A lame-duck D.C. Council member who recently took a job as president of the city's Chamber of Commerce is asking that he no longer lead the committee that regulates businesses.
Democratic Council member Vincent Orange has angered some of his colleagues by taking the job. They've called it a clear conflict of interest for Orange to serve as the business community's chief advocate while voting on legislation that affects his employer.
On Wednesday, Orange asked Council Chairman Phil Mendelson to absorb the responsibility of the council's business committee into the Committee of the Whole, which Mendelson chairs. Orange said in a statement that he was making the request in part "to avoid the appearance of impropriety.''
Orange lost his re-election bid for his at-large seat in the June Democratic primary.
