Calling In The Ward 8 Cavalry

But the executive director of the Downtown Cluster of Congregations might finally have spoken too fast.

At a D.C. Council hearing on nuisance properties last month, Lynch was one of the witnesses who testified about their frustration with the government's failure to attack the age-old District problem. The hearing was called to allow residents to comment on a council bill that would increase the tax on vacant properties to encourage rehabilitation and renovation.

"Unfortunately, there's a vacant house around the corner from me," said Lynch, of Adams Morgan.

Council members Jack Evans (D-Ward 2) and Mary M. Cheh (D-Ward 3) did a little digging and are challenging Lynch to put his money where his mouth is.

"We found your testimony to be somewhat curious," they wrote in a letter to Lynch this week. "As you know, many of your 42 member congregations own vacant properties, and are some of the biggest offenders in residential neighborhoods where we have fought for years to return such properties to productive use."

The letter gives Lynch until Nov. 16 to provide a list of vacant properties owned by the congregations and document efforts to renovate them.

"I thought my testimony was somewhat straightforward," Lynch said, when asked about the letter. "I was speaking as a citizen."

Nevertheless, he said he will do his job as an executive director. "I'm happy to work with them," Lynch said of the city officials. "Vacant properties are a very important issue."