D.C. Mayor Withdraws 911 Director Nominee Amid Council Scrutiny
Karima Holmes won’t return as 911 director for the District of Columbia’s Office of Unified Communications (OUC). Mayor Muriel Bowser (D) withdrew the controversial nomination Monday after D.C. Council members signaled they would reject confirmation. Bowser, Holmes and others fought to save the nomination before a Tuesday D.C. Council vote. Withdrawal was “overdue," D.C. 4B01 Advisory Neighborhood Commissioner Evan Yeats said in an interview: "We wasted a lot of time and energy on this fight that could have been invested in improving OUC."
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Holmes was under fire over recent audits finding problems at OUC and specific incidents where incorrect addresses and miscommunication led to dispatching delays. Holmes, who was director 2015-2021, defended the agency’s progress making improvements, at a D.C. Council Judiciary and Public Safety Committee hearing last month (see 2211100036). She said the agency had completed 20 of 31 recommendations from an October 2021 audit, which said OUC failed in many months to meet national standards for getting timely help to callers (see 2110190048).
“Director Holmes was the right leader at the right time for OUC,” said Bowser. “She improved morale in a high-stress agency that had previously suffered from chronic under-staffing. Under Director Holmes’ leadership, OUC consistently offered compassion and expertise when handling more than one million 911 calls each year -- one of the highest call rates in the nation. It is with regret that we are withdrawing her nomination and will begin a nationwide search for a new director.” Holmes will lead OUC on an interim basis for another 60 days, the mayor said.
“More than 3,300 letters of support for Director Holmes' confirmation were sent to the Council of the District of Columbia in less than 24 hours,” plus she had the backing of Bowser, police and fire chiefs and OUC employees, said OUC Chief of Staff Kelly Brown Tuesday. The 911 office linked to statements from Holmes' supporters Monday.
Bowser supported Holmes at a news conference Friday, saying she was "troubled" by the council signaling they would reject Holmes without giving her a confirmation hearing. "I nominated Karima in the spring,” the mayor said. “What's wrong with the normal process of giving this woman a hearing? She's a nationally recognized expert.” Holmes should get a hearing, D.C. police and fire chiefs agreed at the same event. Bowser made Holmes acting director in March but didn’t formally submit her nomination to the council until Sept. 16 (see 2209280058).
The criticism is unfair, Holmes said at Friday’s news conference. "I have answered every question" and "investigated every call." She said 911 centers in other states often ask her for advice, "and it's absolutely embarrassing that in my own hometown that that is not seen correctly.”
“It’s pretty rich” for Bowser to raise process concerns when she waited to submit Holmes’ nomination until September, giving the council little time to schedule a hearing, said ANC Commissioner Yeats. If Bowser wants the council to follow normal process, “transmit your resolution on time.” Holmes’ claims of progress responding to audit recommendations don’t match the auditor’s September follow-up report finding little work done (see 2209090049), he said. Yeats said he hopes the next OUC nominee will commit to being transparent and working more closely with communities.
ANC 4B06 Commissioner Tiffani Nichole Johnson received about 10 identically worded emails Sunday from people with D.C. government email addresses seeking support for Holmes, she told us. Johnson heard many ANC commissioners received the emails despite not having votes on the D.C. Council. "As an employee of the DC Office of Unified Communications we urge you to VOTE NO on the resolution that will remove Karima Holmes from her role as Interim Director of the Office of Unified Communications," said the body of one email shared by Johnson. "Why is the council meeting in secret, in a non-public meeting, on the last scheduled meeting of the year, denying us the right to participate in our democracy and allow our voices to be heard about the future of OUC. VOTE NO on the resolution to remove Karima Holmes and schedule the confirmation hearing at once!" Yeats said he got the same emails.
OUC also sent Johnson an email seeking support for Holmes, Johnson said. Bowser’s withdrawal surprised the commissioner because the mayor showed staunch support for Holmes at Friday’s news conference, said Johnson: “I wish she had done this sooner.”
“This was an important stand taken by much of the DC Council,” emailed Dave Statter, a former journalist who regularly blogs and tweets about OUC issues. “Before Holmes departed the first time, I had uncovered four deaths in 10 months where there were serious 911 mistakes … Since her return in March I've reported six more deaths where there were significant 911 failures.” The council didn’t need to hold a confirmation hearing since Holmes has a six-year record leading the agency and was able to defend herself at last month’s 911 hearing, he said.