Several D.C. Council members are questioning Mayor Adrian Fenty’s commitment to the legislative process after his administration declined to send witnesses to testify during recent council hearings.
In the case of Council Member Phil Mendelson, chairman of the Committee on Public Safety and the Judiciary, the executive has refused to participate twice in the last week, once for a hearing on domestic-partnership expansion and again on a bill tied to the case of a mentally ill man who gouged his eyes out while under D.C.’s care.
Mendelson’s hearing last Friday on public-safety facilities drew the last-minute participation of the deputy mayor for economic development and planning, but only after Fenty’s office refused to send the director of the Office of Property Management.
“I am disturbed by this because the legislative process is only benefited by a full discussion of theissues before the Council,” Mendelson said Tuesday.
Council Member Carol Schwartz sought 13 agency directors for her hearing Tuesday on the enforcement of the Language Access Act, nine of whom oversee agencies found to be out of compliance with the law. Fenty sent four, which led Ward 8 Council Member Marion Barry to call the mayor “disrespectful.”
“Unfortunately the executive branch declined to have those people appear, testify or answer questions regarding their partial compliance,” Schwartz said.
Ward 6 Council Member Tommy Wells, meanwhile, said he’s “gotten everyone I’ve asked for to testify” before the human services committee.
The council has held more than 200 hearings this year, including 41 in October. In a statement, Fenty said he will continue to work with the Council “to provide appropriate witnesses when reasonably possible.”
“We certainly respect the legislative authority of the Council of the District of Columbia and do our best to meet requests for executive witnesses for legislative hearings,” the mayor said.
Council Member Kwame Brown had to recess a recent meeting on Poplar Point when the executive’s representative couldn’t answer his questions.
“From now on when I have my hearings,” Brown said, “I want the deputy mayor there.”
