The members of the D.C. Council announced Friday that they are against a new campaign by former Council member Jack Evans who aims at winning back the post he recently resigned from due to an ethics scandal.
“All of us agreed to expel Jack Evans from the D.C. Council after an exhaustive investigation found numerous violations of our Code of Conduct. Mr. Evans resigned before we could formally vote to expel him last week. His decision to run for Ward 2 Councilmember again, which we do not and cannot support, shows a willful and arrogant disregard for ethics and is not in the best interests of the District,” the Council members said in a joint statement.
“It is time to rebuild the public’s trust in the Council, which is why it is time to move on and focus on the issues that matter most to the residents and businesses of our city.”
The Ward 2 Councilmember stepped down in early January after he was found guilty in a number of investigations of abusing his position for personal benefit from private companies.
Reached by multiple news outlets, Evans has not responded yet to the statement from his ex-colleagues.
The move followed D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser’s open disapproval of Evans’ attempt. “I think he knows very clearly how I feel about getting on with the business of the District. We should all call on Jack to do not what’s best for Jack, but what’s best for the District of Columbia,” Bowser said earlier this week.
On January 27, Evans applied to the Board of Elections to run for the D.C. Council, where he had served for almost three decades. He will also run in the special election that will be held in June to fill the seat he officially vacated on January 17.
The politician was forced to announce his resignation only two business days before the D.C. Council members were expected to discharge him.
Ex-DC Councilman Jack Evans Seeks Running for Same Post 10 Days After Resigning