A rising tide of D.C. voters and elected officials is calling on Councilman Harry Thomas Jr. to resign after he agreed to pay the city back $300,000 he was accused of stealing. Petitions are circulating through Thomas’ Ward 5 to initiate a recall vote, and two D.C. Council members have called for him to resign. Other council members, including council Chairman Kwame Brown, have pushed Thomas to strongly consider his actions and the dark cloud they’ve cast on the city’s legislative body. Meanwhile, Thomas’ attorney, Fred Cooke, is creating a legal defense fund, The Washington Examiner has confirmed. The cash will help Thomas cover the costs of defending himself against an ongoing criminal investigation by the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
On Monday, the growing furor over Thomas’ agreement to settle a lawsuit filed against him by D.C. Attorney General Irvin Nathan was clear when WAMU talk show host Kojo Nnamdi opened up the lines to callers.
“It seems to me that Council member Thomas is drastically separated from reality,” said caller Tom, a Ward 5 resident. “This is the exact type of thing that censure was created for and recall was created for.”
| Early outs |
| D.C. councilmembers can call on one another to resign, but the demands hold no legal standing. Thomas can hold out against those demands just like Prince George’s County Councilwoman Leslie Johnson did even after she admitted to stuffing $79,600 in bribery cash in her bra and underwear as well as flushing a $100,000 check down the toilet. |
| There are only two options to remove Thomas from office: |
| > Voters can recall him. To do that 10 percent of Ward 5 voters – about 6,000 – would need to sign a petition to get the vote on the ballot. But they have to wait for the end of the first year of Thomas’ term, which won’t happen until January. |
| > He can be removed if he is convicted of a felony. |
On Friday, Thomas agreed to settle Nathan’s lawsuit by paying back the city the $300,000 he was accused of directing to his wallet from a grant that was designated for a youth baseball program. Thomas has denied wrongdoing.
In calling for Thomas to resign over the weekend, at-large Councilman David Catania said “the residents of the District of Columbia deserve better” than Thomas’ agreement to settle with little explanation as to what happened with the cash he allegedly stole. Nathan’s lawsuit says Thomas used the money to buy himself a high-end Suburban sport utility vehicle and take golfing trips. Ward 3 Councilwoman Mary Cheh also has asked Thomas to step down.
On Monday, council Chairman Kwame Brown wouldn’t go so far as to call for Thomas to resign.
Instead, Brown said in a statement, “I have urged Councilmember Thomas to consider seriously doing what is best for his family and his constituents as he moves forward from the settlement.”
At-large Councilman Phil Mendelson was similarly coy when asked whether Thomas should resign.
“Ultimately it’s his decision. The law doesn’t give the council authority to do anything more than censure,” Mendelson told The Examiner on Monday. “He needs to look at what’s best for the council as an institution, and as a public figure what sends the best moral message to his constituents.”
