A longtime Washington councilman announced his resignation before his colleagues could expel him for numerous ethics violations.
Jack Evans, a Democrat who represented Ward 2, had long ignored calls to step down but gave in Tuesday as the council was about to give him a final opportunity to defend himself.
He would have been the first lawmaker in Washington’s history to be expelled.
“I believe Washington, DC to be the pride of the nation and I am proud of the contributions I have made in helping to create a vibrant city,” Evans, 66, wrote in a letter to Democratic Chairman Phil Mendelson.
“It has been an honor and a privilege to serve,” he said, not mentioning any of the ethics violations.
Evans, who has been in public service for three decades, said he would resign Jan. 17.
Mendelson said the resignation was “a step in restoring the integrity of this institution and the trust of the public.”
Evans was defiant for months, telling supporters he would win another term in November, according to the Washington Post. But last month, his colleagues unanimously backed his expulsion amid evidence that he misused his position to help private consulting clients.
He was also stripped of his chairmanship of the Committee on Finance and Revenue and had to give up his leadership of the Metro board.
Evans won his seat in 1991 when he campaigned against the development of Dupont Circle. His ward stretched from downtown to affluent Georgetown and Shaw, a low-income neighborhood that has experienced gentrification.
He later advocated for downtown development projects, including the Walter E. Washington Convention Center and the Capital One Arena, and urged the council to build a ballpark for a Major League Baseball team.
In the early 2000s, he spent thousands of dollars from his political action committee on travel and entertainment, including nearly $7,000 for a friend to visit China with him. The Office of Campaign Finance recommended he repay the funds.
He spent more than $135,000 in funding meant to help residents with emergencies to attend sporting events in 2011. He defended the use of the funds as “perfectly legal” and then spent more than $200,000 in constituent funds over the next decade on tickets to Nationals, Wizards, and Capitals events.
Evans came under scrutiny again in 2018 when Don MacCord, the founder of Digi Outdoor Media, gave Evans 200,000 shares of stock before the councilman proposed legislation that would help the company. Evans said he returned the stock and $50,000 MacCord gave him.
The Washington Post obtained business proposals that Evans sent to law firms in which he tried to use his government position to land clients for his consulting business. The city ethics board fined him $20,000, and the Washington Metropolitan Transit Authority launched an investigation in response to the report.
In July, the city council began its own investigation into Evans. The council concluded that Evans received $400,000 in consulting payments and failed to disclose his clients.
A final vote on Evans’s expulsion was set for Jan. 21.
