The forthcoming House Oversight Commitee Chair, Trey Gowdy (R), and the outgoing chair Jason Chaffetz (L) (Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images)

The early resignation of Utah Congressman Jason Chaffetz left an open chair at the table that oversees Washington D.C. on Capitol Hill, often without any input from District residents.

The role of House Oversight Committee Chair is now going to Trey Gowdy, a South Carolina congressman perhaps best known for leading the House Select Committee on Benghazi.

“Trey Gowdy possesses the experience and deep commitment to transparency and accountability necessary to be the House’s next Oversight chairman,” said House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-WI) in a statement, after the House Steering Committee recommending Gowdy as chair.

Closer to home, D.C. Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton is optimistic about Gowdy. “While Chairman Gowdy may face pressure from interest groups to overturn D.C. laws, his record makes me hopeful that he will stick to his principles and prior approach,” Norton said in a statement. “Trey Gowdy has been an open-minded and fair member when it comes to D.C. I look forward to meeting with him to discuss areas that we can work together during this Congress.”

Her statement points to a 2011 interview with The Washington Post, in which Gowdy says he’s “not interested in being the mayor of the District of Columbia or the overlord or the overseer or whatever else they want to call it,” after becoming the chair of the subcommittee whose oversight includes D.C.

Chaffetz, the prior chair, earned widespread disdain among D.C. elected officials and residents by meddling in local legislation and policy, and threatening to jail our mayor for implementing marijuana legalization.

Some D.C. residents formed a political action committee dedicated to taking down Chaffetz. The group, called Americans for Self-Rule, congratulated Gowdy on his chairmanship in a statement, and also put him on notice.

“If [Gowdy] walks back on his public statements and interferes in District affairs, we will ensure he feels the same pressure we applied to his predecessor,” said Americans for Self-Rule President Lynette Craig.