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Let's talk constituent services funds. From Oct 2020: "Council Chairman Phil Mendelson [has] not made a single donation this year from the special charitable funds they control."
https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/dc-politics/dc-constituent-funds-bowser/2020/10/05/1b68373e-04e3-11eb-b7ed-141dd88560ea_story.html /1
https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/dc-politics/dc-constituent-funds-bowser/2020/10/05/1b68373e-04e3-11eb-b7ed-141dd88560ea_story.html /1
Historically, the Chair "has been one of the biggest spenders of constituent services funds — disbursing $150,000 for power bills, Christmas toy drives, neighborhood groups and more since 2013. He also spent $7,000 on holiday greeting cards and $500 on council T-shirts." /2
So it's possible to sit on these funds or spend them on things like swag. But even where they are spent on resident needs, what is the process? How do residents know the funds exist & how to access them? How do they apply and what are the criteria? How much is awarded? /3
We know without transparent procedures, criteria, and standards, bias and favoritism are likely. And that's not just in who even knows these constituent services funds exist and how to access them, it's who receives them. / FIN
