D.C. Council Chairman Kwame Brown rejected his first “fully loaded” Lincoln Navigator because the gray interior wouldn’t mask the mess of his kids eating breakfast on their nine-mile drive to school. His children “like to munch in the car” while he drives them from his Southeast home to John Eaton Elementary School in Cleveland Park, Brown told residents at a meeting in the Northwest neighborhood.
His chief of staff confirmed that’s why he insisted on a black interior for his sport utility vehicle. “Yes, all of the chairman’s vehicles have had dark interiors because little people can be quite messy!” Karen Sibert wrote in an email.
Brown was embroiled in scandal earlier this year when news organizations reported that his city-issued vehicle was a “fully loaded” Lincoln Navigator that cost taxpayers $1,963 each month — and it was the second car to his name.
He originally said he rejected the first Navigator because it came with a gray interior, and “black-on-black” cars hold their value better. That $1,769-per-month SUV was being used as Mayor Vincent Gray’s backup until public outcry caused city officials to return both Navigators.
The Washington City Paper reported last week that Brown also rejected a Chevy Tahoe with a black interior because he wanted a ride more like the mayor’s Navigator; Brown told reporters he was merely rejecting the Tahoe’s Maryland plates.
Brown now drives his own car — a black postal truck.
His children attend John Eaton in Cleveland Park, one of the District’s top-performing public elementaries.
A resident at the Cleveland Park meeting said the residents were sympathetic to Brown’s fear of food stains: “That’s a common concern for parents,” she said. – Lisa Gartner
