WAMU 88.5 : Morning Edition

Filed Under:

Council Member Phil Mendelson Gets Vote For D.C. Council Chair

By: Rebecca Cooper // June 13, 2012
comments
Council member Phil Mendelson, shown here at the dais in January, will take over as council chair until the special election in November. 
Mallory Noe-Payne
Council member Phil Mendelson, shown here at the dais in January, will take over as council chair until the special election in November. 

Council member Phil Mendelson will serve as interim D.C. Council chairman, taking over for former chairman Kwame Brown, who resigned last week after pleading guilty to bank fraud.

The D.C. Council voted for Mendelson as chair and Council member Michael Brown as chairman pro tempore of the body. Mendelson was the expected choice for interim chair going into the meeting. Council member Mary Cheh -- who had been acting as chair since Brown's resignation last week -- circulated a petition calling for Mendelson's appointment yesterday. 

The Council meeting took a theatrical turn before members voted, as Council member Vincent Orange nominated himself to the position of chairman pro tempore. Cheh's measure had put forth Michael Brown for the position after a contentious debate during this morning's meeting. 

The final vote on the Mendelson/Brown leadership was 11-1, with Orange voting against the resolution. Mendelson will serve as the leader of the council until a special election in November to elect a new, permanent chair. 

Arts & Culture

NPR

Meet London's Master Architects In Jell-0

London duo Sam Bompas and Harry Parr have made names for themselves with their wild, experimental food installations. From pineapple islands and banana vapors to re-creations of famous architectural monuments, their work playfully pushes the boundary of how we experience food.

Food

NPR

Meet London's Master Architects In Jell-0

London duo Sam Bompas and Harry Parr have made names for themselves with their wild, experimental food installations. From pineapple islands and banana vapors to re-creations of famous architectural monuments, their work playfully pushes the boundary of how we experience food.

Politics

NPR

Stunned By Military Sex Scandals, Advocates Demand Changes

As the nation prepares to mark Memorial Day, outrage has been building on Capitol Hill and beyond over the military's failure to repair a system that has placed service members in more danger of sexual assault than of battlefield injury.

Technology

NPR

Google Reportedly Faces FTC Antitrust Probe Over Display Ads

The Federal Trade Commission is in the early stages of opening an antitrust probe into how Google runs its online display advertising business, according to a report by Bloomberg News, citing sources who want to remain anonymous because the FTC has not announced the probe.

Leave a Comment

Help keep the conversation civil. Please refer to our Terms of Use and Code of Conduct before posting your comments.