Rebuilding Place in the Urban Space

"A community’s physical form, rather than its land uses, is its most intrinsic and enduring characteristic." [Katz, EPA] This blog focuses on place and placemaking and all that makes it work--historic preservation, urban design, transportation, asset-based community development, arts & cultural development, commercial district revitalization, tourism & destination development, and quality of life advocacy--along with doses of civic engagement and good governance watchdogging.

Wednesday, November 20, 2019

A note to President Trump and DC Councilmember Jack Evans

-- "Former Baltimore mayor Catherine E. Pugh charged with wire fraud, tax evasion," Washington Post

As a State Senator and later as Mayor of Baltimore, Ms. Pugh sat on the board of the University of Maryland Medical System. UMMS and other entities which had business before Ms. Pugh bought lots of copies of her children's books. (UMMS also had self-dealing practices with other board members.)

It took awhile after this came out, but then she resigned as Mayor.  She's just been charged.

Not quite a "quid pro quo" along the lines of Ukraine vis a vis President Trump but close enough.

Similarly, DC Councilmember Jack Evans solicited business using his DC Council email address, and represented organizations with business before the DC City Council or the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority, where he was a board member.

-- past blog entries using the keyword: corruption, and especially
-- "Wow! Revisiting DC's corruption Caucus," which is particularly good on local government issues

He hasn't resigned yet, although he agreed to step off the board of WMATA.  A recall petition has just been submitted.  And he hasn't been charged yet, although investigations are ongoing.

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3 Comments:

At 6:30 PM, Blogger Richard Layman said...

https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/dc-politics/he-earned-400k-from-private-clients-but-dc-council-member-jack-evans-couldnt-explain-what-he-did-for-the-money/2019/11/20/9cf54bbc-0b14-11ea-8397-a955cd542d00_story.html

 
At 2:07 PM, Blogger Mari said...

I'll bet you money (no more than $20) that he will not resign. Either the Council will have to grow a spine, and the brain to go with it, and kick him out OR the citizens of Ward 2 have to vote him out.
If the life of Mayor 4 Life Barry has taught us anything, other councilpersons will bad mouth you but really won't remove you from office. They'll take away your chairs and your committees (hey less work) but you can say whatever and kick out your contractor gf from a Denver hotel room, and you will not be removed from office.
Jack might not be Black and have that street cred, but he's been around long enough to know where the bodies are buried.
Lastly, what would be his incentive to resign? Is there enough political will to go after him legally and jail him? Or will it be like it was with Vince Gray?

 
At 4:04 PM, Blogger Richard Layman said...

Well, Pugh pleaded guilty. The article said she got about $800K.

Evans got $400K.

But I think you are better at prognosticating this than I am!

But I do think he will be charged. It would be a travesty that a white guy gets off, but not African-Americans.

I guess the thing with VG was plausible deniability. If they couldn't make a direct link, he could skate. Of course, like with Trump's "collusion", how could he not know?

 

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