I saw that Mint chart yesterday as well.

You have to wonder how far out "Washington" extended in their survey. True for all the other cities as well.

by charlie on Jul 26, 2011 8:47 am  

read the damn link.

They have data points for Arlington (low) and Alexandria (actually medium) so clearly it isn't the "Washington Area." Just DC.

by charlie on Jul 26, 2011 8:50 am  

I've edited the link. I put that one in in the first place.

by David Alpert on Jul 26, 2011 8:54 am  

@charlie

The chart is analyzing dollars spent per month on gas. Is it any surprise that cities known for good public transit are in the lowest categories? Also I think "Washington" didn't extend too far since they have Arlington listed as a separate place.

by MLD on Jul 26, 2011 9:00 am  

thanks, but the cursing was more at myself for commenting without looking at the link.

by charlie on Jul 26, 2011 9:04 am  

Re: Mint chart

They must have gone by mailing address, because Brooklyn hasn't been its own separate city since 1898

by BKDC on Jul 26, 2011 9:07 am  

I kind of wish WMATA had separate Twitter accounts for its service disruptions & another for other general info... or even better: Twitter accounts for each line. My Twitter feed is often inundated with disuprtions that I could care less about; much like the PIDS are cluttered with elevator outages at far-flung suburban stations rather than telling me when the next train is coming.

by Bossi on Jul 26, 2011 9:48 am  

If Thomas were to resign, I believe he would be the first DC council member to ever do so, so perhaps it is not going to happen. His resigning now would not be particularly fortuitous timing anyway, due to Suleman's recent resignation at BOEE and the hassles another special election would create.

by DCster on Jul 26, 2011 10:01 am  

Wells and his colleagues should not be in the business of calling for each other to resign from office. What political tactics such as this suggests is that the politicians..NOT the voters have the final say.

And I'm not sure how much "democracy" is in action with such.

by HogWash on Jul 26, 2011 10:23 am  

Wells and his colleagues should not be in the business of calling for each other to resign from office. What political tactics such as this suggests is that the politicians..NOT the voters have the final say. I'm not sure how much "democracy" is in action with such.

Yes, our political leaders should not be in the business of taking a public stand against corrupt politicians. Can you imagine if American politics wasn't just some mash-up of an Old Boys' Club and a moral cesspool?

What kind of democracy would that lead to?

PS: It's beginning to look like Chairman Brown's move to isolate Wells from this Council and Administration is the best gift they could've ever bestowed on him. He should send every one of his fellow council members a turkey this Thanksgiving.

by oboe on Jul 26, 2011 11:11 am  

HogWash, I realize that you are very provincial and don't know how the world works outside of the corrupt ineffective DC bubble in which you live, but politicians call for their corrupt colleagues to resign all the times, and in normal, functional societies, this is what actually happens. The whole, "He's a good man and deserves another chance" is the sort of thing that only goes on in dysfunctional political societies.

I actually don't care if voters prefer a crook like Brown in office-- he should resign, anyway, and I am very disappointed that he did not face criminal charges.

by JustMe on Jul 26, 2011 11:16 am  

@Hogwash, I have to disagree. Very normal for politicians to call on another to resign. I don't know if the DC council has the ability to censure or remove a member from office. The principle that voters choose politicians and we have to deal with them is strong, but we are approaching the limits of that theory with Thomas.

by charlie on Jul 26, 2011 11:22 am  

I actually don't care if voters prefer a crook like Brown in office-- he should resign, anyway, and I am very disappointed that he did not face criminal charges.

How dare you! Don't you know HTJ is the living embodiment of the Will to Self-Governance of the voters of Ward 5?

Why do you hate democracy!?! Sheesh, it's like we've learned nothing since the forces of anti-Democracy brought down Richard Millhouse Nixon...

by oboe on Jul 26, 2011 11:25 am  

@HogWash

Legislators shouldn't be in the business of calling their PEERS to task on illegal shit they've done? Come on, you're just being contrary to be contrary.

The legislators in the council are our representatives. WE ELECT THEM. Part of their job is representing our interests, and that includes calling out their fellow legislators when they are in the wrong. Care to explain in more detail how that's undemocratic? Because it sounds to me like some legislators are listening and echoing their constituents' concerns.

It is an absolute joke that the "punishment" for misappropriating $300K in DC funds for your own purposes is just paying it back.

by MLD on Jul 26, 2011 11:25 am  

This really is exhibit A for the foolishness that goes on this website.

Because I don't think politicians should call for their colleagues to resign and instead leave that to their voters, then JustMe thinks I'm some unrefined dunce who doesn't understand the world outside of DC politics. Do I take that personally? No I don't. Is it insulting? Of course it is. But I can guarantee that JustMe and likely the majority of those who disagree w/him/her believe that Just is warranted in depicting me as a black redneck of sorts.

Anyway, Thomas has not been charged with a crime. It doesn't seem as if he will be and the only reason I think he should resign is because it's clear that he abused 300k of taxpayer's money. I also didn't think that the president nor Pelosi and crew should've called for Weiner to resign when it was clear that his constituents wanted him to remain in office. Yet, the powers at be trumped what his constituents (those who put him in office) wanted.

Now imagine if for whatever reason, councilmembers decided to call for Tommy "It's all politics" Wells resignation while having the majority support from those w/in his Ward. 9 times of out 10, people here would be saying how unfair it is that the council's wants superseded that of those who put him in office. I have no doubt that the messaging here would be back to what the voters want.

I swear, the things that go on here are sometimes astounding. Insulting someone's intelligence is just that..insulting someone's intelligence. But I guess because it's you, then it's ok.

When writing my initial response, did I attempt to insult anyone's intelligence or just give my opinion that had nothing at all to do w/how/what other people think about this? Of course I didn't.

SMH

by HogWash on Jul 26, 2011 12:40 pm  

Should clarify, because I don't think politicans should c all for the ousting of their colleagues who haven't committed a crime.

Thomas apparently didn't commit a crime.

Weiner didn't commit a crime.

by HogWash on Jul 26, 2011 12:43 pm  

It doesn't have to be illegal to be unethical. Moreover, being ethical also means avoiding the appearance of impropriety.

by Canaan on Jul 26, 2011 2:10 pm  

@HogWash

Anyway, Thomas has not been charged with a crime. It doesn't seem as if he will be

What makes you say this?

by Alex B. on Jul 26, 2011 2:24 pm  

Hmmmm... if he is paying the money BACK to the city... doesn't that mean he took it to begin with?

Is that not embezzlement?
Is stealing money not a crime in DC?

How can the USAGO NOT charge him with a crime?

This is why we can't have nice things.

Because our council steals from us.

And we let them.

by greent on Jul 26, 2011 2:33 pm  

@HogWash:

This really is exhibit A for the foolishness that goes on this website.

Thank you for the disclaimer. Now if you could get @Lance to but a similar header on each of his posts, the value of GGW will increase a hundred-fold.

:D

by oboe on Jul 26, 2011 2:44 pm  

Re: Council member Thomas.

Unless I'm totally mis-interpreting the reports, the deal Thomas made was to settle a civil lawsuit for what, can hardly be interpreted in any other way, as setting up shell companies to take city money for his own personal use - in short, fraud. The DC attorney general made have decided to take the civil lawsuit settlement so that DC can get the money back without spending a lot of city money on court actions. Leave the possible (likely?) and expensive criminal prosecution to the US District Attorney who can bring considerable federal resources to bear on what could be a politically charged trial if Thomas plays the victim and race card, etc. US District Attorneys usually say little until they file criminal charges, so more shoes could drop in 6 months or a year.

As for the other Council Members asking Thomas to resign, of course they have the right to and should do so. The guy in effect admitted taking money from youth baseball programs to buy a car and vacations.

by AlanF on Jul 26, 2011 3:09 pm  

Also, just so everyone's clear, the US Attorney does all the criminal prosecutions (with a few small exceptions, like juveniles and some little stuff). The DC AG could only bring civil charges, and has settled because Thomas appears to basically be agreeing to repay everything the DC AG alleged he took. If this was criminal, which it sure looks like it could be, the DC AG can do nothing else but wait for the US Attorney to file charges.

Elsewhere, there's a state District Attorney who also prosecutes, but not in DC.

by David Alpert on Jul 26, 2011 3:13 pm  

@Canaan, in my opinion, there are lots of behavior I would consider unethical. However, that doesn't always result in criminal charges nor resignations. Bill Clinton comes to mind. Yes, he behavior was unethical..likely as unethical as it can get. But, he kept his job and enjoys life as is.

@Alex, I don't know that for sure. It's why I said that it doesn't "seem" as if he'll be brought up on charges.

@Green, I think the AG can explain for himself why he decided to forego a criminal case and instead opted for a civil one. He may have already and I just didn't know.

by HogWash on Jul 26, 2011 3:17 pm  

@HogWash

Why does it 'seem' that way to you?

Read David's post above - the DC AG does not have criminal jurisdiction in this case.

by Alex B. on Jul 26, 2011 3:29 pm  

If this was criminal, which it sure looks like it could be, the DC AG can do nothing else but wait for the US Attorney to file charges.

Also, let's remember, the USAG office has said that Thomas' plea bargain to pay back the $300k would not affect the ongoing criminal investigation. So with any luck, a jury could at some point in the future "thwart the will of Ward 5 voters". The bottom line is, though, that its all so unnecessary. PG County has been meeting the region's needs in electing corrupt dirtballs to public office; no need to DC to try getting back into the game.

by oboe on Jul 26, 2011 4:01 pm  

@Alex, it "seemed" that way to me because I didn't have the information DAl provided. I made that point in my response to green.

@Oboe, nice try. But, voters wanting their reps to remain in office post-criminal case is quite different than the same wants in a civil matter. I understand your usual snark but you made a point (all by yourself) that no one else did. This is what happens when you attempt to discredit something another poster (namely me) said w/out considering what was actually said.

Read, comprehend..then respond. Makes for much better dialogue.

by HogWash on Jul 26, 2011 4:16 pm  

Yes, Hogwash, we know. And you believe that it is inappropriate to call on such an official to resign, because you think that this kind of conduct is normal and expected rather than egregious violation of the public trust. More to the point, your attitude is, "if the voters are fine with have a crook in office, then everyone else should be, too." Because that's how everything has operated for you and you don't know any different. But in real life it is normal (though not always successful) to pressure such crooks into resigning rather than accept their aberrant behavior as "normal."

Simply because you're holding out for the oh-so-DC, "well, there hasn't YET been a conviction, so I'm sure he's a good guy and we shouldn't rush to judgment and in any case he deserves another chance," doesn't mean that everyone else will or should have the same attitude. His civil liability here is enough to warrant being sidelined by the rest of his colleagues on the council. He should resign because the council members are not going to approve his earmarks, read his proposed legislation, or regard him as credible.

I'm pretty happy that Wells is willing to say stuff that you, HogWash, obviously aren't willing to say. But that's because you think this kind of stuff is worth tolerating. How does your attitude make Washington "greater"?

by JustMe on Jul 26, 2011 4:26 pm  

Hmm. Mixing civil and criminal investigations is pretty bad, which why you should wait until the end of the criminal trial before brining civil charges. Obviously the DC AG and US Attorney are very separate offices, but I'd say it is more likely than not that criminal charges will NOT be filed.

by charlie on Jul 26, 2011 4:34 pm  

Also, one could make the case that, in addition to being a Councilmember, Wells is also a private citizen. So he has every right to condemn embezzling weaselly behavior whether it's legal or illegal. Take the Weiner debacle: it was entirely appropriate for various politicians to call for his resignation; just as it would have been appropriate for him to tell them to go to Hell.

There's obviously nothing Wells can do to HTJ to get him to remove his odious presence from the Council. It would be the right thing to do, but so what? We've got a lot of ethically challenged folks serving right now.

At least Wells has laid down a marker, and given voice to those who look down on embezzling from children in order to buy various luxury automobiles and such. It's kind of refreshing actually.

by oboe on Jul 26, 2011 4:46 pm  

@JustMe: HogWash wrote that he thinks HTJ should resign, so where are you getting that he thinks "this kind of conduct is normal and expected?"
I agree he should resign, and have no problems with other council members calling on him to do so, but it doesn't seem constructive to me to knock down straw men arguments other commenters haven't made in order to disagree with them.

by DCster on Jul 26, 2011 5:02 pm  

@Justme, don't you think it's better to ask me than continuously assuming? You do this a lot and at this point, I'm surprised that no one has addressed this well documented fact that you tend to tell me how I feel, even though I might have not suggested anything of the sort or made clear what my position is.

That said, what is it about not wanting politicians to call for their colleagues ousting (in a noncriminal case) that you didn't understand when I said the exact same earlier? I think you have an issue w/my online persona and that's perfectly A-OK with me. But can you at least allow me to speak for myself and accept that? Well, nevermind. You haven't before now so why change.

To your ridiculous response, I stated earlier why I thought Thomas should resign. Yet your logic led you to conclude that I expect and see his actions as normal although nothing I've said suggests that.

your attitude is, "if the voters are fine with have a crook in office, then everyone else should be, too.

No, my attitude is that the shoe always ends up on someone else's foot. So, I tend not to support actions that I would rail against if "my favorite pol" was involved. It's why, after realizing that Fenty, Williams and others before them hired personal and business friends, I didn't call foul on Gray. It's why, I didn't ask for Fenty to resign after his administration gave multi-million dollar contracts to his personal friends whom we found out failed his engineering exam 7 times and was later granted a license by the fenty appointed board of engineers.

Tables turned, do you think that people "wouldn't" be calling for Gray's head if his administration granted the same to someone who had never passed his licensing exam? I'm sure they would. No, I didn't like the fact that the city's former AG was our former Mayor's godfather. But I knew that he was allowed to do so and gave him the benefit of doubt even though Nickle's hire was a close to potential conflict of interest as it could get. Yet, DC was mute on that..where were you?

Wells is a councilmember. I'm a nobody. So the idea that he's doing something I wouldn't do is rather silly.

Besides, using Mr Morals himself as a guideline, Wells' tenure as Chair of Human services was apparently rife with record problems that would have had anyone else's head on a rusty platter.

But lest we criticize Mr. DOT.

by HogWash on Jul 26, 2011 5:10 pm  

Besides, using Mr Morals himself as a guideline, Wells' tenure as Chair of Human services was apparently rife with record problems that would have had anyone else's head on a rusty platter.

It's funny about once a week, we're treated to a broadside on Wells' own alleged ethical challenges. And yet, somehow, we're always left awaiting any particulars. I'm literally on the edge of my seat. Can we finally get a link? Or at least a coherent argument instead of something along the lines of "Oh, yeah? Lookit Mr Morals thinking his poop doesn't stink! He's not so great, believe you me!"

Anything?

by oboe on Jul 26, 2011 5:36 pm  

According to Jason Cherkis' reporting:

Under his watch, the D.C. emergency shelter system imploded, the city's juvenile justice agency hit new lows, and the city's child-welfare agency continued to be hammered in federal court over its performance before and after Banita Jacks.

I can't verify what Cherkis alleges. Do you have any factual information to counter his claims?

by HogWash on Jul 26, 2011 6:53 pm  

According to WCP's Suderman,

Ask around the dais in the council chamber, and you’ll hear that Wells had it coming. “No, he earned it,” corrects one of Wells’ fellow members, who spoke on background to avoid publicly shit-talking a colleague. Wells...hasn’t built any strong alliances with any other councilmembers in this current session.

“He does not command a lot of respect from councilmembers,” says another councilmember, who adds that Wells’ reputation “has been in a slow, downward spiral ever since he got here.”

Or, put another way by a different Wells colleague:

“He’s full of shit sometimes,” said the councilmember, who says Wells is “kind of flaky,” “goofy” and thinks too highly of his own political skills. “He wants to be a player but a) he doesn’t know how to and b) he’s not reliable.”

by HogWash on Jul 26, 2011 6:58 pm  

I can't verify what Cherkis alleges. Do you have any factual information to counter his claims?

Um. No, given that there aren't any actual claims being made. Wow, the shelter system "imploded"? Juvenile justice "hit new lows"? And an investigation into a monstrous foster mother wasn't quashed?

I can say--given that I've read a lot of his work, and follow him on Twitter--that Cherkis seems to be something of an utter twat, though.

by oboe on Jul 26, 2011 9:33 pm  

Also, the debate you proffer whether HTJ should resign but whether other council members should be able to say he should. Plenty of people called for clinton to resign and that was in their rights. If a politician I like messes up then other politicians can call for his resignation even if I'd rather not see that politician go.

by Canaan on Jul 27, 2011 10:52 am