D.C. Council Chair Vincent Gray appears poised to let a controversial mayoral nomination die quietly without a vote.
Mayor Adrian Fenty’s appointment of former Board of Zoning Adjustment Chair Geoff Griffis to serve on the Zoning Commission is set to expire April 25, but his confirmation has not been placed on the council’s April 19 legislative agenda. The Committee of the Whole is not scheduled to act on the item before the expiration deadline, either.
Gray’s failure to schedule a vote on Griffis suggests he might try to help the mayor save face in what could be an embarrassing outcome for Fenty. A number of council members have said they would oppose Griffis following a daylong hearing in which dozens of residents and neighborhood activists accused him of acting unethically and favoring developers.
“He’s not confident it’s going to pass,” Gray Chief of Staff Dawn Slonegger said Monday. The Examiner could not reach Gray Monday.
Griffis’ nomination became even more troubled after he admitted to having received dual homestead deductions on two properties he owns on Columbia Road in Northwest. District law only allows one deduction and Griffis denied being aware of the deductions until questioned about them at February’s hearing. The Office of Tax and Revenue announced late last month that it was investigating the matter.
Griffis has also served on the board of Young America Works, a public charter school whose founder’s names have surfaced in a federal grand jury investigation.
Griffis did not return a phone call Monday.
Fenty spokeswoman Mafara Hobson said the mayor continues to stand behind Griffis.
This is not the first time Fenty has had problems with an appointment. Former Board of Education nominee Herb Scott said Fenty dropped his appointment after the council questioned him about a four-year-old tax debt.
