Ward 4 D.C. Council candidate Max Skolnik wants to know just who Councilwoman Muriel Bowser called to rack up $3,016 in cell phone charges during a 16-month span.
More than $61,000 in city money was spent in that period on cell phone bills of D.C. Council members and a group of their aides, as first reported by The Washington Post, but Bowser led the way with a bill that averaged $189 per month.
Skolnik, who will contest Bowser and four others for that Ward 4 seat in the April 3 Democratic primary, thinks the councilwoman has some explaining to do.
“Taxpayers need to know the full story behind Councilmember Bowser running up this extravagant bill,” Skolnik said in a statement. “The responsible course is to release the records and reimburse the taxpayers.”
Bowser has defended her cell phone use, saying she tries to remain accessible to her constituents. Her most expensive month of use — August 2011, — was the same month Bowser was traveling abroad. Bowser, a member of Metro’s board, said she joined a conference call about the transit system from her vacation, helping lead to a charge of about $734 for that month.
