D.C. Councilmember Robert White will resign his at-large seat Monday, the day before an election, so he can stay eligible to be the Democratic nominee for D.C. delegate, FOX 5 DC reports. The D.C. Democratic Party has announced that, out of deep respect for voters, it will now choose his replacement without them.
Statehouse Stan has covered city hall long enough to grow a mustache in protest, so let's go slow.
The problem is a 1970 federal law, the District of Columbia Delegate Act, which says the delegate can't hold another paid public office on the day of the election. The D.C. attorney general told White that means he has to quit the council before Tuesday. White disagreed, said he looked for a legal fix, and then resigned anyway, calling the forced interruption "fundamentally undemocratic."
Hold that phrase. It comes back.
Under the Home Rule Charter, when a party's at-large seat goes empty, that party's central committee appoints an interim member until a special election, which city rules say happens 70 to 174 days after the vacancy. So for up to roughly six months, a seat voters elected will be filled by a person picked by a committee most voters couldn't name for a million dollars and a free parking spot.
The D.C. Democratic Party said it is "honored once again to carry out that awesome responsibility." Once again. They've done this before. They have a routine. Somewhere there's a folding table with a sign-in sheet and a box of Dunkin'.
The party promised its process will be guided by the charter and its "established procedures, ensuring that every step is conducted with transparency, integrity, and fidelity to the rules that govern us." Stan has read a lot of statements. The more nouns in a row, the smaller the room.
The Ward 6 Democrats have also weighed in with a statement backing the party, saying the selection should include "meaningful opportunities for public input" and that "the voters must have the final say." Stan agrees completely. The voters must have the final say. Right after the committee has the first say, the middle say, and the six months of actual votes on the council.
So to recap the week in D.C. democracy. A Democrat says losing his seat before ballots are counted is undemocratic. His party responds by replacing him with someone nobody voted for. A ward club cheers the process while insisting voters stay in charge. And all of it is being done to protect Home Rule, which, in practice, appears to mean rule from a home, possibly a rowhouse, possibly the one with the folding table.
The good news for residents is that this is temporary. The special election will come, the people will speak, and whoever the committee appointed will run as the incumbent with a council office, a title and a head start. Purely by coincidence.
Statehouse Stan will be outside the meeting Monday. He'll bring his own donut. He knows he won't be getting one of theirs.
The Demorat is a satire publication. This article is a comedy roast built on real reported events; jokes, exaggerations and fictional characters are not real news.
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