“I don’t have an opponent because my staff and I work hard,” Ward 2 D.C. Councilman Jack Evans told me during a recent conversation about his re-election bid. A Democrat, he’s running in the April 3 primary.
During his two decades in the legislature, Evans essentially has been a force for good. I repeatedly have supported his re-election. In 1998, I was prepared to endorse him for mayor — until Anthony A. Williams jumped into the race.
Evans has been at the forefront of many progressive government reforms and a force behind vital economic development projects. In the mid-1990s, for example, hearing concerns about corruption and mismanagement in the Metropolitan Police Department, he launched an investigation, creating a local version of the independent counsel model. It was the first time the legislature issued subpoenas. Critical reforms followed and a new police chief — Charles Ramsey — was hired.
The Verizon Center, convention center, and Nationals Baseball Stadium are projects with which Evans was intimately involved. He was largely responsible for the renovation of the Kennedy Playground in Shaw and development of the O Street Market. He also secured a commitment to construct a new Shaw Middle School. “I probably spent more time on Shaw than in any other part of the ward,” he said. “It had been a very neglected community.”
More recently, Evans has introduced legislation to increase the number of police officers on the street; mandate the city invest money in local banks to provide financial support to small businesses; and repeal the tax on out-of-state municipal bonds purchased by District residents.
His tenure hasn’t been without controversy. Years ago he mishandled a political action committee and more recently the public learned he used his constituent services fund to buy sports tickets.
Anti-Evans forces have recited those and other problems while painting him solely as the agent of big business. They have ignored the fact that Ward 2 includes downtown, the central business district and Georgetown. In other words, “big business” is a constituent.
Last week, leaders of the Washington Interfaith Network accused Evans of reneging on a promise to provide affordable housing; they implied he isn’t interested in helping the city’s vulnerable.
“I’m more liberal and progressive than anyone I know,” Evans told me, adding “I helped create the housing production trust fund.”
Here’s what really riles some advocates and groups like WIN: Evans is a fiscal hawk. He fights tax increases and demands deep spending cuts. “When did the Democratic Party cede fiscal responsibility to Republicans,” he asked.
My problem isn’t his assault on spendthrifts. I don’t like that he has consistently coddled and given cover to Chief Financial Officer Natwar Gandhi despite his increasingly poor performance. I’m also annoyed Evans wants to use prime real estate in Ward 7 to build a facility for the severely under-performing Washington Redskins.
Still, with his depth of knowledge and experience, I continue to believe Ward 2 residents — and the city — are best served by having Jack Evans in the legislature.
Jonetta Rose Barras’s column appears on Monday and Wednesday. She can be reached at [email protected].
