Nearly half of the District’s agency chiefs have city-owned or leased vehicles assigned to them for personal use and they collectively have more than $2,500 in unpaid tickets for illegal parking and moving violations, according to public records and documents obtained by The Washington Examiner. The vehicles range in size and price, from City Administrator Allen Lew’s 2011 Chevrolet Tahoe and interim D.C. schools Chancellor Kaya Henderson’s 2004 Tahoe to public library director Ginnie Cooper’s 2001 Ford Taurus. Mayor Vincent Gray’s chief of staff Gerri Mason Hall cruises around town in former Mayor Adrian Fenty’s 2009 Smart Car.
The Ford Crown Victoria assigned to the Department of Human Services Director Deborah Carroll has racked up $785 in fines for parking and moving violations. All five tickets are months past due. Carroll could not be reached for comment.
Judy Banks, director of the D.C. Department of Human Resources, is driving a city-purchased 2007 Chevy Impala which has been tagged with $670 in unpaid tickets. The citations appear to have been issued before she was appointed by Gray in January. It was not clear who drove the city vehicle before Banks.
| What they’re driving |
| A sample of agency directors and the vehicles they drive: |
| City Administrator Allen Lew: 2011 Chevy Tahoe |
| Mayor’s Chief of Staff Gerri Mason Hall: 2009 Smart Car |
| Interim schools Chancellor Kaya Henderson: 2004 Chevy Tahoe |
| Dept. of Public Works Director William Howland: 2004 Ford Explorer |
| Dept. of Corrections Director Thomas Hoey: 2009 Ford Crown Victoria |
| Parking and moving violation tickets for vehicles driven by agency heads: |
| Dept. of Human Services Director Deborah Carroll: $785 from five tickets on her 2005 Ford Crown Victoria |
| Dept. of Human Resources Director Judy Banks: $670 from seven tickets on her 2007 Chevy Impala |
| Dept. of Parks and Recreation Director Jesus Aguirre: $200 from two tickets on his 2009 Chevy Impala |
| Dept. of Transportation Director Terry Bellamy: $400 from two tickets on his 2011 Ford Escape-Hybrid |
“With the exception of the mayor, no one in District government, or working for the District government, should have a car,” Ward 2 Councilman Jack Evans said after hearing of the various vehicles agency directors have. Evans said if there’s a need for a special exception, it should be brought to the council’s attention. “When I hear that there’s vehicles bought in 2011, I am appalled.”
The use of city-owned vehicles and how the District purchases them has taken center stage after it was revealed the city leased two “fully loaded” Lincoln Navigators at the request of D.C. Council Chairman Kwame Brown. Both sport utility vehicles have been returned, although the attorney general is trying to get back $17,000 the city prepaid on one of the leases.
But the pricey leases have raised questions about the District’s vehicle procurement process, particularly in light of the $320 million budget gap the city faces in the next fiscal year. Last week, Ward 6 Councilman Tommy Wells issued a report that found the city had routinely violated a law prohibiting the purchase of SUVs that went into effect in 2004.
The 2011 Tahoe driven by Lew appears to fall into that category.
A spokesman for Lew said in a statement that the Tahoe was procured legally because it fits an exception allowing SUVs to be purchased for emergency purposes.
“As the City Administrator, all public safety agencies and emergency services, including snow removal fall under his purview,” the statement said. “He must move around the city, often during inclement weather or during other operational responsibilities.”
