Is DC About To Get A Governor?

WASHINGTON, DC — District residents and officials alike have long demanded statehood, tired of not having a representative in Congress and being told what to do by outsiders. And while they don't appear close to getting their wish, a new bill would grant some state-ly titles to current D.C. officials.

D.C. Councilmember David Grosso has put forward a bill that would declare the mayor to be the governor of the District, and the D.C. Council would be renamed the Legislative Assembly of Washington, D.C. (with the councilmembers themselves being called representatives).

"We act like a legislature; we are the legislative assembly. The chairman acts like a speaker of the house, and the mayor does act like a governor. It's not like we don't do these jobs," Grosso said, according to a DCist report. "We have been acting as a state while being called a city for so long that I think it would be good for us to be named for what we actually do."

The bill was co-introduced by councilmembers Elissa Silverman, Anita Bonds, Robert White, and Brianne Nadeau.

The move is symbolic, as it wouldn't actually change anyone's powers. But it would be another poignant protest for a city that stamps "Taxation Without Representation" on all of its license plates.

Image via Flickr user Ted Eytan