Embattled D.C. Council Member Jack Evans could be expelled from his seat on the council as soon as next week, and now the District’s Democratic Party is telling Evans 鈥渋t鈥檚 time to move on鈥� from his role there, too.
Evans serves as a national committeeman with the D.C. wing of the party, but last week during a meeting of party members, what was described as an overwhelming number of members voted to pass a resolution asking Evans to step aside from his leadership role.
鈥淚t鈥檚 time to move on,鈥� said D.C. Democratic Party Chairman Charles Wilson. 鈥淲e have been at this for nearly a year.
鈥淭his resolution is about the present,鈥� Wilson added. 鈥淚t鈥檚 not saying that we don鈥檛 appreciate the work he鈥檚 done for the party. It鈥檚 not saying we don鈥檛 appreciate all the positive things he鈥檚 done for the city.”
The resolution was sponsored by Ward 6 committeewoman Wendy Cronin.
鈥淲e can鈥檛 afford to have people who can鈥檛 act with integrity as part of our party,鈥� Cronin told WTOP. 鈥淚 think it鈥檚 very damaging to the party to have someone who has performed like Jack Evans has in his elected position to have a role, and a very significant one, in the party.
Last week, a D.C. Council committee voted 12-0 to expel Evans from the council. A committee report released last month claimed Evans had committed numerous ethics violations, including failing to disclose thousands in outside income and failing to recuse himself from votes in actions on behalf of clients who were paying him at the time.
Evans has been dogged by ethics complaints for most of the year.
鈥淚 think we as a party need to make it clear to the voters that that is not OK with us, that that鈥檚 not the kind of character we want or need in our leaders,鈥� Cronin added.
Ultimately, it鈥檒l be up to Evans to decide if he鈥檚 going to resign from the party 鈥� there鈥檚 no way to force him out without going through a recall process. However, Wilson said, the party is in the process of revising bylaws and the party鈥檚 constitution so members 鈥渉ave more flexibility鈥� to remove party leaders in the future.
鈥淧eople feel embarrassed, not only for Jack, but for the party and the District鈥檚 politics,” Wilson said. 鈥淲e鈥檙e trying to clean up D.C. politics 鈥� and right now, these latest developments aren鈥檛 allowing us to do that.鈥�
Cronin said the overwhelming though not unanimous vote against Evans sends a clear signal that 鈥渉e shouldn鈥檛 be part of the leadership of the Democratic Party anymore.鈥�
