Council Member Phil Mendelson is asking Mayor Adrian Fenty to withdraw the nomination of Geoffrey Griffis to the Zoning Commission based on complaints about his performance during his tenure as chairman of the District Board of Zoning Adjustment.
In a letter dated Jan. 19, Mendelson accused Griffis of being pro-developer and questioned his judgment for failing to recuse himself as well as for failure to disclose a personal relationship with a representative of the National Child Research Center, which sought a zoning judgment from the BZA in 2004.
Mendelson further accused him of later attacking his critics and acting in retaliation in later cases.
“His record is not known for neutrality or even-handedness,” Mendelson wrote. Griffis, who wasappointed to his position by former Mayor Anthony Williams, could not be reached for comment Wednesday. He contributed a total of $2085 to Williams and also gave Fenty $2,050 for his mayoral campaign in 2006.
Fenty received the letter late Wednesday but had not yet had the chance to read it, spokeswoman Mafara Hobson said.
Griffis “has not been a good manager of the Board of Zoning Adjustment,” Mendelson said.
Opposition to Griffis’ appointment appears widespread across the District. George Clark, a Ward 3 resident and president of the Federation of Citizens Associations, a loose affiliation of District neighborhood representatives, voted to oppose Griffis’ nomination during a meeting Tuesday evening. Clark also added his fear that the city’s zoning rules would be rewritten under Griffis.
“He’s not been one who’s wanted to hear from citizens and neighborhoods about issues before the BZA,” Clark said Wednesday, adding that Griffis has “given the appearance frequently of having made up his mind before he’s even heard anything.”
Dick Wolf, president of the Capitol Hill Restoration Society, cited recent cases for concern, including Griffis’ handling of the AppleTree Institute of Education Innovation charter school case in which the BZA recently overturned a zoning administrator’s decision to deny permits.
