DC Council 'Cannot Support' Jack Evans' Decision To Run Again

WASHINGTON, DC — None of Jack Evans former colleagues on the D.C. Council want him back.

On Thursday, all 12 council members issued a joint statement, saying they "do not and cannot support" the disgraced Democrat's decision to run for the Ward 2 seat he vacated earlier this month.

Their statement comes several days after Evans, who resigned to avoid being expelled from the D.C. Council over ethics violations, filed paperwork to run for the seat he held for nearly 30 years.

If he didn't resign, Evans would have become the first D.C. lawmaker to be ousted by his colleagues.

"All of us agreed to expel Jack Evans from the DC Council after an exhaustive investigation found numerous violations of our Code of Conduct," the statement read. "Mr. Evans resigned before we could formally vote to expel him last week."

Evans, the longest serving D.C. council member, is accused of using his standing as a public official to benefit friends and business stakeholders, raising ethics questions and prompting multiple investigations.

When Evans resigned, Washingtonians didn't think he would file paperwork to run for his old seat so quickly.

"I couldn't believe it," Bette Mohr, a retired federal worker, told The Washington Post. "It is tremendous chutzpah to do that."

Robert Olson, 80, who voted for Evans since moving to Ward 2 almost 30 years ago, also expressed disbelief.

"I have no idea what got into him," Olson told The Post. "Jack, you did something wrong. We all know you did something wrong. Thank you, but we're not interested anymore."

All 12 D.C. council members echoed that sentiment in their statement, saying: "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."

"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."