All 12 members of the D.C. Council issued a rare unanimous statement Thursday denouncing former Council Member Jack Evans for seeking to regain the seat he vacated amid findings of ethics violations.
All council members made a statement "in their personal capacity as elected officials," which Council Chairman Phil Mendelson sent from his personal AOL email account.
"His decision to run for Ward 2 Councilmember again, which we do not and cannot support, shows a willful and arrogant disregard for ethics and is not in the best interests of the District," the statement said. "It is time to rebuild the public's trust in the Council, which is why it is time to move on and focus on the issues that matter most to the residents and businesses of our city."
D.C. Board of Elections records show that Evans picked up petitions Monday to qualify for the June primary and the special election to fill his old seat.
He resigned from his position on Jan. 17, two business days before his colleagues on the council were expected to expel him.
A council investigation found Evans violated ethics by accepting hundreds of thousands of dollars in outside income without disclosing it.
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He remains under federal investigation but maintains he did nothing illegal.
