D.C. council member Jack Evans might want to work on his online nom de plume before conducting Wikipedia edits — especially edits of his own page. Washington City Paper reports:
The longtime councilmember’s Wikipedia entry turned into a battleground [last week], when user “Evansjack1″ started deleting unflattering portions of Evans’ biography. Sections about Evans’ mayoral campaign, his purchases of sports tickets with constituent service fund money, his support for Marion Barry in the face of a Council censure, and a scandal over his use of PAC money all came in for heavy edits from the user, who claimed to be Evans himself. . . .
“I am the longest serving Councilmember in dc history,” the user wrote. “I have been a leader in revitalizing our city and have great accomplishment, none of which are mentioned. Just a lot of inaccurate accusations.”
What does Evans’s office have to say about these accusations? “Evans spokesman Tom Lipinsky refuses to say whether or not ‘Evansjack1’ is actually Evans.”
Evans has represented D.C.’s Ward 2 since 1991. Earlier this year he stepped into the city’s mayoral race, but lost in the primary. Evans is, of course, a Democrat.