Catania Comes Out for Mara

In this week’s column, LL reported that he saw several staffers for At-Large Councilmember David A. Catania partying at council hopeful Patrick Mara’s headquarters on election night on Sept. 9. That was noteworthy, LL wrote, because incumbent Carol Schwartz has implied that Mara’s candidacy was part of a secret conspiracy hatched by Catania.

Well, if there was a conspiracy, it’s a secret no more. Yesterday afternoon, folks around town received invitations to Mara’s general election kickoff fundraiser. And whose name is in large type in the middle of the invite? “THE HONORABLE DAVID CATANIA”! Also slated to appear at the fundraiser, scheduled for Wednesday evening at the offices of GOP lobbyist David Carmen, is former Maryland lieutenant governor Michael Steele.

Catania had no comment Tuesday. Ben Young, Catania’s chief of staff, says today that Mara only asked for Catania’s support after the primary. “David said that he would,” Young says in an e-mail.

UPDATE, 3:30 P.M.: Mara says that “in recent days, [Catania has] stepped forward. He offered to hold a fundraiser for me. We share a vision for the city.” And Steele, he says, “gave some some great advice for the primary…He said, ‘If you win, I’ll support you.”

Check after the jump for a rundown of the host committee list.

• Lynne Breaux—president, Restaurant Association Metropolitan Washington
• David M. Carmen—president and CEO, The Carmen Group; longtime Republican operative
• Kate Carr—longtime banking exec, currently president of Cardinal Bank Washington
• Bill Dean—of the MC Dean electrical contractor; one of the prime funders of the Citizens for Empowerment PAC that sent out Schwartz attack mailers
• Cherrie Doggett—widow of Leonard “Bud” Doggett, the parking mogul that was one of Mara’s early backers
• Terry Golden—chairman, Federal City Council
• Michele Hagans—president, Fort Lincoln New Town Corp.; active in Greater Washington Board of Trade
• Martin Janis—president and CEO, Atlantic Parking
• Doug Jemal—local uberdeveloper, head of Douglas Development Corp.
• David Julyan—real-estate consultant and noted political fundraiser
• Bob Kabel—chairman, D.C. Republican Committee
• Barbara B. Lang—president and CEO, D.C. Chamber of Commerce
• John Laytham—president of Clyde’s Restaurant Group
• Rusty Lindner—Georgetown-based parking and real-estate investor
• Robert A. Malson—president, D.C. Hospital Association
• John McDaniel—former CEO, MedStar Health Inc.
• Andy Ockershausen—longtime broadcasting exec at WMAL-AM, now at Comcast SportsNet
• Tony Parker—National Republican Committeeman for D.C.
• Gerry Sigal—owner and founder, Arlington-based Sigal Construction
• Marc Slavin—founder of MarcParc parking company
• George Vradenberg—former AOL bigwig, now engaged in philanthropy
• Betsy Werronen—National Republican Committeewoman for D.C.
• Roderic L. Woodson—attorney at Holland & Knight; noted political fundraiser
• Joe Yeldell—where to begin? longtime District political muckamuck, Marion Barry crony

This entry was posted on Friday, September 19th, 2008 at 2:44 pm and is filed under Carol Schwartz, DCision '08, David Catania, Politics. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.