February 3, 1999
Statement by Mayor Anthony A. Williams Regarding David Howard
"I met with David Howard on Wednesday, February 3rd and asked him to withdraw his resignation as Director of the Office of the Public Advocate and return to work. Mr. Howard indicated he would prefer to serve in another capacity within the Williams Administration. Mr. Howard is working with my Chief of Staff and the Office of Personnel to determine to which position and when he will return to work for the District of Columbia.
"The recently completed review of the incident confirmed for me that Mr. Howard did use the word "niggardly" but did not use a racial epithet. The review also showed that an employee of the Office of the Public Advocate did misunderstand Mr. Howard to have used a racial epithet.
"The Mayor's Office, in conjunction with the Office of Personnel and Corporation Counsel, are working together to ensure that we have effective operating procedures in place so that managers and employees can resolve issues such as this in a productive manner.
"As I said at American University on Sunday, I've been doing a lot of listening since last Tuesday. While it is important for a mayor -–or any leader – to act decisively, make bold decisions, and create sense of urgency; it is not always necessary to act hastily. I believe I acted too hastily in accepting David's resignation."
