Following the guilty plea and impending prison sentence of their former colleague, the D.C. Council says it can still effectively conduct city business — even as some predict it will be hamstrung by scandal for most of 2012. Former Ward 5 Councilman Harry Thomas Jr.’s admission to stealing $353,000 in city funds and lying on his tax returns was just part of an ongoing federal investigation into the public-private organization D.C. Children and Youth Investment Trust, the council found out Friday. Coupled with other federal investigations into the campaigns of Council Chairman Kwame Brown and Mayor Vincent Gray, critics said it will be hard to move on to business as usual.
“There are still unresolved matters,” said political consultant Chuck Thies, referring to the Gray and Brown investigations. “If you have three tumors in a body and you remove one, you’re not healthy. You’re just healthier. This patient still needs treatment.”
And the Thomas ordeal is not over — his sentencing is scheduled for May 3.
The mood of council members Friday was a mix of anger and disappointment, particularly as the council and mayor are slated to go to New Hampshire on Thursday to rally support for statehood.
At-large Councilman David Catania, whose office is organizing this week’s trip, was outwardly frustrated after a council meeting regarding the now-vacant Ward 5 seat.
“How absurd is it for us, really, to try and make the case across the country for voting rights and statehood — both are legitimate and well deserved — when people across this country are treated to a routine diet of the latest shenanigans of this government?” Catania said.
| Filling the vacant seat |
| This week: Meetings with residents to be held by Kwame Brown, Vincent Orange. |
| Special election: Cost of roughly $350,000; by law can be held no sooner than early May. Kwame Brown wants exception to couple with April 3 primary. |
| Candidates: More than a dozen filed this week in anticipation of a recall of Thomas, according to Ward 5 officials. |
But he and other council members, including Kwame Brown, said they were not concerned that the Thomas scandal would slow city business.
Still council members seemed eager for redemption. Several members noted Friday that they had asked for an audit of the city youth investment trust fund in June after Thomas was sued by the city on allegations of misappropriating funds. Ward 1 Councilman Jim Graham also told colleagues he planned to ask for a more extensive review of the fund.
