What’s Going On?
On Friday, June 21st, the FBI raided Councilmember Evans’ home in Georgetown. It was the latest development in an ongoing federal grand jury investigation against him for peddling his power as an elected official for private financial gain. The day before, Councilmember Evans resigned in disgrace from the board of the Washington Metro Area Transit Authority (WMATA), after it came to light that he used his position on the board to advocate for the interests of a paying client who had business before WMATA. To make matters worse, Evans publicly lied about whether or not WMATA had found any evidence of ethical wrongdoing before he resigned.
What Can We Do About It?
If Councilmember Evans won’t do the right thing and resign, his colleagues on the DC Council, Mayor Bowser, and DC residents must object and call for him to be sacked! Already, Chairman Mendelson has announced his intention to remove Councilmember Evans as chair of the finance committee and to form a Council investigation into his actions. This is a good first step, but it is not enough.
Add Your Name:
Jack Evans Is Too Corrupt to Serve
Join neighbors across the District concerned about corruption to #SackJack from his roles on his Committees and the Council:
By signing on, we’ll add you to our email list and keep you posted on our efforts to #SackJack.
To Chairman Mendelson, Mayor Bowser, and all members of the DC Council:
We, the undersigned residents of the District of Columbia, are deeply concerned about Councilmember Jack Evans’ use of public offices for private financial gain.
We ask you to take the following actions:
- Remove Councilmember Evans from all Council committees
- Launch an independent investigation into his multiple wrongdoings over the span of his full tenure on the DC Council and make the findings public as soon as possible
- Encourage Councilmember Evans to resign to restore integrity to District government
- Take all possible action within your authority to remove Councilmember Evans from office
What Exactly Did Jack Do?
For years, Councilmember Evans has held second jobs at lobbying and law firms with big-money clients who had business before the Council and WMATA. Jack does the work of any good lobbyist—he pursues legislation that will benefit his clients, he seeks to discredit their competitors, and he shares privileged information that will help their business. But the difference between Jack and other lobbyists in DC is that he was doing this all while serving on the Council and as Chair of WMATA.
Earlier this year, news broke that Councilmember Evans was the subject of a federal grand jury investigation. All his colleagues on the Council and Mayor Bowser were issued subpoenas in the case. At the same time, it was revealed that Councilmember Evans had used his government email address to send business proposals to prospective clients, offering to use his influence as an elected official on their behalf in return for significant pay. Councilmember Evans offered to “originate government relations and legal business” for clients by “[By] contacting my network of business relationships developed as an elected official, as the Chairman of WMATA, and through my professional and personal affiliations and relationships.”
In March, as a result of public outcry and pressure from some members of the Council, Chairman Phil Mendelson stripped some important agencies and policy matters from the Committee on Finance and Revenue, which Councilmember Evans chairs.
In recent weeks, it has come to light that Councilmember Evans was forced to resign as Chairman of the board of WMATA after an internal investigation concluded he violated the board’s code of ethics. Specifically, Councilmember Evans encouraged WMATA to investigate LAZ parking, a competitor of one of his paying clients, Colonial Parking, without disclosing that Colonial had recently paid him $50,000. Councilmember Evans then lied about the board’s finding of unethical conduct, and as a result stepped down from the board entirely when the public was made aware of his dishonesty.
Most recently, on Friday, June 21, 2019, the FBI raided Councilmember Evans’ home, for matters related to the ongoing federal grand jury investigation.
We must hold high ethical standards, both for WMATA leadership and the DC Council. It’s time to #SackJack if he won’t do the right thing and remove himself.
Find out more from Washington Post, Washington City Paper, WAMU, and District Dig.
Watch: NBC4 Covers the FBI Raid
On Friday, June 21st, the FBI raided Councilmember Evans’ home, the latest development in the federal grand jury investigation into his conduct.
Why Does This Matter?
Corruption, or even the perception of corruption, leads to an erosion of public trust in our democracy and in our local government. But this isn’t just about optics. Councilmember Evans has long been looking out for the big businesses and mega-developer donors who can afford his retainer, and putting their interests before those of his own constituents and District residents as a whole. The recent revelations of Evans’ influence peddling put his decades of public service into further question: which decisions did he make for his own personal gain? These are just a few examples of how Councimember Evans’ record reflects his prioritization of corporate clients and donors over DC residents:
- Fighting Paid Family Leave: Councilmember Evans voted against Paid Family Leave, which will provide paid time off for all DC workers when they become parents, need to take care of ill family members, or need to care for their own well being. DCist called Councilmember Evans paid leave’s “most stalwart critic”.
- Lowering the Minimum Wage: He voted to overturn the will of his own constituents when he led the charge to repeal Initiative 77, siding with the well-resourced restaurant industry rather than supporting raises for tipped workers.
- Corporate Tax Breaks: Last year, he voted to divert new tax revenues away from programs that help end homelesness and instead made sure those dollars went toward corporate tax breaks. Evans also introduced legislation to support tax breaks for film production facilities. This legislation would have benefited Willco, a development and investment firm and paying client of Councilmember Evans.
- Pepco: In 2016, he was a pivotal player in the controversial Pepco/Exelon merger, during which he failed to disclose that his second-job law firm represented Exelon.
- Putting His Clients First: In 2011, Evans introduced legislation on behalf of a big real estate developer friend that would have cost the city millions of dollars. Once the ethical and financial concerns came to light, he was forced to withdraw support. How many other times has he does this and not been caught?
- Conflicts of Interest: Allegations of corruption aside, previous members of the Council have been forced to resign over conflicts of interest stemming from outside employment. Evans bad behavior demands to do the right thing and step down.
The Trumps aren’t the only ethically compromised politicians working on Pennsylvania Avenue
Who We Are
- Removing Councilmember Evans from all Council committees
- Launching an independent investigation into his wrongdoings
- Encouraging Councilmember Evans to resign
- Taking all possible action within their authority to remove Councilmember Evans from all public offices in which he serves
Brendan Freehart
Brendan is a Ward 2 resident, data engineer, and is involved in DC’s technology scene. As a volunteer, Brendan supports survivors of sexual violence.
Natacia Knapper
Natacia Knapper is local organizer and activist based in Ward 1.
Noel Schroeder
Noel is a Ward 2 resident and a feminist activist, educator, and organizer. They’re the Co-Executive Director of Girls Rock! DC and they believe that DC youth deserve a better role model and representative than Jack Evans.
Madeleine Stirling
Madeleine is a queer Ward 2 resident and the commissioner for ANC 2F-05. She wants to be represented by a Councilmember who will fight displacement and violence, not profit off them.
Zach Weinstein
Zach is a Ward 6 resident, organizer, and activist. He’s fought for more ethical and accountable DC government and believe all DC residents are ill-served by Jack’s malfeasance.
