The last time we heard from former Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs Director Melinda Bolling, she was on her way to Prince George’s County. Bolling exited the D.C. government in 2018 to head the county’s Department of Permitting, Inspections, and Enforcement (essentially DCRA’s equivalent). She left two whistleblower lawsuits accusing her of retaliation and violating public records law (one of which cost D.C. taxpayers $200,000) and a host of chronic, unresolved issues in her wake.
Despite Bolling’s troublesome tenure leading DCRA, Mayor Muriel Bowser announced late last month that Bolling will serve as acting director of the Department of For Hire Vehicles. (The appointment is a bit of a switcheroo, as Bowser tapped Ernest Chrappah to replace Bolling at DCRA in 2018 while he was still serving as director of DFHV.)
Bowser originally appointed Bolling director of DCRA at the start of her first term in 2015 to reform the massive and unwieldy agency responsible for everything from issuing business licenses to enforcing building codes. But as the issues at DCRA persisted during and after Bolling’s watch, the D.C. Council voted, over Bowser’s objection, to split the agency in two last year as a step toward reform. (It’s not exactly going well.)
Bowser’s office did not respond to questions asking why the mayor believes Bolling is qualified for the job and whether she considered the allegations in the...
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