A committee that is looking into the conduct of a D.C. Council member will hear from investigators who reported finding nearly a dozen examples of ethical lapses over the past five years.
The D.C. Council committee tasked with the investigation of Ward 2 Council member Jack Evans will hold a meeting on Tuesday.
The meeting comes after a petition was received by the D.C. Board of Elections on Monday, asking for a special recall election. If Evans were recalled, he would essentially be unelected.
Valid signatures of 10% of Ward 2 registered voters would be needed to trigger a recall vote.
“And, we believe we have well over 10%,” said Committee to Hold Jack Evans Accountable chair Adam Eidinger, who led the petition drive.
Eidinger, who lives in Ward 2, feels confident in the validity of the signatures that were submitted. The Board of Elections has 30 days to certify the petition.
A representative from Evans’ office said the council member declines to comment. Earlier this month, Evans’ lawyers pleaded for a “fair process,” as the D.C. Council continued its investigation into allegations of ethical lapses.
“This isn’t over. Jack [Evans] can challenge; the board could reject our signatures; there could be appeals. This is just a beginning of a process to determine whether or not we’re going to have a special election in Ward 2,” Eidinger said.
Eidinger said Evans is not a horrible person on a personal level, and they were political allies when they worked to pass Initiative 71, which legalized marijuana in D.C.
“His wife died of cancer several years ago, and he notably provided her medical cannabis at a time when it was very difficult to source it. So, we had an alliance on the cannabis front and on a lot of social issues,” Eidinger said.
Even so, Eidinger, like nine of 12 of council members, wants Evans to resign.
“I think we’d all respect him more if he resigned,” Eidinger said. “I don’t care if he’s your ally. If he’s corrupt, you don’t want that kind of ally. You need an honest leader.”
WTOP’s Mike Murillo and John Domen contributed to this report.
