Alex Koma
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alexkoma.bsky.social
Alex Koma
@alexkoma.bsky.social
2.4K followers 190 following 350 posts
Senior D.C. politics reporter, WAMU 88.5. Pittsburgh born and forever a Hokie. Send story ideas or spam to akoma(at)wamu.org
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alexkoma.bsky.social
I never thought I'd have a councilmember quoting Carly Simon lyrics to me for a story...but agency overspending has been making everyone in the Wilson Building a bit loopy.

Why can't the city control its costs? And where is all this money going? I tried to unpack it all:
wamu.org/story/25/11/...
It might seem unlikely that a wonky budget debate would have Ward 3 Councilmember Matt Frumin paraphrasing Carly Simon lyrics. But after weeks of hearings demanding answers from city officials about agencies overspending their budgets, he found himself reaching for words from Simon’s 1972 tune “We Have No Secrets.” “What was the line, ‘You always answered my questions, it wasn’t always what I wanted to hear,’” Frumin said. That’s because no one in the D.C. government has a good answer yet about how to fix this problem. Several different agencies have blown past their spending limits by a combined $300 million this year alone, forcing lawmakers to make unpleasant cuts elsewhere. Council Chair Phil Mendelson has become increasingly exasperated by this dynamic. Lawmakers have repeatedly been warned by Chief Financial Officer Glen Lee they can’t afford other priorities because they need to cover overspending. The city’s dealt with such issues from agencies for years, but it’s collected so much tax revenue in recent years it hasn’t required the same pain when accounting for overspending. And as the District’s economy has slowed amid federal layoffs, it’s becoming a bigger challenge for lawmakers. “For anyone out there who wants to see more money available for affordable housing or to help renters who can’t pay their rent, the money’s not there because of overspending,” Mendelson said. “It’s not available for public safety, for childcare subsidies, for early childhood educators. That money’s just not available because it got overspent.”
November 14, 2025 at 5:06 PM
alexkoma.bsky.social
A little 2026 news: @cmcharlesallen.bsky.social has filed to run for reelection in Ward 6.

There was some speculation he'd pursue a bid for higher office next year, but that fizzled recently. Now he'll make a try for a fourth term.
November 14, 2025 at 3:52 PM
alexkoma.bsky.social
Clearly, Bowser thinks this inside look at how she handled Trump vindicates her approach...but if we get new videos every day of ICE patrolling with MPD to deport people, is it having the effect she hoped?

Not helping that she gets defensive about it at every turn:
November 13, 2025 at 6:26 PM
alexkoma.bsky.social
Since Bowser's 2023 trip is back in the news, I went through an old FOIA I filed on it. Interesting to note that Bowser's people initially told the Qataris they'd pay their own way: wonder what changed?

Also amusing to note Bowser dined with Bloomberg and Fenty in the UAE...
November 10, 2025 at 5:00 PM
alexkoma.bsky.social
This whole story is very weird. As some Green Teamers have observed to me, Bowser wouldn't need bribes to be close to Qatar: Her pal, Vinoda Basnayake, already lobbies for them a ton. Ex-chief of staff John Falcicchio worked with Qatari investors. What is the quid pro quo here?
November 7, 2025 at 3:15 PM
alexkoma.bsky.social
McDuffie is out with a statement: "At no point have I discussed, nor asked anyone on my behalf to discuss" the party switch idea. Says my story is "premised on an unfounded rumor."

Though I disagree it "lacks factual basis," considering Bonds' spox admitted this has come up...
“This story is premised entirely on an unfounded rumor—one that the reporter himself acknowledges lacks factual basis—yet it was still published. At no point have I discussed, nor asked anyone on my behalf to discuss, with Councilmember Bonds any notion of switching political parties with her. While I recognize the media’s growing interest in the upcoming mayoral race, responsible journalism requires facts, now more than ever. District residents deserve accurate reporting, not speculation, and I remain focused on doing the work they elected me to do.”
November 4, 2025 at 8:25 PM
alexkoma.bsky.social
Some major staff changes for Bowser: Lindsey Parker moves from chief of staff to Beverly Perry's old job as senior adviser; Tomas Talamante, Parker's deputy who's led Council lobbying efforts, takes over as chief.

Brian Hanlon, the head of DOB, will lead RFK development.
November 4, 2025 at 6:48 PM
alexkoma.bsky.social
This is all still a long way off from happening (and there are big doubts if it would be legal) but it would totally upend the at-large races if it does.

The big domino left to fall is still Bowser, of course. What she does may determine what comes next:
November 4, 2025 at 3:21 PM
alexkoma.bsky.social
Darrell Green is running for DC Council.

No, not the football player. (He lives in Virginia.) But a Republican with the same name has filed for the at-large seat. Maybe sharing a name with a living DC legend will help overcome the stigma GOP candidates face...
November 3, 2025 at 9:36 PM
alexkoma.bsky.social
SNAP news: Bowser says she'll use about $30 mil in contingency funds to ensure SNAP/WIC recipients get paid in November. She did something similar in the last long shutdown. Just yesterday she said she was waiting on the AG's lawsuit!
October 30, 2025 at 9:24 PM
alexkoma.bsky.social
Here's a transcript of Smith's full comments.

I get what she's saying (ie, this wasn't an order from the chief not to put the shooting in the report) but the q she's not answering: why would that officer suggest that? Wouldn't this unusual situation demand unusual transparency?
I am very much aware of the incident that happened with regard to the HSI officer discharging his firearm at a vehicle. The thought process is that he believed that the vehicle was engaging him. The individual that was in the car was engaging him, and he discharged his firearm. What I do know is that a couple of days ago, there was a Washington Post article that was written and the Washington Post was the article that actually articulated an MPD cover-up and what I will do is go on record stating that there was no cover- up. On the day of the incident, the Metropolitan Police Department received multiple calls from the media with respect to the incident. One of my lieutenants who was overseeing our comms during that time period, initially reached back out to the media and spoke to them verbally. The very next day, we created a statement to go out to local medias and some of the national medias who inquired about it. So clearly, there was no cover-up with respect to that. What I want to say, Councilmember Feldler, is that I pulled the transcript from the specific to the hearing that our Metropolitan Police Department officer had regarding this particular case that was mentioned in the Washington Post, and I'll stand ten toes down in saying there is no cover-up. What I will say is that I took some excerpts from the Washington post article and as well as the transcript, and I want to just highlight some of the things that I found. The Washington Post article stated that a DC police officer told a judge he was told by a superior not to document the shooting in a court record, a transcript of court proceedings shows, and the judge dismissed charges against the driver over a lack of evidence. The transcript from the court stated, Officer Sterling testified that he sought guidance from another officer due to all of the supervisors and managers being on the scene of the officer-involved shooting. He asked one of his colleagues, who has a bit more time in our crime suppression team. And when he was asked by the defense attorney, if Sparrow was a supervisor, he said no. And that he was a team lead. So the article that was, the information that was noted in the Washington Post was very misleading. The transcript, you'll find this comment in this statement on pages 55 and 56. The Washington Post article also stated that Sterling testified in DC Superior Court that he was told by a department leader not to mention the shooting in the court documents, a transcript of the October 21 hearing shows. The transcript from Superior Court, again, demonstrates to us that the Washington Post article is misleading. Sterling asked a fellow officer, not a supervisor, for advice on whether or not he should include the shooting and his report, and that officer said no. He was never instructed by a supervisor to not mention the shooting in the court documents. The Washington Post article also stated that he didn't mention the gunshots to the prosecutor either. I think he added that he was a little tired and he had one eye open and one eye closed. The transcript stated that Officer Sterling indicated that when the papering AUSA called him, he answered their questions. The AUSA did not bring up the office-involved shooting, and he was not asked about it. So therefore, he did not provide a response. The Washington Post article stated that the defense attorney said that she did not receive a police body camera footage ahead of the October 21st hearing, something she said was unusual. The fact is that MPD has no role in providing body-worn camera footage to a defense attorney. The videos are available on evidence.com, tagged appropriately with the incident case number, and they were accessible to the United States Attorney's Office, and that's typically how that process works. The United States attorney would have the responsibility of providing the footage to the defense attorney. The court discussion about the videos being locked down simply means that they were restricted by the internal affairs division, which happens in all of our office-involved shooting cases. Whenever there's body-worn camera footage, we restrict it specifically to those of them that have a need to know to include the U.S. Attorney's office. We provide that to them when they request it. Additionally... The case being dismissed by the judge was not based on the officer-involved shooting not being recounted in the court documents. The judge found the elements of the fleeing statue had not been met, and you can find that transcript on page 75. And I say that because the Washington Post article was very misleading, and it stated that there was a cover-up. There was no cover- up. The process that the officer used with respect to how he wrote his report is the practice of the police department prior predates me and it's still the same way today. And I take offense to the fact that folks would assume that we would cover up anything at the Metropolitan Police Department. One of the things that I'm very clear on is that if there are things that we have to do with respect to accountability, we will hold our folks accountable. But to assume that there was a cover up, and I'standing on record to say that there is no cover up with respect to that incident. And if folks could have taken the time out just 24 hours to get a copy of the transcript, then they would have known that.
October 30, 2025 at 4:41 PM
alexkoma.bsky.social
Contrast this on-the-ground approach with Bowser's, shall we say, dismissive approach to residents' concerns about ICE. Even McDuffie (for the first time) criticized immigration agents working alongside MPD.

Sure seems like some (potential) mayoral hopefuls see where the wind is blowing...
Earlier this month, a Homeland Security Investigations agent shot at an unarmed Black man in a car while patrolling with D.C. police — an incident that has sparked questions about transparency because police did not mention the gunfire in court filings. Council member Kenyan R. McDuffie (I-At Large) sent a letter to D.C. Police Chief Pamela A. Smith on Tuesday to request more information about the incident — and to also make clear that he does “not support the continued participation of Immigration and Customs Enforcement agencies like HSI in MPD-led joint task-force patrols in the District.” Asked at a housing-related event in Friendship Heights on Wednesday what she would say to residents complaining about how she has handled the situation, Bowser said, “I just talked to a lot of residents here. Nobody told me that they were upset with me. In fact, what they told me is, ‘Thank you, mayor, for your leadership during unprecedented times.’” Bowser then dismissed the council hearing as political. “I know that we have entered a political season and elections are approaching. You have council members doing very unusual things, like having hearings over issues they have no jurisdiction over,” she said. “I regard it as, the council can do what it wants to do, but obviously I’m always listening to residents.”
October 30, 2025 at 3:37 PM
alexkoma.bsky.social
More 2026 news! We have our first declared candidates in Ward 6 (Michael Murphy) and Ward 5 (Jeffrey Kihien-Palza): they'll likely be facing off with incumbents Charles Allen/Zachary Parker.

Murphy has been "exploring" a bid for a while on a tough-on-crime platform similar to the recall Allen push.
October 29, 2025 at 7:15 PM
alexkoma.bsky.social
2026 news: Candace Tiana Nelson is jumping into the at-large race, a development I've heard rumors about for months.

She's the former CoS to Janeese Lewis George/Ward 4 Democrats president, joining Oye Owolewa in the race (perhaps against Anita Bonds, if she runs again?)
October 28, 2025 at 5:50 PM
alexkoma.bsky.social
Activists and lawyers representing the man shot at by a federal agent patrolling with MPD called on the department to explain why the incident was omitted from a police report/BWC footage withheld. They also want Council to demand answers: they say have yet to hear from them.
October 28, 2025 at 3:08 PM
alexkoma.bsky.social
New: The first serious primary challenge to Eleanor Holmes Norton is shaping up to be a Robert White v. Brooke Pinto slugfest.

Is the city looking for a moderate who can negotiate with Congress on crime? Or does it need a native Washingtonian who’s willing to throw bombs?
wamu.org/story/25/10/...
October 28, 2025 at 1:43 PM
alexkoma.bsky.social
It's Reddit, so take it with a grain of salt, but: sure seems like there's another poll in the field testing McDuffie vs. Lewis George for the mayor's race.

The framing is about what you'd expect...
October 24, 2025 at 7:49 PM
alexkoma.bsky.social
How's this for consistency: About a year to the day after Phil Mendelson held a lobbyist-packed fundraiser for his constituent service fund at the Watergate, he's doing it again!

One Kenyan McDuffie, who has been in the news a bit, is special guest...
washingtoncitypaper.com/article/7522...
October 24, 2025 at 4:43 PM
alexkoma.bsky.social
As the Council's tussle with Bowser over agency overspending continues, here's City Administrator Kevin Donahue's response. In short: overspending isn't as bad as it'd seem, and the Council shares the blame, he says.

Skeptical this will go over well...
www.documentcloud.org/documents/26...
October 21, 2025 at 8:03 PM
alexkoma.bsky.social
The Council is debating Anita Bonds' amendment to make the single family home fix now. But @cmlewisgeorgew4.bsky.social also has her own amendment to strip the 2-4 unit exemption entirely:
lims.dccouncil.gov/downloads/LI...
October 21, 2025 at 5:47 PM
alexkoma.bsky.social
Hey, the Council is taking this up ~again~ today.

And @urbaninstitute has some very interesting research showing that 2-4 unit buildings make up the majority of all TOPA transactions! A very far cry from assurances that this would be a minimal change...
www.urban.org/urban-wire/d...
October 21, 2025 at 4:34 PM
alexkoma.bsky.social
As the federal layoffs continue and the shutdown stretches on, the news for DC's economy hasn't been all bad

But there are problems on the horizon, particularly as the One Big Beautiful Bill's tax/safety net cuts loom. What should city officials do? There's one main option:
wamu.org/story/25/10/...
October 21, 2025 at 2:06 PM
alexkoma.bsky.social
Remember Intralot, the company behind DC's troubled sports betting? It's also run the city's lottery system for years...at least it used to.

Its attempts to win a renewal via $67m contract have now twice been rejected. Industry giant Scientific Gaming is in line to win instead.
October 17, 2025 at 4:46 PM
alexkoma.bsky.social
There's all kinds of reasons for this (DC lacks treatment facilities for kids) but many advocates have claimed for years the agency doesn't prioritize moving kids out.

And I'll note we only have this data due to an oversight office Bowser tried to close:
washingtoncitypaper.com/article/6370...
October 16, 2025 at 7:37 PM
alexkoma.bsky.social
This report from @ccefordc.bsky.social is yet another flashing red light about conditions at DC's youth jail.
www.courtexcellence.org/news-items/y...

In short, the facility's way over capacity because DC can't find enough treatment facilities to transfer out the increasing # of kids tried as adults
October 16, 2025 at 7:34 PM