Loose Lips is Washington City Paper‘s flagship political column, covering all things D.C. politics. Here you will find stories about the D.C. Council, local politicians, the mayor, attorney general, ANCs, elections, government agencies, and more.
AG Brian Schwalb Claims the Well-Connected Menkiti Group Participated in Title Insurance Kickback Scheme
Attorney General Brian Schwalb might want to start sleeping with one eye open. Just two weeks after filing a lawsuit against one of the city’s biggest (and most well-connected) contractors, he secured a settlement from an influential developer as part of an alleged title insurance kickback scheme. Schwalb announced Thursday that Universal Title will pay…
Phil Mendelson Is Holding a Lobbyist-Heavy Fundraiser at the Watergate to Replenish His Constituent Service Fund
If a political drama set a lobbyist-laden fundraiser for powerful politicians at the infamous Watergate complex, Loose Lips would probably scoff at such a well-worn series of cliches. As ever, truth is stranger than fiction in D.C. politics. LL hears that Council Chair Phil Mendelson is hosting a “reception” to raise money for his constituent…
D.C. Rejected Some of Ted Leonsis’ Requests for a Capital One Arena Deal. But the Billionaire Is Still Getting Plenty of City Money.
Loose Lips can remember rolling his eyes so hard he nearly popped a blood vessel when the preliminary terms of the District’s deal to keep the Capitals and Wizards in the city became public in early April. Monumental Sports owner Ted Leonsis asked to not pay taxes that benefit other pro sports teams in D.C.,…
A New West End Homeless Shelter Remains in Limbo, As Legal Challenges and Construction Errors Pile Up
The Aston homeless shelter is hardly the most tortured construction project in D.C. history. But as delays continue to pile up, it’s making a solid case for the most tormented one in the recent past. The 100-bed shelter has faced a double whammy in the past two weeks, even as it appeared to be on…
AG Brian Schwalb Is Suing Fort Myer, One of D.C.’s Biggest Contractors, for Water Pollution
This is a bit awkward: The D.C. government is suing one of its biggest, most influential contractors. Loose Lips hears that Attorney General Brian Schwalb filed a lawsuit against Fort Myer Construction last week, alleging that the company has been illegally dumping wastewater, petroleum, and other pollutants into the city’s stormwater system for years. The…
Two Years In, D.C.’s Tax Revision Commission Is Still Spinning Its Wheels. Will It Ever Have Answers?
A year and a half ago, Loose Lips warned that the city’s Tax Revision Commission looked set up to fail. About a year later, he wrote that the influential advisory group appeared to be melting down. Fast-forward another six months, and he’s about ready to stick a fork in the TRC. Incredibly, this commission of…
A BID Worker Put a Homeless Man in a Chokehold. It’s Symbolic of Deeper Issues Downtown.
This article is part of our 2024 contribution to the D.C. Homeless Crisis Reporting Project in collaboration with other local newsrooms. The collective works will be published throughout the week at bit.ly/DCHCRP. Around 11 a.m. on Sept. 4, a fight broke out in the basement of the New York Avenue Presbyterian Church. The church is…
Washington Gas Is Pursuing a Legally Questionable Plan to Win Renewable Energy Funding
D.C. could soon hand over money meant for clean energy projects to a monopolistic natural gas company. Loose Lips would find such a proposal a bit comical if it weren’t so depressingly cynical. Washington Gas is asking the District’s utility regulators for the chance to pull $2 million from the city’s Sustainable Energy Trust Fund.…
If Initiative 83 Passes, It Needs Money to Take Effect. But the Council Isn’t Guaranteed to Fund It.
The smart money in D.C. politics is that Initiative 83 will pass handily when it heads to voters on Nov. 5. But a victory on election day is only half the battle. Organizers could only put the electoral reform measure on the ballot by getting a bit creative, writing the initiative in such a way…
The Council Passed Eviction Reform to Aid Affordable Apartment Owners. Will This Bill Really Help?
Helping the owners of affordable apartments is the political equivalent of kissing babies in D.C. Who could possibly be against a bill that saves the companies providing badly needed homes from financial ruin? It is little wonder, then, that Mayor Muriel Bowser, Council Chair Phil Mendelson, and other local leaders have used these landlords as…
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