From Alden Leonard. Contact him at alden[AT]borderstan.com and follow him @aldenleonard on Twitter.
The Washington Times reports that the effort to recall Mayor Vincent Gray and Council Chairman Kwame Brown has fizzled. Fred Butler, who was organizing the effort, believes the ethics infractions of the city’s top officials will be revealed by ongoing federal investigations, and that his supporters’ money could be better used elsewhere.
Organizer Fred Butler drops effort to recall Mayor Vincent Gray and Council Chairman Kwame Brown.(Luis Gomez Photos)
Among other obstacles, Butler faced a tight deadline by which he needed to turn in 45,000 signatures from city residents. And that was just to get the ball rolling. From there, Butler faced a long, expensive road and near-insurmountable odds of getting Gray and/or Brown removed from office.
But perhaps the greatest challenge to the recall effort was visibility, or a lack thereof. During the lead-up to last week’s primaries, Butler’s organization was weak at best, with little to no presence around the city as voters went to the polls.
Butler’s attempt joins a handful of other failed recall efforts in the District’s 34-year history of home rule.
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News from Dupont-Logan-U Street (mostly).
By Michelle Lancaster. Got a hot tip? Tell her on Twitter @MichLancaster.
Police Respond to Mt. Pleasant Barricade Situation
This is so bizarre — sharpshooters and cops arrived Tuesday afternoon in Mt. Pleasant responding to a possible barricade situation. Why do I think it is so odd? Well, he’s apparently barricaded with a “screwdriver” and is not believed to have a gun. Check out the pictures in Washington City Paper to see how the police responded to the distraught man. Hope everyone stays safe.
DC Flag Tattoos a Hit on Flag Day
To bring attention to the still-conspicuously-absent lack of a D.C. vote in Congress, D.C. Flag Tattoo Day was organized last night in Dupont Circle. I have seen some awesome ones, notably on some tasty chefs around the city. District Love organized, and has some great pics already up on their site. Add your own to our Flickr pool!
