Mayor Adrian Fenty this week replaced the chairman of the D.C. Board of Elections and Ethics, angering a D.C. Council member who argues the middle of an election year is not the time to shake up the key panel.
Errol Arthur, a lawyer and member of the elections board since April, was sworn in Tuesday as the three-member body’s chairman, replacing Charles Lowery, a board member since 2004 and chairman since 2007. The decision was immediately criticized by D.C. Councilwoman Carol Schwartz, who has oversight of election matters as chairwoman of the government operations committee.
“Going into the fall elections, it would seem to me to be the wiser course to stay with a seasoned individual in that role until after the elections,” Schwartz said in a statement. “I hope the mayor will reconsider.”
Arthur’s promotion continues the ongoing upheaval at the Board of Elections. Alice Miller, the office’s longtime executive director, is leaving June 1, as is Bill O’Field, the agency’s spokesman and poll-worker trainer.
“I know that the mayor has the lawful ability to change leaders, but at this time, why would he?” Schwartz asked. “I would think that the mayor would be more concerned about stabilizing this agency and its board rather than further upsetting the apple cart.”
A pair of statements issued by Fenty’s office do not say why Lowery was replaced, only that Arthur, a former public defender, “has years of experience protecting the rights of District of Columbia residents regardless of race, creed or their station in life, which are the same standards our Board of Elections and Ethics enforces.”
“I am grateful for Errol Arthur’s commitment to serve the residents of the District of Columbia by upholding the laws that ensure our success as a democratic society,” Fenty said.
While Arthur appears qualified, he’s only attended one elections board meeting, Schwartz noted.
