Office
of Councilmember Vincent B. Orange, Sr. (Ward - 5)
For Immediate
Release: Contact: Estell Lloyd
Tuesday, February 5 ,
2002 (202)724-8028
City Council Votes 13-0 to Request Inspector General
Charles C. Maddox to Resign
Council also asks the Mayor to investigate whether to dismiss Maddox
for cause.
WASHINGTON, D.C., February 5, 2002 –The Council
today voted 13-0 to request Inspector General Charles C. Maddox to resign. The Council voted to approve an
emergency
resolution which requests Mr. Maddox to resign or if he does not resign to
request the Mayor to investigate whether Mr. Maddox should be fired “for
cause.” The Mayor is the only entity
with the statutory authority to fire the Inspector General for cause.
The Council commended Councilmember Orange for his
careful consideration of the facts surrounding the residency, domicile, term
and qualifications of Mr. Maddox. In
addition, Council, the Mayor and the Director of the Office of Personnel
received a letter from staff of the Department of Insurance & Securities
Regulation. In the letter, the
staffmembers, who chose to remain anonymous on fear of retaliaiton, requested,
for a fifth time, that the Inspector General investigate whether the Deputy
Insurance Commissioner lives in the District.
Furthermore, a recent article in the Washington Times, states that the
Office of Inspector General has been asked to investigate whether senior
officials in the Fire and Emergency Medical Services are in compliance with the
District's residency requirements for senior staff.
All Councilmembers agreed that the Office of
Inspector General had produced quality reports, but that their confidence in
the Inspector General Maddox was shaken by the disclosure of his failure to pay
all of his taxes in the District of Columbia, and his questionable residency in
the District. Questions about his
candor, credibility, integrity and ability to perform his duties were raised by
his actions during and subsequent to a hearing held by the Committee on
Government Operations on January 17, 2002.
The resolution, states, “Because the Inspector
General should be held to the highest standard of compliance with all the laws
and regulations of the District of Columbia, the Council calls upon the Mayor
to request Mr. Maddox’s resignation or investigate whether the removal of Mr.
Maddox “for cause” is warranted.”
Councilmember Orange stated his regrets that the
Inspector General has not already tendered his resignation. A copy of the resolution approved by the
Council today is attached to this press release.