Examiner has video of it), Brown tried to move beyond the theft, saying that it was time to talk about substance in the At-Large race. “Now it’s time to talk about issues. For folks that have been playing around in the sandbox, it’s time to step up and grow up. I look forward to talking about issues that matter in the District of Columbia that residents really care about,” he said. “I don’t believe being the victim of a crime reflects badly on the campaign,” Brown added. “I think it reflects badly on the thief.”

But both David Grosso and Mary Brooks Beatty, who are running against Brown, don’t seem to agree. To them, the fact that Brown’s campaign was the victim of such a large theft speak to the councilmember’s ability to manage city funds.

“Throughout his time in office, Councilmember Brown has demonstrated a loose commitment to professional ethics and accountability. This week’s news on his voided petition signatures and poor management of campaign finances is no exception,” said Beatty in a statement, also asking Brown to step out of the race.

Grosso took a similar approach in his own statement. “No one should be surprised by the disclosures of money being mismanaged by Michael Brown. He has been plagued with fiscal mismanagement issues during his entire career,” he said.

And even as Brown said that he was confident that the person accused of stealing the campaign funds—Hakim Sutton, a longtime political operative and Brown’s former campaign treasurer—would be arrested and convicted, the Washington Times reports today that even that may not be so simple:

Mr. Sutton’s lawyer, J. Wyndal Gordon, said it appears Mr. Sutton is being made into the “fall guy” for problems in the campaign. Yet Mr. Gordon said he needed to look into the allegations further since Mr. Brown has not accused Mr. Sutton by name in his comments and press releases.

“I don’t understand why he’s so cryptic,” Mr. Gordon said. “Hakim Sutton has not committed any crimes. He has not stolen any money, and Michael Brown knows it.”

Brown’s campaign has been left with $18,000 in the bank, less than Grosso’s $55,000 and Beatty’s $22,000. Brown does still enjoy wider name recognition, though, but may face difficulties reminding voters that he’s running for re-election.