If there is one thing that elected officials know, it’s that they probably won’t get rich while they remain in government. Well, unless they swindle the taxpayers of loads of money and jet off to a country that has no extradition treaty with the U.S., of course. But that notwithstanding, how much are certain elected officials really making? And is it enough, or is it too much? Today The Common Denominator, an independent local newspaper,…

If you’re sick of pulling in a measly paycheck that doesn’t seem to go very far in the District, you may want to think of a change of careers. And as Fox 5 reported recently in two separate investigative pieces, some of the biggest money may be in the District’s government. According to their investigation, Fox 5 found that government workers putting in overtime may end up costing the city more annually than simply hiring…

If you’ve got a council of city representatives nervous about spending over $500 million for a stadium, what’s the best way to soothe their nerves? Throw another huge, risky capital project their way, of course! One would think we’re joking, but D.C. Mayor Anthony Williams has done just that. Amidst on-going discussions over the $667 million stadium for the Washington Nationals, Williams yesterday entered into an agreement with Howard University to build a new, state-of-the-art…

Budget Negotiations Almost Complete: D.C. Mayor Anthony Williams and members of the City Council are set to wrap up negotiations over the city’s $4.94 billion 2006 budget today. After District CFO Natwar Gandhi verified in recent weeks that the city’s finances were doing better than expected — he predicted a $90 million windfall over the next two years — members of the Council proposed that the surpluses be directed towards schools and social programs or…