D.C. Council member Jack Evans, who is the target of a federal investigation into whether he used his public position for private gain, issued his first response Wednesday to an attempt by some voters to recall him from the office he’s held for 28 years.
Officeholders facing a recall effort are permitted to submit a statement to be included on petitions used by organizers to gather signatures for a recall election. Organizers need to collect signatures from 10 percent of registered voters in Ward 2, roughly 5,200 people, to trigger a recall election.
No recall election has ever been held for a mayor or member of the D.C. Council.
Evan’s 230-word statement did not address the circumstances that prompted the recall: Evans repeatedly used his government email to offer to use his influence and connections to help clients of potential employers.
With a pending federal investigation, the D.C. Council reprimanded Evans last week while Chairman Phil Mendelson (D) took away some of Evans’s responsibilities as the powerful chairman of the council’s finance and revenue committee.
“For the past 28 years, Jack Evans has been the elected Ward 2 Councilmember and has fiercely advocated on behalf of his constituents,” Evans’s statement reads.
The statement highlights Evans’s work to renovate schools and libraries and to secure funding for arts and parks. Evans also noted he served as chairman of the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority when it finally secured dedicated funding from Virginia, Maryland and the District.
“He guided DC through financially turbulent times and helped bring the city into its current era of economic prosperity resulting in earning this year’s AAA bond rating,” the statement says.
Evans, who has suggested he would run for reelection in 2020, did not respond to a request for comment.
Rachel Coll, a spokeswoman for the Board of Elections, said elections officials are likely to issue recall petitions at their April 3 board meeting, giving supporters the all-clear to start collecting signatures.
If the signatures are valid, the board has 114 days to order a recall election. If Evans is ousted, the board would have another 114 days to call a special election to fill the vacancy.
Adam Eidinger, an activist best known for spearheading a successful 2014 citizen initiative to decriminalize marijuana in the District, is leading the recall effort. He said he wants to send a message that politicians cannot use their offices to enrich themselves.
“District of Columbia Councilmember Jack Evans behaves as if there is no legal or ethical distinction between being an elected representative and pursuing his own financial self-interest,” says the recall statement Eidinger’s group submitted to elections officials.
Lawmakers in the District, who are paid about $140,000 annually, are allowed to hold outside employment. But only two — Evans and Mary Cheh (D-Ward 3) reported significant outside income in their most recent required disclosures. Cheh is a law professor at George Washington University.
Evans, a lawyer, has worked for various legal and lobbying firms and since 2016 has had his own consulting firm, NSE LLC. He has refused to disclose his clients.
A federal grand jury has issued subpoenas to the city, the office of Mayor Muriel E. Bowser (D) and the D.C. Council for documents to Evans and his constellation of private legal and consulting clients.
In his response to the recall, Evans also noted his support for the renovation of West End Library. The developer behind that project, Anthony Lanier, was named in the subpoena to the D.C. Council, as was the Squash on Fire facility that’s part of the redeveloped library site.
Evans faces other fallout in the scandal.
WMATA has launched its own ethics probe, about a quarter of the D.C. Democratic State Committee has demanded that he step down from his party leadership post, and the Gertrude Stein Democratic Club — the city’s largest LGBT political group — called for Evans to step aside as chairman of the finance and revenue committee.
Here are the full statements that would appear on recall petitions:
Recall statement:
District of Columbia Councilmember Jack Evans behaves as if there is no legal or ethical distinction between being an elected representative and pursuing his own financial self-interest. That is why Ward 2 residents have organized to remove him from office.
Evans has brazenly sought work with companies that seek to influence the DC government or Metro, whose board he chairs. He has peddled his expertise at swaying his fellow Council or Metro board members. He has corrupted his office and his staff by using them to solicit such paid work.
These solicitations, clearly unethical and possibly illegal, have drawn the attention of a federal grand jury and a reprimand from the DC Council. The investigations into Evans’ deplorable actions should continue, but Evans’s constituents do not need to wait for the results. They must remove him from the DC Council to insure these clear conflicts do not continue to harm district residents.
Finally, Jack Evans has voted to repeal citizen initiatives, parks his car illegally as a matter of right, and voted against campaign finance reforms that may restrict his shenanigans. By signing this petition you are seeking to have a special election to remove Jack Evans from office.
Evans response:
For the past 28 years, Jack Evans has been the elected Ward 2 Councilmember and has fiercely advocated on behalf of his constituents.
Jack continuously fights to keep Ward 2 schools open and renovated. The West End Library and the MLK Library were both totally rebuilt with his support. He secured dedicated funding for the arts community and has been a supporter of small and local businesses.
During Jack’s service on the Council he has supported improving the Ward’s green spaces and added dog parks. He championed funding for Stead Park, Francis Field, Rose Park and Jelleff.
Jack continues to urge DDOT to fix our alleyways and streets to ensure safety for pedestrians, bikers and drivers. As Chairman of the WMATA Board, he successfully secured a dedicated funding source to bring the system back to a state of good repair.
Jack is one of the staunchest defenders of LGBTQ rights in the District and continues to be an ally on the Council and in the community.
He guided DC through financially turbulent times and helped bring the city into its current era of economic prosperity resulting in earning this year’s AAA bond rating.
Support Jack by not signing this petition.