“I’m saddened to say that I have accepted the resignation of Deputy Mayor Chris Geldart,” Bowser said at a news conference. “But I’m proud of the work we’ve done together over the last years.”
She declined to disclose what prompted Geldart to resign, other than saying “all of the questions being raised are distracting from his job and my job.” Bowser said that the resignation was a “mutual” decision and that the two had a “face to face” conversation.
Geldart’s departure was first reported by NBC4. “I no longer wanted to be a distraction to the vitally important work of the Public Safety agencies of the District government,” he told the news station.
He did not respond to requests for comment from The Washington Post.
Geldart has been on leave since early last week, when police say the personal trainer swore out a criminal complaint alleging that Geldart had grabbed him by the neck in a parking lot of a Gold’s Gym in Arlington on Oct. 1.
Geldart is scheduled to appear in court Monday for an arraignment hearing on the criminal charge.
Bowser said City Administrator Kevin Donahue will oversee D.C.’s public safety agencies until the city hires a permanent replacement. Donahue stepped in for Geldart when he was placed on leave last week.
Bowser’s office initially downplayed the assault allegation, saying in a statement that “it sounds like something that happens to a lot of people.” The mayor said Wednesday that she had not seen video footage of the assault when her office made that comment.
Video of part of the encounter shows personal trainer Dustin Woodward and Geldart pointing aggressively at each other before Geldart approaches Woodward and the two go chest to chest. Woodward alleges the deputy mayor grabbed him by the throat; the footage shows Geldart appearing to push him before Woodward shoves his arm away.
“The response was serious,” Bowser said. “But … it was about nothing.”
The altercation started when Geldart’s car door hit the car that Woodward was getting into in the parking lot, according to Woodward’s account.
“Its just a lot,” Woodward said in a statement, referring to Geldart’s resignation. “I’m not necessarily happy that he resigned. There’s a bunch of mixed emotions there.”
Soon after the incident, Geldart came under scrutiny over his residency. An Arlington County police statement on the incident said Geldart lived in Falls Church, Va., prompting concern among community leaders that the deputy mayor was violating D.C. law. Under District code, high-level appointees to the executive branch must be city residents within 180 days of appointment and remain so during their time in office.
Bowser previously said that she was aware Geldart had a home in Virginia where his family lived and that he was allowed to have a second house. On Wednesday, she said Geldart “claims to have established residency in the District” and stressed that she expects her cabinet members to be “bona fide” residents of the city.
Geldart had served since early 2021 as deputy mayor of public safety and justice, a position that involves overseeing the city’s police force, emergency and fire response, jails and other agencies tasked with keeping D.C. residents safe. He previously held roles leading the Department of Public Works and D.C.’s Homeland Security and Emergency Management Agency and was praised by the mayor for his role in the city’s early response to the coronavirus pandemic.
In 2017, he resigned from his position at the helm of D.C.’s homeland security agency over allegations that he used the office to benefit a “close personal acquaintance.” The city’s ethics board ultimately dismissed the investigation, citing insufficient evidence.
“Chris has been a very capable and effective public servant,” Bowser said Wednesday.
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