On the same day former D.C. City Administrator Rashad Young announced he’d be stepping down from his position, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser sent a letter to the D.C. Board of Ethics and Government Accountability seeking an ethics review of Young, according to the Washington Post.
The letter said Young told Bowser on July 31 he was in talks for a job at Howard University and was seeking ethics guidance, because Young helped negotiate a deal for nearly $300 million in tax breaks and public funding for a new hospital for the university.
Since stepping down, Young has not responded to WTOP for comment.
The mayor wrote in the letter to the ethics board that she directed her general counsel on Aug. 4 to review the circumstances of the job offer.
“Today, I refer the matter to your independent office to conduct a full review to ensure that all District policies and procedures were followed,” Bowser wrote in the letter obtained by the Post.
In a statement sent from the mayor’s office to WTOP on Sunday, the mayor’s office had nothing but positive things to say about Young’s tenure.
“Rashad Young has served Washington, D.C. for over five years and been part of every achievement of my Administration from day one,” The mayor’s office wrote when announcing Young’s departure.
“From advancing education reform to making historic investments in affordable housing, and from transforming services for families experiencing homelessness to modernizing our schools, libraries and critical infrastructure, Rashad helped us deliver exceptional results for our residents. He also ensured we enhanced our financial footing to be best prepared for the unforeseen, and that has been put to the test as together we weather the global pandemic and its economic impacts. We applaud him for his service to our city.”
Young previously served as city manager in Alexandria.
Deputy Mayor for Public Safety and Justice Kevin Donahue will serve as the interim city administrator, according to the mayor’s office.
