Photo by maxedaperture

D.C. councilmembers are exempt from the city’s parking rules, but they can’t get out of paying tickets for moving violations. One former councilmember apparently did, though, according to a report from the D.C. Inspector General first noticed by the City Paper:

On January 25, 2011, the then-Councilmember’s Chief of Staff submitted a request to the DMV Director that the then-Councilmember’s 10 citations be adjudicated under D.C. Code § 50-2201.03(c) (2009), which provides an exemption for Councilmembers to park their vehicle while on official business. A DMV hearing examiner reviewed the request and dismissed 6 of the 10 citations. The hearing examiner denied the exemption request for the remaining four citations, which included two speeding tickets, one red light violation, and one failure to report for inspection.

On May 4, 2011, DPW submitted to DMV a void request list that contained 135 entries for ticket/citation voidance processing. The then-Councilmember’s citation, “FAIL TO REPORT FOR INSPECTION,” was included on the void request list. DMV officials approved this particular request along with the others on the list. The void request list did not contain information to alert DMV officials that a listed citation had been previously adjudicated by DMV. Currently, there is no control in place to alert DMV officials that a ticket-issuing agency has submitted a void request list that contains a citation that DMV has already adjudicated.

The tantalizing mystery is of course who the “then-councilmember” is. Given the timing, it’s easy enough to narrow it down to either former Ward 5 Councilmember Harry Thomas or former Council Chair Kwame Brown. The Post’s Mike DeBonis reports that Fred Cooke, an attorney who has represented both men, denies that it was either of his clients. According to the City Paper, Sekou Biddle, who himself had just been appointed as an interim councilmember, has similarly said he wasn’t to blame.

So, who was it? That will remain a mystery for now, but if it’s either Thomas or Brown, well, they’re both dealing with much more significant legal and professional problems than trying to use their positions to get out of paying tickets they should have had to.