Zoning Commission pick with ties to charter school unaware of investigation

WASHINGTON (Map, News) - Mayor Adrian Fenty’s pick for the D.C. Zoning Commission said he was not aware that a federal grand jury was investigating a public charter school where he served on the board.

Geoff Griffis said school founder Brenda Williams asked him to serve on the board at Young America Works Public Charter School to help draft bylaws. He has served on the board since Williams founded the school in 2004.

“To be honest, I haven’t been active on the board,” Griffis said. “I wasn’t aware of it.”

Williams had a personal relationship with Brenda Belton, who has been accused of shuffling money to herself, her family and her friends through a series of companies during her tenure as executive director of the Board of Education’s charter school office.

Griffis, an architect who has served a tumultuous tenure as the Board of Zoning Adjustment chair, has faced an uphill challenge to his new appointment. Critics have accused Griffis of siding too often with land developers and being arrogant in his dealing with the public.

Council Member Phil Mendelson, D-at large, has been Griffis’ lead detractor. During a daylong Feb. 22 hearing over his nomination, Mendelson grilled Griffis about a dual homestead deduction he had received for at least five years on two row houses he owns in Ward 1. Griffis has denied knowledge of the dual deduction even though the tax bills included fine print referencing it were sent to both properties. Griffis said Thursday that he has corrected the situation and will pay any additional tax that he might owe.

“My mortgage company pays the taxes,” Griffis said. “I should have been more vigilant.”

Griffis also added that he will recuse himself from the March 20 BZA vote on a variance that he has sought on a mixed-use project at South Dakota Avenue and Riggs Place in Northeast. Griffis has been a consultant on the project, which is being developed by Ellis Denning Properties.

Ward 4 Advisory Neighborhood Commissioner Sarah Green said she was concerned that Griffis had appeared at a meeting on the night of Feb. 22 and failed to disclose that he also served on the BZA. ANCs voted to support the variance.

“In this case he clearly, I think he should have sent somebody else from the firm,” Green said.

cmabeus@dcexaminer.com

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