Surrounded by family and before a large audience of councilmembers and supporters, Jamal Holtz was sworn in as the newest and youngest member of the D.C. Council Monday.
Holtz was chosen by the D.C. Democratic State Party to replace Robert White on the council after White resigned so he would qualify to replace Eleanor Holmes Norton as the District’s non-voting delegate to Congress.
The Democratic party rushed Holtz’s appointment after Councilmember Christina Henderson changed her party affiliation from independent to Democrat. Henderson has now changed her affiliation back to independent.
But after his swearing in, Holtz was asked repeatedly by reporters if he would seek the permanent appointment and then run for the office in next year’s special election, a question Holtz avoided at first.
“I’ve currently accepted the role in this current state, and so that’s what my focus is for the moment,” he said.
The new councilmember eventually told reporters he will only hold the seat for a few weeks and has no plans to seek the seat.
“I have not applied for the position,” he said. “I do not plan to apply for the position.”
Prior to the swearing in, Chairman Phil Mendelson was asked why he would swear Holtz in knowing he may only serve less than a month.
“The law is clear that in the case of a Democrat at-large member who resigns, the party gets to appoint a successor, and that’s what they did. And I don’t have a choice but to go along with that. I’m not going to disagree that it’s confusing, and it certainly is unprecedented,” he said. “But as I said, the Home Rule Act says that when a when a Democrat at-large, a Democrat elected to the at-large position resigns, the party gets to fill that vacancy, and I don’t see that I have a choice, and I don’t see the value of my opining on that.”
News4 spoke to Holtz privately after the press conference. He made clear he does not want to serve as a councilmember beyond this temporary appointment and that the state party will name another temporary councilmember in as soon as four weeks.
When Holtz resigns to make way for another person to be appointed by the D.C. State Democrats, that person will serve until April 6 of next year, when a special election will be held.
Holtz will likely be the councilmember with the shortest term in history, less than 30 days.
But Tuesday he’ll be back in the chamber voting on legislation he did not attend hearings on and has only had a few days to learn about. This is all happening so fast and in such an unprecedented manner because Henderson wanted to use White’s resignation as an opportunity to switch from independent to democrat. Most people believe she wants to make that change in the likelihood she runs for higher office in the near future.
