District of Columbia City Administrator Rashad Young speaks during a District of Columbia Mayor Muriel Bowser news conference, Monday, July 20, 2020 in Washington.

Andrew Harnik / AP Images

Update 9/22:

Former city administrator Rashad M. Young was fined $2,500 for violating the District’s code of conduct when working to broker a multi-million dollar tax break at Howard University while seeking a new post at the university.

The D.C. Board of Ethics and Government Accountability found Monday that Young “inadvertently committed a technical violation” and did not intend to leverage his position to gain employment at the university. Young’s work on the deal involved reviewing changes proposed by the university that would increase the value of its tax abatement by approximately $314 million, according to the report.

The fine was part of a negotiated settlement that Young signed.

“Our investigation did not uncover any evidence suggesting that the Respondent (Young) in any way attempted to leverage his official position for private gain — neither for his own or the university’s interests,” the settlement reads.

Young did not approve the changes at the suggestion of his staff. He did, however, approve and support other changes that kept the bill in line with what the university and city agreed upon. The settlement said he was fined for unintentionally violating the D.C. Ethics Code, which generally advises that government employees recuse themselves from matters that may involve future jobs. It adds that situations should be evaluated on a case-by-case basis.

As the Washington Post first reported, Mayor Muriel Bowser requested an ethics review of Young in August after he abruptly departed from his position. While in his role as a city administrator, Young assisted in the city’s approval of a multi-million dollar deal to support Howard University’s plans for a new hospital.

On Sept. 22, the D.C. Council unanimously approved the tax abatement bill for Howard University — although Councilmember Elissa Silverman noted that the fine was “another in our long line of wake up calls” and warned against treating ethical violations as “afterthoughts” in council matters.

In a letter written to the D.C. Board of Ethics and Government Accountability, Bowser claimed at the time that Young discussed a job at Howard University with her in July. The letter states that Bowser assigned her general counsel to review the ethical implications of Young’s job offer in early August, according to the Post.

Original: 

D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser’s office confirmed that Rashad M. Young will no longer serve as city administrator. The reason for his departure is not clear. He did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

“Rashad Young has served Washington, DC for over five years and been part of every achievement of my Administration from day one,” a statement from Bowser’s office reads. “From advancing education reform to making historic investments in affordable housing, and from transforming services for families experiencing homelessness to modernizing our schools, libraries and critical infrastructure, Rashad helped us deliver exceptional results for our residents.”

Bowser also praised Young’s work to solidify the District’s “financial footing to be best prepared for the unforeseen.”

Deputy Mayor for Public Safety and Justice Kevin Donahue will serve as the Interim City Administrator.

Journalist and Kojo Nnamdi Show political analyst Tom Sherwood broke the news of Young’s departure on Twitter and, correcting an earlier statement, said members of the mayor’s cabinet learned he is leaving from an email.

The Washington Post’s Fenit Nirappil, who has covered Bowser’s administration extensively, added that the mayor has kept a tight circle of aides since her elected in 2015, and Young “is the highest profile departure.”

As city administrator, Young was responsible for managing a workforce of nearly 35,000 employees and a budget of nearly $15 billion. He was also tasked with handling the long term financial management.

He is cited on the city’s website as having helped increase the city’s credit rating to AAA and leading the charge to bring about policies that closed large scale family shelters, established short-term family housing facilities across the District, subsidized public transportation for students, and helped complete redevelopment of the District’s southwest waterfront.

Prior to his post as city administrator, Young became Alexandria’s youngest and first African American city manager in 2011, according to the City of Alexandria. He retired from the position to become city administrator when Mayor Muriel Bowser first took office in 2015.

This story has been updated to include additional information. 

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