Talk:Jack Evans (Washington, D.C., politician)/Archive 1

Archive 1

Archive 2

Archive 3

WikiProject class rating

This article was automatically assessed because at least one WikiProject had rated the article as stub, and the rating on other projects was brought up to Stub class. BetacommandBot 15:37, 9 November 2007 (UTC)

Presidential election

The presidential election section seems meaningless at this point. Delete it? —Preceding unsigned comment added by KCinDC (talk • contribs) 00:48, 21 July 2008 (UTC)

Conflict of Interest

Large portions of the page have been edited by Corey Goldstone who shares the name of Jack Evans' campaign communications fellow. Bangabandhu (talk) 22:41, 3 September 2013 (UTC)

Website Replication

Recent edits have copied and pasted large portions of Jack Evans' campaign website verbatim. I am removing that material and welcome the inclusion of impartial media. ~~ — Preceding unsigned comment added by Bangabandhu (talk • contribs) 00:19, 9 January 2014 (UTC)

Again, large portions of text have been copied and pasted directly from Jack Evans's website. Please see WP:SPS and WP:C. I am going to again remove this text.Bangabandhu (talk) 00:47, 26 January 2014 (UTC)

Campaign strategy

GoCaps200 has continued to revert information about Evans's campaign strategy, as done here here and here. He has not responded to efforts to engage with him on his talk page and deleted the content. Information is well-sourced and documented. I received the following email from the user:

Gocaps200 gocaps200tj@gmail.com via wikimedia.org 10:49 PM (8 hours ago)

to Bangabandhu

Please stop posting about CM Evan's Campaign Manager. He is not public official and should be left alone. If you do so, I will make no more edits to the page. Otherwise I will not stop removing the lines you put in about him.

TJ -- This email was sent by user "Gocaps200" on the English Wikipedia to user "Bangabandhu". It has been automatically delivered and the Wikimedia Foundation cannot be held responsible for its contents.

The sender has not been given the recipient's email address, nor any information about his/her email account; and the recipient has no obligation to reply to this email or take any other action that might disclose his/her identity. If you respond, the sender will know your email address. For further information on privacy, security, and replying, as well as abuse and removal from emailing, see <http://wiki.riteme.site/wiki/Wikipedia:Email>.

I am reinserting the text. If it is reverted without explanation, I will take it up with the appropriate noticeboard.

Bangabandhu (talk) 12:19, 27 January 2014 (UTC)

Now another user Golden5430 is doing the same. Removing information. Possible Sock Puppet?deadWikipedian 16:18, 27 January 2014 (UTC) — Preceding unsigned comment added by Deadwikipedian (talk • contribs)

Josh Brown, Campaign Manager

Numerous users (all with recently created accounts) have attempted to delete the text that mentions Josh Brown as the campaign manager and his campaign strategy. This is entirely relevant and sourced in reputable media. I am going to request page protection. Bangabandhu (talk) 16:31, 27 January 2014 (UTC)

Fluff

Mentioned though they may have been in lifestyle pieces, I'm having trouble believing that such trivia as the number of square feet in Jack Evans' home or the mundane fact that each of his kids has his or her own bedroom really belong here. These pieces of information have no connection to anything Evans is noted for and seem rather WP:COATRACKish to me, unless his house really has its own notability for historical or architectural reasons. —Largo Plazo (talk) 19:49, 13 August 2014 (UTC)

COI edits

User:Evansjack1, identifying himself as Jack Evans, is removing properly cited material with the claim that it's "inaccurate" and "wrong" and explains that he's "trying to clear up the site". As the article is (allegedly) about him, he can be presumed to have a profound conflict of interest which makes it very difficult accept out of hand the sorts of edits he is making, all based on his own say-so that all of the sources are wrong. I have already posted the standard user COI warning to his talk page. I am going to revert his latest chain of changes once, and ask that he stop editing the article altogether and use this page to present his concerns and allow others to discuss and evaluate them and draw conclusions as to what changes should be made to the article. —Largo Plazo (talk) 20:46, 13 August 2014 (UTC)

I agree with this move (and was about to make it myself). Admittedly, there may be some neutrality issues with some of the information, and questionable sourcing to websites that might be presumed to have a non-neutral political leaning, but much of the information removed is fairly and neutrally sourced (including the size of his family, which this editor has chosen to change, probably greatly chagrining Mrs Evans, whose children (Evans' step-children) have been removed from the family!). WikiDan61^ChatMe!_ReadMe!! 20:56, 13 August 2014 (UTC)

I've never encountered a situation like this before. But it doesn't look like many of his edits are valid - he seems intent on removing valid, well-sourced info. The Washington City Paper is a credible source and the basis for many of the citations regarding pages of DC leaders. Most of his contributions have been reverted and constitute vandalism. Given that he is far from a "major contributor", and is likely to remain that way, is there any need for the COI tag? Why not just semi-protect the page or block single purpose accounts? Bangabandhu (talk) 04:35, 14 August 2014 (UTC)

I've already put in a block request. —Largo Plazo (talk) 04:38, 14 August 2014 (UTC)

NPOV problems

This page has some NPOV problems that should be addressed. Just a few:

"in 1978. He began practicing law in Washington D.C. at the Securities and Exchange Commission in the Division of Enforcement and currently serves as Of Counsel at Squire Patton Boggs law firm.,[6] a position for which he receives $190,000 in yearly compensation in addition to his $125,000 council salary.[7] During his time on the D.C. Council, Evans also worked as an insurance executive for Central Benefits Mutual Insurance Co. a position which paid $50,000 a year and he did not disclose to reporters.[8]"

Is it really standard form to mention his salaries? Also, the fact that he did not disclose something to reporters seems mostly irrelevant.

"In 2006, it was reported that he was living in Georgetown with his children, live-in nanny, three hamsters, and golden retriever, Kelly.[9] His 3,600 square foot rowhouse was built in 1876 and remodeled in 2011 by architect Dale Overmyer with an aim of providing each child with their own room.[13] In 2001, Evans bought another house in Delray Beach, Florida, renovated it, and vacations there.[11]"

This looks more like an attempt to paint him as rich, rather than encyclopedic information. Who cares about his house, live-in nanny and vacation home?

"In 2005, an Evans-controlled political action committee, “Jack PAC,” legally accepted unlimited donations from some of the city’s most connected lobbyists, developers, and business types. A billboard company that benefited from Evans-sponsored legislation gave $10,000. Evans disclosed that PAC money paid for travel expenses of a friend, an art gallery owner. Evans and the PAC maintained there was nothing improper about a PAC paying his friends’ way and eventually he paid for the trip out of his own pocket.[4]"

Lots of unneeded insinuation there.

That is just a few, there are more. Any thoughts on this? Seeing is this article has gotten some attention due to edits, ill hold off on a BRD style edit until concerned editors have had a chance to weight in. Bonewah (talk) 18:29, 18 August 2014 (UTC)

I'll agree that those points could be better arranged and that the organization for the page, overall, has significant room for improvement. But the content is relevant, well-sourced, and fairly worded. Perhaps additional context would explain the relevance to Evans and his career as a politician, but that might only serve to draw more attention to these points. This is especially the case with outside employment and compensation. Bangabandhu (talk) 05:33, 19 August 2014 (UTC)

I do not see that this content is relevant in any way, and see it as an example of undue weight. Why the heck would any editor think that we need to include details about pets, square footages of homes and vacation homes, and job salaries in a biography of a moderately successful person? It is a ridiculous level of personal detail that seems somehow intended to portray him as a hypocrite. Way out of line. Remove it all. Cullen³²⁸ Let's discuss it 05:44, 19 August 2014 (UTC)

I agree that sourcing isnt really the big issue here (i have not looked at all the sources, however). I disagree that the content in question is either relevant or fairly worded, however. I also note that Largo Plazo expressed a similar concern in the talk section "fluff" above. Bonewah (talk) 13:05, 19 August 2014 (UTC)

Yes, I don't even disagree with Evansjack1 over the appropriateness of some of the material that's here. My issue with him was (and remains, per his post-block activity this morning) his refusal to pay attention to anybody about how he needed to be dealing with this topic, which was to have been the one to initiate this discussion here. As far as I'm concerned, the entire business about his house as it was in 2006 can go away. On the other hand, I do see the relevance of his sources of income. There is certainly public consensus that this is important; isn't that why political office holders are supposed to disclose their financial information? —Largo Plazo (talk) 15:16, 19 August 2014 (UTC)

Im not going to opine about the behavior of Evansjack1, although im inclined to agree with you. As for the article, id say there is at least some consensus to change the article, although the specifics are up for debate. Lets give Bangabandhu a chance to respond before editing. Bonewah (talk) 16:50, 19 August 2014 (UTC)

The tone occasionally lapses into snark, and some of the info, while sourced, isn't much better than gossip. Needs cleanup. Let's all work on this (uh, but not you, Jack!). JohnInDC (talk) 17:06, 19 August 2014 (UTC)

Again, I think that the organization of the article has room for improvement, but I think the content is relevant and appropriate for inclusion. Though adding explanation about the context and relevance could be counterproductive, as it would actually give more attention to those points.

As for the house, it has been used as a sort of campaign prop, reported in the WP , and the subject of architectural review

The part about his animals, while inappropriately placed in the third paragraph, is relevant. The page for Barack Obama, for example, describes his two dogs, by name, with their year of acquisition.

As for the part about outside employment, it is an important issue in DC politics and a frequent topic of debate and scrutiny. See here, here and here among many other sources and references.Bangabandhu (talk) 22:58, 19 August 2014 (UTC)

The house and the pets are silly details, trivial. Presidential dogs have been of interest to the public since at least Fala. Councilmembers' hamsters have not. In this article, that and the house details are just fluff - as I said above, barely above gossip. Even if it is suitably sourced, it fails WP:UNDUE - as does a lot of what remains in the article. It needs to be gone through with a stiff brush and have some of these knots taken out! JohnInDC (talk) 00:36, 20 August 2014 (UTC)

I'd add that, while I believe that the Washington City Paper qualifies as a reliable source, and is far better than the "satire magazine" described by Evans above (or wherever, and taking him at his word that that is him), the paper's articles are often extended opinion pieces rather than hard, dry, neutral reporting. Indeed over the years the paper has demonstrated a particular skill for identifying the foibles, hypocrisies and unwarranted indulgences of the famous and powerful, including local politicians. I have no particular beef with its coverage, but given its broad approach to these issues, relying on it as for sourcing as strongly as this article does, in its current iteration, almost can't help but result in an article that's overloaded with snark, insinuation, and trivia. Again it is not a matter of sourcing but of weight. The article as it stands needs to be cleaned up and pared of that kind of cruft. JohnInDC (talk) 00:53, 20 August 2014 (UTC)

OK i made a pass through to clean up some trivia and marginally NPOV stuff. It could still use more work, in my opinion. Bonewah (talk) 13:06, 20 August 2014 (UTC)

I have no problem with your edits. JohnInDC (talk) 13:16, 20 August 2014 (UTC)

JohnInDC your edits significantly improved the article and made it much more readable. Some Bonewah removed important detail. Bangabandhu (talk) 14:05, 20 August 2014 (UTC)

Can you be more specific? Bonewah (talk) 14:09, 20 August 2014 (UTC)

I'm going to restore the information that I think is relevant, pertinent and well-sourced. I will do my best not to reduce the readability, which has significantly improved. Bangabandhu (talk) 00:26, 28 August 2014 (UTC)

Is undue attention being paid to this person??

Coming to this article with no knowledge of its previous history or of Mr. Evans, my impression is "why so much information?"

Aside from the quality/reliability of the information (about which I have no opinion and no knowledge), how many local politicians in the U.S.A. warrant this much attention in an encyclopedia? CBHA (talk)` — Preceding undated comment added 04:55, 20 August 2014 (UTC)

Good question. I'd note that he's not a council member in just any town, but in Washington DC, whose local governance is routinely covered in one of the few US papers of national circulation, the Washington Post. DC's mayors are pretty well covered, and each of the current members of the council has an article as well. Then too I am guessing that DC is loaded with folks with high verbal skills and political inclinations, so there's no shortage of people who are willing to write the articles, and eager to - improve - them. But you make a good point and I wonder if perhaps some of the more in-the-weeds material here is too much, given that this is in most respects, just a local position. JohnInDC (talk) 10:21, 20 August 2014 (UTC)

It is not "just a local position". Given DC's unique status, the DC council effectively serves the role of a state, county, and municipal legislature. There are few local legislatures with oversight of a budget of $7 billion. The media attention is appropriate to its role. As for the disproportionate length of Evans' page compared to other DC Councilmembers, that is an argument for expanding their pages, not reducing Evans' Bangabandhu (talk) 13:56, 20 August 2014 (UTC)

It is an open issue whether DC is equivalent to a state. Also the acts of state legislatures are not subject to Congressional veto. But I agree that these are more than just small scale municipal positions. JohnInDC (talk) 15:03, 20 August 2014 (UTC)

also, who is bangabandhu. That person is against changing anything and may be the source of the problem — Preceding unsigned comment added by Evansjack1 (talk • contribs)

It doesn't matter, and you should assume good faith anyhow.. We're working through this and in fact have made a lot of progress. JohnInDC (talk) 19:53, 20 August 2014 (UTC)

I'd like to draw attention to the above comment. Of course, it runs counter to the wikipedia policy of anonymity. But it is especially disconcerting coming from someone who has previously hired a private investigator and successfully intimidated his target. Bangabandhu (talk) 00:20, 28 August 2014 (UTC)

John Hanrahan is "a fucking idiot"

The sentence:

"Evans backed the Walter E. Washington Convention Center construction.[17] Evans recused himself from a 2009 vote on public financing for a new convention center hotel. Journalists identified possible connections between Evans, his law firm, and financier ING,[32] and Evans called journalist John Hanrahan "a fucking idiot" after he started the website stealalittle.com to highlight the case.[33][34] Evans was called on to apologize by local media for the outburst.[35]"

seems to be of questionable relevance to me. The sourcing is all marginal, either blogs or the local papers and the whole thing seems like a battle of words and not much else. Id say remove it, but id like more opinions. Bonewah (talk) 13:09, 20 August 2014 (UTC)

The outburst strikes me as a silly thing, embarrassing more than noteworthy, and not worth including. I'm not sure how important the whole recusal issue was either but am agnostic on that. JohnInDC (talk) 13:20, 20 August 2014 (UTC)

It is noteworthy, well-sourced, relevant. Can add additional citations if necessary. Bangabandhu (talk) 13:55, 20 August 2014 (UTC)

More sources only if it helps explain why this episode is more than ordinary political noise. Did anything but thunder ever come of it? JohnInDC (talk) 14:55, 20 August 2014 (UTC)

stealaliitle.com - what looks like a non-RS blog - not updated since 2011. JohnInDC (talk) 14:58, 20 August 2014 (UTC)

It was not an outburst. It was an off handed comment made in my office in front of will sommer of the city paper. He should not have used it. But did anyway. Such is the ethics of the reporter and the paper. — Preceding unsigned comment added by Evansjack1 (talk • contribs)

It's trivia, wrapped in innuendo, and not appropriate for a WP:BLP. I support its removal. --Anthonyhcole (talk · contribs · email) 00:33, 21 August 2014 (UTC)

I don't see any reason to keep it but am stuck on a phone, if someone wants to make the edit. JohnInDC (talk) 00:52, 21 August 2014 (UTC)

Done. --Anthonyhcole (talk · contribs · email) 00:59, 21 August 2014 (UTC)

I don't see the argument for its exclusion, besides the fact that Evansjack1 finds it unpalatable. The statement isn't sourced to stealalittle.com, but referenced elsewhere. Even if we object to using that language, the larger concerns about potential conflicts of interest between his various business dealings and a failure to recuse are critical for inclusion. Bangabandhu (talk) 00:49, 28 August 2014 (UTC)

Attorney General

This sentence:

Evans led efforts to postpone the direct election of the Attorney General of the District of Columbia.[17][36][37] Previously appointed by the Mayor, more than 75% of D.C. voters approved a charter amendment in 2010 to make the D.C. attorney general an elected position starting in 2014.[37][36] Explaining that "we are just not ready for this" and that there were no candidates, Evans's July 2012 legislation postponed the election of attorney general to 2018. Council Chairman Phil Mendelson called the vote "an embarrassment."[37][36] In June 2014, an appeals court declared the legislation illegal and that the vote had to occur.[38]

Is well sourced, but i feel the relevance is fairly marginal. Any thoughts on this? Bonewah (talk) 13:37, 20 August 2014 (UTC)

I am guessing that in 22 years Evans has voted on a lot of things that earned scornful comments from colleagues. I'm not sure why this is any more noteworthy. But I'm willing to be convinced - JohnInDC (talk) 13:46, 20 August 2014 (UTC)

What's noteworthy is his position on the Attorney General of the District of Columbia issue. The popular vote for an elected AG was postponed and required multiple appeals before the legislation was overturned. I can understand the exclusion of the Mendelson comment, which may be unnecessary detail, though could add additional context. But the issue overall is highly relevant and the direct election of an AG is a major change in DC politics (as it is in most jurisdictions). Its not just something he voted on, but an issue he pursued and legislation he introduced. Bangabandhu (talk) 16:47, 2 September 2014 (UTC)

Are there any concerns about restoring this text, perhaps excluding the "scornful" quote?-Bangabandhu (talk) 21:14, 3 September 2014 (UTC)

It is certainly less - acerbic without that quote, but I find myself wondering why this particular bit of legislation or that particular one find their way into the article while (almost certainly) many others from other years on the council aren't included as well. Why this one? JohnInDC (talk) 22:06, 3 September 2014 (UTC)

I think this section, overall, should be expanded, and including this paragraph is one step toward that goal. I don't know what the threshold is for inclusion, but his action on this issue is certainly as noteworthy as the other points that were not questioned or deleted. -Bangabandhu (talk) 03:59, 4 September 2014 (UTC)

If that is the plan then perhaps it would be better to figure out what to add to this section first, rather than adding things piecemeal. That's not to say that the section would have to be fully-formed and complete before we add this one back in, but at least then we'd have a start. Also I confess that from the outset the real thrust of this particular item has struck me as something like, "Evans ignores democratically-expressed will of voters, spearheads unlawful legislation and is insulted by fellow council member". You pretty much lose sight of the fact that the legislation won the support of a majority of the council - it passed after all. Stripped of the insinuation, the paragraph becomes kind of simple, and underscores the question, why this? "In July 2012, Evans sponsored legislation to delay for one election cycle the direct election of DC's attorney general. Voters had previously approved a charter amendment making the post an elected, rather than appointed, position. Evans expressed concern that the city was not ready for the scheduled 2014 vote, noting among other things that no candidates had emerged for the position. Evans's bill was passed the council by a vote of [whatever]. Subsequently, a federal appeals court invalidated the legislation and ordered that the vote take place as scheduled." (I rewrote this without reference to the sources BTW and don't know if everything I said is correct.) JohnInDC (talk) 11:08, 4 September 2014 (UTC)

I didn't choose that wording to make Evans look bad, I thought it was a fair representation of the issue. I'd accept the way you've phrased it. Though it's not clear to me why the notability is an issue, other than that there are other bills that he has (likely) proposed during his tenure currently unmentioned. Rather than excluding this point, let's continue to add those. -Bangabandhu (talk) 09:08, 6 September 2014 (UTC)

As I said above, let's not add piecemeal. Those sorts of undertakings often die on the vine. What else would you add? JohnInDC (talk) 11:27, 6 September 2014 (UTC)

Well I think the other text that was in this section should be restored, but discussion over those points would be even more acrimonious. If we've got acceptable text, I do not see the reason to exclude it. Perhaps someone else could weigh in on this approach? I would be interested in seeing where else it has been applied. Requiring the completion of an entire section before it is included seems to run counter to the spirit of a collaborative, iterative editing process that is central to Wikipedia. And excluding additional text that is acceptable gives undue weight to the text that happens to be already included. Should we delete that text, too, since we're waiting for the entire section to be completed? Bangabandhu (talk) 14:39, 16 September 2014 (UTC)

I think, if you're proposing to reinsert a somewhat contentious paragraph on the ground that several other paragraphs will one day be added to the section too and thereby and dilute the effect of this one, then it's incumbent on you to get the ball rolling rather than expect that it will just sort of happen in the natural order of things. JohnInDC (talk) 15:47, 16 September 2014 (UTC)

Is it a contentious paragraph? I've accepted your version, which is drastically changed from the original. It seems that the only contentious aspect is whether we should delay improving the article because it is a piecemeal approach. If that were custom in Wikipedia, few articles would get anywhere. Bangabandhu (talk) 16:05, 16 September 2014 (UTC)

I'm going to get the ball rolling on expanding that section by restoring this point. I'll use your wording. Bangabandhu (talk) 02:16, 23 September 2014 (UTC)

"was raised by his parents"

"Evans was born in Nanticoke, Pennsylvania and was raised by his parents who were a florist and school teacher."

It seems to me unnecessary verbiage to state that someone "was raised by his parents", except perhaps in very special cases where there is doubt about the matter. CBHA (talk) 13:59, 20 August 2014 (UTC)

Agree. JohnInDC (talk) 14:59, 20 August 2014 (UTC)

Agree but it is common in Wikipedia articles to say something about the parents of the subject of an article, generally name and/or occupation. So I would just get rid of the silly "raised by" part: "Evans was born ..., the son of a florist and a school teacher." —Largo Plazo (talk) 15:01, 20 August 2014 (UTC)

Sounds good, go for it. Bonewah (talk) 15:15, 20 August 2014 (UTC)

Thanks. I made that edit.

The source used to support Evans' birthplace and his parents info is http://www.washingtoncitypaper.com/articles/41762/is-jack-evans-actually-making-the-dc-council-better/full/. This is a very wordy opinion piece, approximately 99.7% of which is not relevant to the few facts it is used to support. Is there a less verbose source for the basic facts? CBHA (talk) 16:19, 20 August 2014 (UTC)

Josh Brown

there is no reason to have josh browns name Notin this page. No other politician page including the president mentions the campaign manager. Please delete. It is irrelevant — Preceding unsigned comment added by Evansjack1 (talk • contribs)

It's quite possible that I'm overlooking some subtle criticism that is implied by the inclusion of this name but to me it reads like a simple part of the narrative. What I mean to say is, unlike a lot of the other material that has been excised, I don't see what's wrong with this. JohnInDC (talk) 02:53, 21 August 2014 (UTC)

(While it's always good to keep WP:OTHERSTUFFEXISTS in mind, (tl;dr - comparisons to other articles is not a powerful argument), I'll still note that Barack_Obama_presidential_campaign,_2008 and Barack_Obama_presidential_campaign,_2012 both mention his campaign managers.) JohnInDC (talk) 03:04, 21 August 2014 (UTC)

I note from the edit summary that Evansjack1 is also suggesting that the material re the constituent services fund be removed. That brief discussion doesn't trouble me as much as, oh, the "non-volunteer volunteer" matter that's been removed, which was just silly. The fund issue is one of the few that percolated up to the Washington Post; and it's not like WP:BLP demands that the article be purged of all criticism. That being said, this (like Josh Brown) is only the way I'm leaning, so others please weigh in. JohnInDC (talk) 03:11, 21 August 2014 (UTC)

I've significantly trimmed that section of ephemera. [1] I notice Evansjack1 has been blocked again - this time for 60 hours. I don't see the point of that, really. Councilman, you should be able to leave messages on your talk page, if you'd like to discuss the article further before your block is lifted. --Anthonyhcole (talk · contribs · email) 02:45, 22 August 2014 (UTC)

The point of the block is his unrelenting, disruptive COI editing of the article (instead of using the Talk page to air his concerns), a nuisance for all the editors who keep reverting them, in complete disregard of a previous block and numerous warnings. —Largo Plazo (talk) 03:05, 22 August 2014 (UTC)

(edit conflict) I suppose he was blocked for persisting in removing unfavorable information from an article about himself, changes that were under active discussion and which had not achieved consensus. I've been, I think, fairly sympathetic to his concerns but I was frankly surprised that he wasn't blocked sooner.

He has reiterated (on his Talk page) his request that the constituent services fund issue also be removed, and so far I don't agree. It is sourced beyond the City Paper, it's neutrally stated and gives his position the last word. It is also now the only remotely negative thing about him in the entire article. If it's going to be removed, it should be for a better reason than the subject doesn't like seeing it there. JohnInDC (talk) 03:21, 22 August 2014 (UTC)

I misspoke above. The constituent fund was not sourced at all to the City Paper, but entirely to the Washington Post - a higher quality source, and one far less concerned with embarrassing politicians for its own sake. I'd note too that these concerns were sufficiently weighty that the Office of Campaign Finance opened an inquiry, just a year ago, into the matter. They apparently found no problem (plainly stated in this article), but the fact that they didn't dismiss the concern out of hand further suggests that this episode - as fleeting as it may have been - was more than just a cheap shot gotcha of the kind that the article had previously been overweighted with. JohnInDC (talk) 03:36, 22 August 2014 (UTC)

We don't usually report unsubstantiated insinuations of impropriety unless the claims reached a very high level of visibility. Then we report them only so readers who are aware of the innuendos are left in no doubt that there was no formal finding of impropriety or illegality. It's a question of walking the fine line between compounding the harm by repeating the innuendo and setting the record straight. Was this a massive scandal that most DC readers are likely to have heard about? --Anthonyhcole (talk · contribs · email) 10:56, 22 August 2014 (UTC)

"Massive scandal", no, not at all. But I remembered the issue as soon as I saw it here, unlike (e.g.) the volunteers-who-weren't, or the hamsters & nanny, or the Georgetown expansion plan. All of those struck me like contrived controversies, written up almost for the sport of writing up something to put the candidate in an awkward spot. None of those should have been in the article in the first place, and if I wasn't the one to take them out I support whichever editor did. This particular episode however, while brief, did receive coverage in the actual daily newspaper and resulted in a (perhaps pro forma) investigation, and as such strikes me as more than some reporter's invention. I guess finally I am growing concerned that in the effort to make the article balanced (it was plainly not before), we are unbalancing it by removing unhappy material that the subject complains of as "minor" and "irrelevant" but leaving in other material that may be of equal un-importance, like the Democratic Convention stuff (who cares) or friendly quotes about the subject's positions on LGBT or development matters. The article is not supposed to read like a bio published by the councilman's office and I worry it's going to wind up that way. JohnInDC (talk) 11:48, 22 August 2014 (UTC)

Also, the way I read the description in this article is not as an allegation of impropriety but rather as criticism of the subject's judgment. The issue was not that the funds were being misappropriated or unlawfully abused but rather that "sporting events" did not seem quite to fit within the intention of the funds. Evans's explanation seems to address that issue however, and the outcome of the later investigation seems to cap that off nicely. Nothing came of it but that doesn't mean it never happened, and this is not such a scurrilous claim that it must be left out on BLP grounds. At least not by my reading. JohnInDC (talk) 11:54, 22 August 2014 (UTC)

I apologize for carrying on, but this one article (which is included as a source) pretty well sums up the whole tenor of the thing: link. JohnInDC (talk) 11:58, 22 August 2014 (UTC)

Given the minimal coverage of the constituent services fund issue, and given that there has been no formal finding of impropriety or illegality, I believe it is inappropriate for us to repeat it, and ask that it be deleted from the article. --Anthonyhcole (talk · contribs · email) 10:55, 23 August 2014 (UTC)

By the same token we should remove favorable items that likewise received minimal attention, unless we are prepared to accept a generally positive bias in our articles of living persons. This episode is hardly such a black mark on the guy's record that it needs to be excised or that it's monumentally unfair to include it. I reiterate my concern that, by going through the article and removing, upon the request of the subject, pretty much all the material that the subject asks to be removed (as well as considering the addition of material that he wants to see added), we are effectively allowing him not simply to vet but to write the article. I absolutely want to be fair to Evans (I think my edits and comments have made that clear) but I want to do right by the encyclopedia too. (Oh, I'd like to repeat here what I said on Evansjack1's Talk page, which is that the sentence about the GLAA rating here is indeed misleading - sourcing notwithstanding, and I would advocate its removal. Indeed, better that than adding a paragraph about how favorably Evans has been rated on that issue over the years.) JohnInDC (talk) 13:58, 23 August 2014 (UTC)

I'm not seeing any undue favourable mentions there, John. (I just de-puffed a bit [2]). It looks pretty neutral to me. We don't have to strip everything that makes the person look good from their article, or balance it with a negative jibe. They're allowed to look good, if we can't come up with anything actually bad worth reporting. And the constituent services thing is pure negative innuendo, and not appropriate for an encyclopedia biography IMO. If we're not going to agree on this, do you mind if I ask for more eyes at the biographies noticeboard? --Anthonyhcole (talk · contribs · email) 21:43, 23 August 2014 (UTC)

Please do, yes. I'd be happy for someone to assuage my concerns. (Well, I guess I mean "more someones" so I hope you don't take it personally!) JohnInDC (talk) 22:09, 23 August 2014 (UTC)

Actually, JohnInDC, I've just taken a bit more puff out.[3] How do you feel about removing the constituent services reference now? I think the LGBT and sports have to stay because they seem to be defining positions for the councilman ... though, the subheading for the latter ("Jobs and economic development") is puffy. Does that section even need subheadings? --Anthonyhcole (talk · contribs · email) 22:15, 23 August 2014 (UTC)

With that material now out, the constituent fund issue looks out of place - a descent into something small in a higher-level article - and so no, I would not object. Thanks for your understanding and good work in finding a good balance. And no, I don't think it needs subheadings. JohnInDC (talk) 13:08, 24 August 2014 (UTC)

How do I get the desktop off Evansjack1 (talk) 16:11, 24 August 2014 (UTC)

I've removed the constituent services fund text. Is that what you're asking about, Evansjack1? --Anthonyhcole (talk · contribs · email) 14:33, 27 August 2014 (UTC)

I think that this matter should be escalated. To say that the text about Evans' use of his constituent services fund "is pure negative innuendo" is a gross mischaracterization. I am going to restore and hope that the language is acceptable. I will admit that I am an inclusionist about most things on Wikipedia. That's especially my attitude on matters like this, which is far from an arcane reference, but important to the topic.Bangabandhu (talk) 01:01, 28 August 2014 (UTC)

Please don't restore any of it. Other than the constituent services fund issue, all the editors but you are in agreement. If you restore it I will remove it as contrary to consensus. Thanks. JohnInDC (talk) 01:03, 28 August 2014 (UTC)

I've read this thread. The rationale seems to be that questionable exclusions make other content out of place, which then justifies still further cuts and exclusions. How is that acceptable? We are left with a version that the Councilmember has vetted and approved, basically a copy of his council website, which is already the (legitimate?) source for many of the citations. Bangabandhu (talk) 01:14, 28 August 2014 (UTC)

Three disinterested editors agreed that the original article was inappropriately laden with insinuations, innuendo and spurious claims about Evans, his personal life, and political foibles. Three disinterested editors - yes with the encouragement of the subject, but disinterested all the same - removed the objectionable material, and also whittled down extraneous material that happened to be favorable. You may not agree with the edits but, again other than the constituent services fund issue which all editors undertook to resolve in good faith, all three disinterested editors were fine with the changes. You can't come in now, express general disagreement, and change it all back. If you want to make changes, persuade someone to go along. Making them unilaterally would be problematic. Thanks. JohnInDC (talk) 01:20, 28 August 2014 (UTC)

This disinterested editor said clearly that the constituent services episode shouldn't be removed. It's 2 to 2. This is not a consensus for deletion. —Largo Plazo (talk) 01:46, 28 August 2014 (UTC)

I acknowledged that. I was speaking more broadly; it's not clear from his comment under this subheading, but if you look at Bang's comments here this evening, he appears prepared to restore quite a bit of the material that several of us agreed was over the top. That's what I object to. JohnInDC (talk) 01:52, 28 August 2014 (UTC)

We edit biographies conservatively. But if you're not content with the status quo, consider inviting others at the biographies noticeboard to review the article and this talk page, and share their thoughts. --Anthonyhcole (talk · contribs · email) 15:28, 28 August 2014 (UTC)

Can you elaborate on what you mean by editing "conservatively"? I'm confused. Bangabandhu (talk) 21:42, 28 August 2014 (UTC)

To return this discussion to the thread heading, there were three versions of how to describe Evans' campaign strategy. The first version: Evans appointed Josh Brown as his campaign manager. Brown has said that his strategy is to plaster the city with Evans signs to make "this city to look like it barfed up Jack Evans." Second version: Campaign manager Josh Brown said that his strategy was to plaster the city with Evans signs to make "this city to look like it barfed up Jack Evans." Third version: Campaign manager Josh Brown said that his strategy was to plaster the city with Evans signs. I am indifferent to which version is used (though I find the first unnecessarily wordy), but think this is of equal or greater importance to the points currently in the text describing the campaign. -Bangabandhu (talk) 06:16, 28 September 2014 (UTC)

I previously did not object to this material but have come to appreciate that material on the campaign "strategy" of a thirdfourth-place finisher in a concluded mayoral campaign, devised by a redlink campaign manager, is trivial by any definition and beneath inclusion here. Even if for a couple of weeks it was current in DC. If David Axelrod or James Carville had offered to help out - maybe then. It was removed previously, without meaningful objection, when the article received its well needed cleanup. It should not be restored. JohnInDC (talk) 11:41, 28 September 2014 (UTC)

Your specific objection (or your reversal to your current position) is not clear to me. It seems that you are you saying that Josh Brown is not notable for inclusion in the article, but a higher-profile manager would be? Brown's specific position really doesn't make a difference. What is significant is that these citations are the best representation of the campaign's strategy. It is critical that the campaign strategy be included, especially when there are far less noteworthy points such as fundraising milestones and petition signature timelines already in this section. Bangabandhu (talk) 17:08, 28 September 2014 (UTC)

My objection is that I cannot imagine a sensible reason to clutter a Wikipedia article with a description of a fourth-place campaign strategy devised by a non-notable campaign manager for a primary election that has since passed, and which strategy does not seem to be more complex than "put up loads of flyers". The rest of the previously removed paragraph - about "loopholes" and "funding" - suffers the same "what's this sneaky character up to now?" tone that infected earlier versions of this article. JohnInDC (talk) 18:33, 28 September 2014 (UTC)

I understand your the concern that other material may have been non-noteworthy and could have been phrased to negatively characterize Evans. But I think we should judge each point on its own merits and not exclude important content simply because other, less important content, was purged. Can you explain the justification for including the mention of fundraising and signature milestones in the 2014 election and not strategy? The loopholes and funding sources, as you rightly point out, are more questionable and not of the same notability, and I can understand the reasoning why those would be excluded. Bangabandhu (talk) 18:52, 28 September 2014 (UTC)

Another point on this - I think if clutter is really a concern, and it ought to be, the long list of neighborhoods Evans represents would be one of the first things to be removed. As I see it, the list doesn't really add anything to the article and if readers are interested they can click on the Ward 2 link. Bangabandhu (talk) 03:33, 30 September 2014 (UTC)

A reader who comes to this page without knowledge of DC's Ward system might find it helpful to understand (roughly) what area of the city Evans represents - Georgetown, Dupont, Chinatown, Downtown, Foggy Bottom. I agree that the list probably doesn't need to be quite so comprehensive. I removed the sentence about Josh Brown that you inserted, not because it's particularly contentious but because 1) who is Josh Brown; 2) why are we naming him, and 3) what do we possibly add to the article by describing a campaign "strategy" of putting up posters? Again, just because a thing is reported at some point during a campaign doesn't make that thing worthy of inclusion. It is hard to imagine a more trivial factoid than this. JohnInDC (talk) 11:28, 30 September 2014 (UTC)

I have to agree with point 3. Noting that putting up campaign posters was part of a candidate's campaign strategy is a little like noting that Jack Evans was raised by his parents. —Largo Plazo (talk) 11:49, 30 September 2014 (UTC)

I respect consensus on this, but it's not a trivial point. The signage is noteworthy and generated significant media attention. Evans had more signs than any other candidate (NBC4). The campaign boasted about their signs and they were acknowledged as eye-catching (Washington Post). While other coverage noted that the signs were nonsensical (Washington Post) If the campaign had made its strategy to, say, reach the east of the river Wards, that would be noteworthy. But the strategy was to put signs everywhere, or put less elegantly, "make the city look like it barfed up Jack Evans." I don't know the best wording, but I don't see the rationale for excluding this point. Bangabandhu (talk) 20:31, 11 October 2014 (UTC)

No. This is silly. One of the candidates had to put up more signs than the others. That doesn't elevate the signs above the trivial "strategy" that they are; nor does the observation that a candidate's slogan, when parsed for meaning, comes up wanting. As I've said before, Wikipedia articles are not a repository for every single thing that's ever been said about the subject. At some point you have to evaluate what's worth keeping and what isn't. And this isn't. JohnInDC (talk) 00:59, 12 October 2014 (UTC)

Just to flog this point a little further, not one of the articles you cite is actually about Evans or his signs. The first ("Evans had more signs than anyone else") is a 90 second Tom Sherwood piece on all the candidate's signage. Evans is the third of four candidates mentioned by name, and he comes more than halfway in. The second article ("acknowledged as eye-catching") was, like the Sherwood piece, a survey of all of the candidates' signs. It is a 16 paragraph article. Evans is mentioned for the first time in the 12th paragraph, the 7th of 8 candidates mentioned by name. The last article ("nonsensical") expressly disclaims the intention to single out Evans: "I don’t mean to pick on Evans. His signs are part of a far more pervasive trend." The point of the article wasn't that some vaunted, edgy new strategy by Evans was turning out to be an incoherent bust, but rather, that his signs were symptomatic of a larger trend in political signage toward meaningless hashtag phrasing. Let's move on. JohnInDC (talk) 02:54, 12 October 2014 (UTC)

I don't understand how you can insist this is trivial. If this were about bumperstickers or pins or something that had no relevance or notability, you'd be right. There's no indication that those are any more than trivial. But you're imposing your own assessment of what is trivial in this case. Clearly, with all that media attention toward signage, this is not a trivial point, by a longshot. Evans is not the exclusive subject of those article, but what difference does that make? Few citations would be included in wikipedia if that threshold were followed. Here's coverage specifically about Evans and the core role that signage plays on his campaign. Given that RS, it may make more sense to place this elsewhere, not the 2014 campaign paragraph. Anyone coming to the page would want to know, "what are some important features of JE's campaign?" its difficult to provide anything resembling a complete answer without mentioning signs. Its not for us to impose our own assessments about meaningful election strategies, but just follow where the sources lead. Bangabandhu (talk) 16:45, 12 October 2014 (UTC)

Because the sources you cite don't single out Evans for any of this. They talk about Vincent Gray's signs, and Vincent Orange's signs, Muriel Bowser's signs, Christian Carter's signs, and Andy's Shallal's, and Tommy Wells's. Then they get to Evans. Because Evans had signs too. These are articles about signs. They are not articles about Evans, or Evans's signs, or his political campaigns or strategy or anything noteworthy that Evans did. They are are articles about the signs that every politician in every borough and township in the country puts up when they are hoping to win public office. If Evans had pledged not to put up signs, and had stuck to it - now that's interesting. That is different. That is a novel strategy. Describing that here would add for the reader a dimension of understanding of Evans's campaign. Reciting that Evans put up signs adds nothing. Like Largo said, adding a sentence that Evans's "strategy" was to put up lots of campaign signs is like saying he was raised by his parents. It's not only trivial but it does - and should - literally "go without saying". JohnInDC (talk) 17:12, 12 October 2014 (UTC)

That's helpful in understanding what you meant by trivial. What isn't clear to me now is why the point that he had more street signs than any other candidate doesn't qualify as "interesting". Surely, putting up the most signs is in the same class as not putting up any. Bangabandhu (talk) 21:32, 12 October 2014 (UTC)

In the same class? Not even remotely, in my opinion. "Most campaign signs in arbitrary local election X" isn't exactly a Guinness-calibre record. Except by coincidence, if you counted all the signs put up by the candidates in any election, you'd find one had the most. This is mundane and uninteresting. As a strategy, it isn't exactly a paradigm shift. It isn't something that I can imagine someone reading the article feeling enlightened for having learned.— Preceding unsigned comment added by Largoplazo (talk • contribs) 22:35, 12 October 2014‎

It's trivia. It doesn't belong in an encyclopedia article. --Anthonyhcole (talk · contribs · email) 22:47, 12 October 2014 (UTC)

Alright. Though I don't understand how this text "Evans served at the 1992, 1996, 2000, 2004, 2008, 2012 Democratic National Conventions, as well as 2004 Howard Dean DC Co-Chair; 1992 & 1996 Bill Clinton DC Co-Chair; 2008 Hillary Clinton DC Co-Chair; and DC Democratic Party Treasurer from 1988-1991." is any more significant. Is that something that you imagine someone reading the article feeling enlightened for having learned? Do the thousands of convention attendees also have that point noted on their pages? I think it is important that whatever the standard for triviality, it should be applied uniformly throughout the article. At the risk of getting us off track, the sourcing for that content is his page on the council website which is a mirror of his personal website. Acceptable? Bangabandhu (talk) 03:11, 13 October 2014 (UTC)

Bang, are you claiming that the official DC council website is not reliable for basic facts about its members? I reverted your tag. Otherwise, yes, I am perfectly willing to suggest that serving as the local co-chair for several Democratic presidential campaigns is significant, as are the six consecutive DNC appearances, are "non-trivial". The explanation for this really should go without saying too, but since you asked, I will offer that these facts inform the reader, among other things, that Evans 1) has a broader political perspective than just DC; 2) that he has acted on this broader approach for at least 20 years; and 3) that sometimes he supports someone other than the winning candidate. I would not have to see a sentence in a Wikipedia article saying "Evans put up lots of campaign signs" to suppose that when he sought to become mayor, Evans put up a lot of campaign signs. Without the information about his Democratic Party activities, however, I would really have no idea what kind of Democrat Evans is. JohnInDC (talk) 03:37, 13 October 2014 (UTC)

Reading the Council page, yes, there's reason to doubt it. The first thing that I notice is that it says he's 57. In fact, he's 60. Apart from the fact that the text is copied verbatim from that page, I would think that there should also be concerns about readability. I don't agree with your appraisal of the significance of attending the conventions, though I agree that we do need to explain more about what kind of Democrat he is. Bangabandhu (talk) 04:11, 13 October 2014 (UTC)

A listing of the roles a person has held in the course of his career is standard material for an article about a person whose notability is tied to his career. The number of campaign signs a candidate's campaign posted isn't. —Largo Plazo (talk) 11:37, 13 October 2014 (UTC)

Come on, Bang. All that means is that the website is not updated very often. It doesn't mean it's wrong. JohnInDC (talk) 11:41, 13 October 2014 (UTC)

Constituent Services Funding

I'm creating a new heading for this because the various points are scattered among other threads and talk pages.

Evans has been criticized for using his constituent service funds to purchase tickets to sporting events. Such funds are also used to help needy constituents with expected and unexpected expenses, such as funerals. An inquiry by the Washington Post, determined that Evans had spent $135,897 on sporting events and $101,564 toward charitable organizations over the prior 22 years. Evans explained that, as a major advocate of local sports, he used funds for the benefit of Little League teams and other constituents that cannot afford to attend sports events. A 2013 probe by the Office of Campaign Finance found no illegality.

It seems that the (paraphrased) arguments against inclusion are:

- Not noteworthy - Doesn't rise to the level of inclusion in a Wikipedia article
- Poorly sourced - Only one WP article
- Unrepresentative - He's a politician and has done many things besides this

Am I missing any of the points?

- It is noteworthy. This is a persistent topic in DC politics and regularly reported, for Evans and other politicians
- Well sourced. Not only a WP investigation, but many other articles. Routinely mentioned in newspaper articles about Evans.
- Representative. I see that this has no less significance than his work on Gay rights, efforts on the Stadium, etc.

Other considerations:

- Neutral language. Section does not draw undue attention to the issue and or take sides
- Adds balance to the article. At this point the article is highly unbalanced, excised of anything that Evansjack1 finds unflattering, save for a point about his salary.
- Already compromise language. This text was longstanding consensus:

Evans has regularly used his constituent service funds to purchase tickets to sporting events. Other officials have said that they use the funds to help needy constituents with rent and utility bills as well as unexpected expenses, such as funerals. An inquiry by the Washington Post, identified that $135,897 was spent on sporting events and $101,564 was directed toward charitable organizations over the last 22 years. In 2013, despite a probe by the Office of Campaign Finance to see whether regulations were broken, no actions were deemed illegal.

Bangabandhu (talk) 22:20, 28 August 2014 (UTC)

I am on the fence on this. I generally prefer that it be here but can live without it if other, "positive" stuff of equal transience is out. (BTW I think the 3d place GLAA language should not have been restored, as it is misleading as well as an arbitrary slice in time.). If it to be restored I prefer the top version, which is less snarky. But in any case I want to see more discussion in this, pro and con. JohnInDC (talk) 23:47, 28 August 2014 (UTC)

Can you explain more about what you mean by transience? I've noted that its repeatedly mentioned that certain text should be removed because its no longer accurate. Not sure if that's what you're referring to. I agree that outdated text should be updated. But the approach should be to add new, well-sourced content. That's what I did on the GLAA language, which specifically talks about how Evans' record of late did not keep with earlier action. Bangabandhu (talk) 00:28, 29 August 2014 (UTC)

By "transient" I mean little episodes that came and went and don't amount to much any more. ("Evans didn't report something he wasn't required to report"; "Evans said 'fuck'." Tempests in a teapot.) The single GLAA rating is transient, and worse, misleading because he's been on the council for 22 - 23? - years and that is one rating for one campaign. Other years' ratings are easy enough to find (with a bit of looking) in the GLAA archive, here. The next one I found, 2012, assigns Evans far and away the best rating of 21 people running for council seats that year. Link. Why not mention that one too? It's more recent than the constituent fund issue (2011), and since he's been a council member for much longer than he has been a candidate for mayor, at least as pertinent as his rating up against other mayoral candidates. Indeed if his GLAA rating in one year is so noteworthy that it really needs to be included here, what possible reason is there for not summarizing his ratings over his entire career? JohnInDC (talk) 01:03, 29 August 2014 (UTC)

The unadorned 2014 rating could also be accompanied by the observation from the cited source that "The ratings are comparatively harsh to Jack Evans, who comes in third ... despite a history of pro-gay legislation". Not saying that's the best solution, but it is certainly more evenhanded than the existing recitation of his 3d place showing that year. JohnInDC (talk) 01:38, 29 August 2014 (UTC)

I think that both those observations are helpful and I would support an edit along those lines. I don't think the approach should be to paint with such a broad brush that important detail is missed, but try to add content that provides subtly and nuance - and a more accurate depiction. It makes for a much better, more complete article.

As to the point about transience, I understand the concern but I think it's highly subjective. At the risk of getting too existential, everything is transient, in a way. As I see it, its our responsibility to make sure that the content is regularly updated and includes material from different times. I don't see those instances as insignificant. Arguably, they are more representative of the subject than something like the Verizon Center, which is more likely to have happened regardless of his involvement. Bangabandhu (talk) 07:21, 29 August 2014 (UTC)

Probably the fairest and most accurate thing to do would be to say something like, "Evans has received consistently high ratings from GLAA" and then link to the 10 or 12 ratings in their archives. But absent a source saying that, we are shading into forbidden synthesis and probably oughtn't. And to quote from the article about how harsh the 2014 rating is leaves the reader with the question, why point out a fact (3d place) if in the next sentence you undermine it? The problem with nearly all of the links here is that they are snapshots in time, almost completely contextless, and really not very useful. JohnInDC (talk) 11:53, 29 August 2014 (UTC)

As requested, I have been watching this discussion from the sidelines. I am very concerned about Bangs approach. The current bio was arrived at after many discussions. It is bare bones as it should be. Attempting to add back negative material upsets the balance. There is plenty of positive material that also can be added. My suggestion is to leave it alone. What we have is a far cry from what I discovered 2 weeks ago when I first read my bio. It had clearly been used to create a very negative picture of me during the mayors race. A total abuse of Wikipedia. That is why I continue to be suspicious of Bang and others who are so adamant about including the constituent services reference. Even by Washington post standards, 69 percent of the money was spent on need related items. You can spin it any way you want. Let's leave this alone. — Preceding unsigned comment added by Evansjack1 (talk • contribs) 03:10, 29 August 2014 (UTC)

Your suggestion is duly noted. Though I'm not sure what you mean by a total abuse of Wikipedia. I think that persistent edits involving an obvious WP:COI and two temporary blocks probably fits that description. Bangabandhu (talk) 07:21, 29 August 2014 (UTC)

Come on Bang. I'll explain it to you. My bio page was filled with negative paragraph after paragraph during the mayors race. When I brought this to everyone's attention 2 weeks ago, the independent editors and most others said it was full of negative information. That's what I mean and you know that. Your persistence in attempting to add back negative information and you acknowledgement that you were editing my page back in April makes me suspicious that you are involved in ward 2 politics. Since you won't reveal your true identity, I can't know for sure. As for my earlier actions, I was brand new to Wikipedia and stumbled through the learning process. People like John and Anthony were very helpful. So again Bang, save your snarky, sarcastic comments for someone else. And if you have the guts, let me know your true identity. Evansjack1 (talk) 12:21, 29 August 2014 (UTC)

Since you are new ill tell you this here. If you and Bangabandhu want to have it out, you should do it on his talk page or yours. You can click the link next to his name that says talk to go there. This page should be used for discussion of the Jack Evans bio itself and not the editors working on it. Bonewah (talk) 13:40, 29 August 2014 (UTC)

(edit conflict) Jack, I don't agree with Bang's point of view on a lot of this stuff but his position (particularly on constituent funds) is well within the bounds of ordinary Wikipedia discourse; and you should stop impugning his good faith. I appreciate that over the years you've been the subject of a lot of attacks and criticism that are hard to interpret as anything but personally or politically motivated, but that does not mean that anyone disposed to criticize you is doing so personally or for politically motivated reasons. Heck, Bang could just as easily be one of those folks who figures that all politicians are crooks, everything they say is a lie, and their complaints about being hard done by are no more substantial than a summer breeze. I don't know, you don't know, and your casting doubt on his motives is not persuasive to the other editors who are trying to push through this on the basis of Wikipedia policy. It sounds funny to say this but there comes a point where discussion on an article about you is not about you! JohnInDC (talk) 13:42, 29 August 2014 (UTC)

Im inclined to include the Constituent Services Funding material as detailed by bangabandhu above. My somewhat superficial reading of it leads me to believe that it is of sufficient prominence to include and, as written, is not an NPOV problem. Bonewah (talk) 13:45, 29 August 2014 (UTC)

Re what User:Bangabandhu wrote about the episode being sourced only to the Washington Post: I previously cited two articles discussing the subject in the Washington Times. Re transience, the subject was reprised in the context of talks about tightening up the Council ethics rules, which gives a fair indication that the episode was remembered and was one factor leading to the subsequent talks, and was therefore of significance beyond being a fleeting bit of titillating innuendo. —Largo Plazo (talk) 15:25, 29 August 2014 (UTC)

As for you, User:Evansjack1, please stop with this disingenuous, self-serving nonsense about your being new and "stumbl[ing] through the learning process". It doesn't take a wizened master to recognize that when you're in a place you're unfamiliar with,

• you've been told dozens of times to stop what you're doing and why you have to;
• every one of your changes is reverted; and
• you've been blocked for your activity

that maybe you need to stop and pay attention. But it took a second block to get you to that point.

And to this very day, your contributions to this Talk page take the form of, not asking what people would think of doing this or that, but pretty much decreeing things like "Let's just do this one last thing and wrap it up" as though you remain in charge of this operation even while not editing the page directly, and pretending to discuss the significance of this or that event as though you were a disinterested third party when you are obviously not one, all the while insisting that anyone else who disagrees with you must have an agenda. With all the experience you'd like us to think you've gained by now, your attitude remains at odds with the agenda-free, collaborative nature of Wikipedia. —Largo Plazo (talk) 15:37, 29 August 2014 (UTC)

Re "And if you have the guts, let me know your true identity." Loose Lips reported that when he tried to confirm your identify, Jack Evans' office said "No comment". So if you're going to make any demands on people to identify themselves despite the impropriety of doing so on Wikipedia, one would think you'd at least first have your office call Will Sommers, apologize, and confirm your identity. That is, if you really are Jack Evans.

If you still think I have an agenda, trust me, you'd have no idea who I am. I live in Virginia and while I've known who you are for as long as you've been on the Council, I know nothing more about you than the occasional passing mention by Kojo Nnamdi on a Friday afternoon and really have never had an opinion of you of any kind. —Largo Plazo (talk) 16:01, 29 August 2014 (UTC)

So if there are no objections from disinterested editors, I'll restore the second version. Bangabandhu (talk) 15:08, 1 September 2014 (UTC)

I am substituting the later iteration of this paragraph, which is more neutrally cast. E.g., "Despite a probe, the acts were deemed legal" has a bit of stink about it. "A probe found nothing illegal" does not prejudge the outcome and indicate disappointment that no one got the goods on him. I'll be happy to go through the rest, line-by-line, if the reasons for the changes aren't clear. JohnInDC (talk) 17:50, 2 September 2014 (UTC)

I am disappointed to see that you agreed to add back the constituent services fund section. But if you must have it to assuage bangabandhu, then it needs to reflect the article cited. Wikipedia bio rules specifically state that opinions and conclusions are not allowed. First, no where in the article or elsewhere does it say that "Evans has been criticized ..." That is an opinion by whoever posted the paragraph. Keep in mind, this paragraph appeared during the mayors race in an attempt to make me look bad. The article goes on to say that hundreds of people and organizations have benefited from the fund. This is not mentioned. If you want to be balanced please consider this. Keep in mind, as stated in the article, the fund has raised over $1,000,000 dollars and has spent $132,000 on tickets which were given to constituents who otherwise couldn't go to a game. Finally, please read footnote 16 about the "probe". That does not refer at all to the sports tickets. Rather it refers to three contributions the fund received from the same address. It was resolved. There was no suggestion of illegality. The paragraph reads like the fund was probed for spending on sports tickets. Not so. So I appeal to independent editors to read the articles and if you agree make the appropriate changes. Or delete the paragraph. Johnindc, you have the most knowledge in this. Please read it all and let me know. Again, if you must include it, make it accurate. One final note. I have read the pages of all the council members. Even now mine is longer than the chairman of the council. Thanks and I look forward to you responses. Evansjack1 (talk) 00:35, 3 September 2014 (UTC)

Thanks for the observation re the probe. I'll remove that language as it is plainly unrelated, and there's not much to it in the end. I'll reflect on your other comments and invite other editors to do so as well. Thanks. JohnInDC (talk) 00:48, 3 September 2014 (UTC)

I've added a source (from the Associated Press as carried in The Washington Times) attesting to the criticism. "He has also spent more than $100,000 from his constituent-services fund on sports tickets, a practice that is permissible under district law but has been criticized by some of his colleagues." —Largo Plazo (talk) 02:01, 3 September 2014 (UTC)

I've added the issue being reprised in the context of the general controversy of similar uses of constituent services funds in 2011, leading up to Tommy Wells' proposal to eliminate them, as reported by WAMU. —Largo Plazo (talk) 02:10, 3 September 2014 (UTC)

I took the 'probe' language back out, inasmuch as the source expressly indicated that it related to three particular donations, and seemed to have nothing at all to do with the issues of sports tickets or the general issue of whether such funds should continue in existence. JohnInDC (talk) 11:30, 3 September 2014 (UTC)j

Again, there is no mention of being criticized except by Wells who was running against me for mayor. This is not a source. Talk about the CSF all you want but be fair. Please consider adding that the fund has helped hundreds of people and organizations, a quote directly from the article you cite. Largo seems intent on making the paragraph negative. Make it accurate and balanced if you must keep it. Evansjack1 (talk) 11:39, 3 September 2014 (UTC)

The Wikipedia article doesn't say that you were criticized by Wells, so why would the sources need to say that you were? As for "Largo seems intent on making the paragraph negative", I've explained my reasoning before and I supported the removal of most of the other negative material that was removed and the policy for assuming good faith has been explained to you, so would you please kindly cut the crap. You (if you are Jack Evans) did something that was construed by others as negative, it was important enough to be reported at the time in major local news sources, and it was significant enough to be raised again in the context of Wells' proposal by not only local sources but the Associated Press as well. In my view it is an entirely valid episode to report. It didn't have to be here, but someone was inclined to include it; having been reported here, there is no justification for removing it. I am sorry that you're "disappointed", but your feelings about how the article characterizes you aren't a consideration. —Largo Plazo (talk) 15:14, 3 September 2014 (UTC)

Also, if you must go into such detail as Wells proposal to eliminate the CSF, please consider including he was voted down overwhelmingly. I think it was 10 to 3. Maybe set up a separate Wikipedia heading for all council CFS and explain their history. I noticed no other council members bio included a reference to CFSEvansjack1 (talk) 11:48, 3 September 2014 (UTC)

So no one thought to add such material to those members' articles. As for the Wells proposal, I mentioned it only as much as necessary to create context for the significance of your CSF expenditures as content for the article. To go any further into that as a topic in and of itself would be a WP:COATRACK digression. My description of it as a proposal suffices to imply that it went no further, as I would otherwise have called it "a Council resolution" or "a new bill passed by the Council", depending on the circumstances, rather than a "proposal". —Largo Plazo (talk) 15:14, 3 September 2014 (UTC)

Actually, the more I read the CSF paragraph the more errors I find. It states that "Evans had spent $135,897 on sporting event and directed $101,564 toward charitable organizations over the prior 22years." First, Evans didn't spend anything. The CSF did. Technical but accurate. Second, the fund spent $1,000,000 over 22 years. ($40,000 times 22 years plus) The reference is just wrong. Please read the article. Whoever originally posted the paragraph intentionally misstated facts to make it negative. That is why I have advocated deleting it. It can be fixed. I am requesting it be rewritten by a senior editor or deleted. ThanksEvansjack1 (talk) 13:20, 3 September 2014 (UTC)

"... Evans didn't spend anything": Are you now no longer Jack Evans, that you're writing about him in the third person? As for the technicality about who did the spending: When you charge a personal expense to your credit card, do you say that you aren't technically spending the money, your credit card company is? The source says what it says, and you've already been given the speech about how we go by what the source says. The Post says you spent the money. —Largo Plazo (talk) 15:14, 3 September 2014 (UTC)

Largo, please try and keep things civil. You tone is so combative. To your comment, the CSF is not my personal account. It is handled by my office. It is accurate to say "funds from the account were spent on so and so ..." It is not accurate to say "Evans spent funds..." And the reference to Tommy Wells is so in the weeds. I am again requesting an independent review of this paragraph. Thanks. Evansjack1 (talk) 16:10, 3 September 2014 (UTC)

I repeat: The source says what it says. You're welcome to ask as many people as you care to whether the source says Jack Evans spent the money, and I suspect that 100% of them will agree that it says that—and multiple times. Therefore, the article says that. —Largo Plazo (talk) 16:23, 3 September 2014 (UTC)

I'm sorry, I do tend to lose my civility when a person questions my motives repeatedly despite having been set straight and warned several times. —Largo Plazo (talk) 16:39, 3 September 2014 (UTC)

I'm wondering if I've missed something here. Can someone please point me to the press coverage of Evans's spending on sports tickets? I believe it was raised 8 or so years ago in the Post when Evans co-sponsored a move to raise the permitted size of the fund to $80,000. Then It was raised again in the Post in mid 2013 (during the primaries?) and again at the end of the year when another councilman suggested abolishing the fund. Plus there is coverage in an apparently less-reliable local paper. Would someone better-across this issue than me please post a link to each instance of coverage in reliable sources? I'm trying to get a sense of the prominence of this thing - and it will help other new-comers to the topic. --Anthonyhcole (talk · contribs · email) 17:36, 3 September 2014 (UTC)

The three sources I've been referring to are cited inline in the article: one from The Washington Post, one from the Associated Press as reported in the Washington Times, and one from WAMU Morning Edition. —Largo Plazo (talk) 17:43, 3 September 2014 (UTC)

OK. Is that it? --Anthonyhcole (talk · contribs · email) 17:44, 3 September 2014 (UTC)

(Setting aside the abstract issue of "prominence", I'd only note that those three sources are about as high-quality as the local market provides.) JohnInDC (talk) 17:50, 3 September 2014 (UTC)

More:

• 6/21/2007, The Washington Times, "Evans’ account paid for sports tickets"
• 8/22/2011, NBC Washington, "D.C. Council Member Bought Sports Tickets With Constituent Fund: Report"
• 1/28/2012, American Criminal Law Review, "Corruption, Crime, and the D.C. Council"

There's also coverage in the City Paper, The Georgetowner, Georgetown Dish, and the GW Hatchet if you'd care to search for these less weighty sources. I believe it's fair to say that there has been coverage across a variety of reliable sources, the Associated Press as well as local ones, and that, having been raised repeatedly over at least the period 2007 through 2013, it can't properly be classified as "transient". —Largo Plazo (talk) 17:57, 3 September 2014 (UTC)

Thanks. Was it covered on TV or radio? (It's bedtime here.) --Anthonyhcole (talk · contribs · email) 18:00, 3 September 2014 (UTC)

WAMU is a noncommercial radio station, a National Public Radio affiliate. You can see there the link to play the news item as it was broadcast over the radio that day. NBC is a television network; the source I gave from them doesn't indicate that the news item was broadcast, and I don't know whether coverage by them on their website implies coverage as well on their TV news program. —Largo Plazo (talk) 18:08, 3 September 2014 (UTC)

Is the notability of this topic really in question? For what its worth, here's the NBC4 broadcast, though I think this is much more an issue of what language to use than whether to include it.Bangabandhu (talk) 18:29, 3 September 2014 (UTC)

The point is, all the publications are citing each other on the one issue. Yes, the CSF purchases sports tickets and gives them to constituents. It is perfectly legal and appreciated by the constituents. Years ago a reporter tried to make an issue out of it. It went nowhere. During the recent mayors race, someone researched many past article, selected certain information, put it on my bio page in an attempt to make me look bad. This paragraph is the last of these. It is an irrelevant issue. But if you must include it, make it accurate and balanced. Ironically, it is now the longest paragraph In my bio. That's what I find ridiculous. My bio does not mention the innovative economic development tools like TIFs, PILOTS, BIDs, etc. all of which can be cited. Instead it focuses on sports tickets in the CSF because certain editors are insistent it be included. This is why I am requesting a new set of independent eyes. It appears people are digging in their heals on this one. Evansjack1 (talk) 18:12, 3 September 2014 (UTC)

The point is that if each one of those sources saw fit to report on the matter, over a period of six years, regardless of where it got the information, and if it kept being brought up over and over in the context of new discussions of the use of the CSFs and of Council ethics, it supports my contention that the matter was considered to be of significance across a spectrum of key publications. That it's legal is irrelevant because the article can report events that aren't illegal. That the constituents appreciate it is irrelevant (though I'm sure you are speaking overly broadly because I'm willing to bet that the sense of appreciation isn't felt by constituents who are in the sort of dire straits that the public envisions the CSFs to be targeted to and who aren't receiving assistance because the funds have gone instead to buy sports tickets) because the article isn't restricted to topics that your constituents didn't appreciate. It's ironic that you are complaining about the length of the paragraph, when some of what I added to it was to provide context to dispense with your insistence that the event was transient and without significance, and even more ironic because of all the additional content you have pleaded with us to add to it in order for you to feel that it is at least balanced.

Meanwhile, you keep complaining about what isn't in the article. The answer to that remains that what's in articles is there only because some editor came along and thought of it and felt moved to add it. Maybe someone will come along and add such info; perhaps it will be one of the people who've been engaging with you up till now, but possibly not. You keep "requesting" a new set of independent eyes, review by a "senior editor", or deletion. This isn't going to magically happen, and there's no such thing as a "senior editor" anyway. There are only us volunteers. You've already been dealing with four independent reviewers who, among them, have dealt with you very reasonably. If you continue to be unhappy with the outcome, you're welcome to seek more assistance at a forum appropriate for that sort of thing: see Wikipedia:Consensus#Consensus-building by soliciting outside opinions. But also notice the warnings on the same page, Wikipedia:Consensus#Consensus-building pitfalls and errors, about canvassing, tendentious editing, and forum shopping. —Largo Plazo (talk) 18:36, 3 September 2014 (UTC)

Largo, i thought I was engaging in constructive dialogue as was requested, not complaining. But you are missing my point because you appear to be very angry. The paragraph was deleted by others. You and bang insisted it be added back. Why I don't know. You must know how irrelevant it is. But so be it. All I am asking is make it factual. I am not sure why you won't. What point are you trying to make. You opinion on what the fund should spend money on is just that. So again, I am asking that the four of you rewrite the paragraph. Thanks Evansjack1 (talk) 21:51, 3 September 2014 (UTC)

"You and bang insisted it be added back. Why I don't know." What a strange thing to say when I've explained amply why, most recently in my comments to which this was your response. I also can't imagine what would lead you to say I "must know how irrelevant it is" right after I'd gotten through elaborating on why I consider it relevant and demonstrating the greater relevance as evidenced by the matter having been raised in the press multiple times over a period of years, including in the context of reconsideration of the Council's ethics rules and in the context of an investigation. (Before you repeat that the rules weren't changed and you weren't found guilty of any breach of the law, let me point out again that whether you were guilty of anything isn't the sole criterion as to suitability for inclusion in the article.)

As for what the funds should or shouldn't be spent on, it's the sources cited in the article that report that many have felt the expenditures to be inappropriate. I voiced my own opinion here only to challenge your unvarnished assertion here that your constituents appreciate the expenditures, as though that was a universally true statement. —Largo Plazo (talk) 22:54, 3 September 2014 (UTC)

Can john or Anthony or someone besides largo chime in here. Largo, I understand your position. Thanks for your input. I am requesting someone take a fresh look at the paragraph and the cites. The paragraph is wrong on its face. I am requesting it be rewritten or deleted. ThanksEvansjack1 (talk) 02:16, 4 September 2014 (UTC)

Anthonyhcole - You're more up on BLP protocols than me - could you knock around and see if you can get some more eyes on this? Jack - Anthony can ask, but you already have a pretty experienced, and representative group here now. Don't hold out too much hope that others will see things very differently. JohnInDC (talk) 02:27, 4 September 2014 (UTC)

Evansjack1, since you'd been requesting fresh input but appeared to think, mistakenly, that if you posted your wish for it here, it would just happen, I pointed you to Wikipedia:Consensus#Consensus-building by soliciting outside opinions for information on soliciting the sort of additional input you were asking for. Anthony and John have been endlessly fair to you. Please give them a break and pursue this on your own. —Largo Plazo (talk) 04:01, 4 September 2014 (UTC)

John, thanks. Again, I am asking for a fair and accurate presentation. Anthony and you originally deleted the paragraph. If it must stay, it should be balanced which in my opinion it is not. If you would consider taking out the lead sentence, the reference to tommy wells and correct the amounts, that might work. Thanks again Evansjack1 (talk) 10:56, 4 September 2014 (UTC)

I added the Tommy Wells note to demonstrate the greater significance of the event that you'd been claiming it didn't possess, and to address John's earlier impression that it was transient. The amounts are exactly the figures that are in the Washington Post article cited. I did just change "22 years" to "previous decade", the period to which the Post article actually ascribed the amounts. The explanation you gave for why the expenditures were reasonable remain in the article. So all points of view are covered. It is a fair and accurate presentation of what was reported in the press. —Largo Plazo (talk) 11:22, 4 September 2014 (UTC)

Largo, it just isn't. You are too close to it and are exhibiting pride of authorship. John and Anthony, I need help here. The wells reference doesn't demonstrate any significance. He was an opponent of mine and said many things before and during the campaign. I request it be deleted. And wells is the justification for the first sentence. Largo, please be reasonable on this and let's try and compromise so we can be done here. I know you will say you have already compromised but I see it differently. I see the compromise that it is still in the bio. — Preceding unsigned comment added by Evansjack1 (talk • contribs) 14:11, 4 September 2014 (UTC)

You are saying that I'm too close to it? That's hilarious, especially in light of your remark, "I need help here", illustrating your ceaseless sense of entitlement over this whole thing, as though suiting you is the mission at hand. Meanwhile, why are you continuing to pester John and Anthony after you've insisted three times that what you really need is fresh eyes, and after I've twice told you where to find them? —Largo Plazo (talk) 14:29, 4 September 2014 (UTC)

Imagine John Kerry arguing that Wikipedia shouldn't say anything about the Swift Boat scandal because the allegations against him were false and because it was brought up by people who supported an opponent of his and who said many bad things about him during the campaign. I never put any stock in the allegations, but I would call such arguments against including the information about them ludicrous. —Largo Plazo (talk) 15:20, 4 September 2014 (UTC)

It's not the same and your example actually makes my point. The swift boat issue was a defining event in the 2004 election and was widely covered. The constituent services fund never came up once in the mayors race and was actually a one day story. Sure tommy proposed to eliminate them but it was one of many proposals and was not adopted. And all of that was several years ago. The sports ticket reference is even more remote. It's like including the name of john Kerry's boat. In any event, largo, I am not going to change your mind. Again, I would request that john and Anthony take a look. Evansjack1 (talk) 18:39, 4 September 2014 (UTC)

Within the context of the District of Columbia media scene, the CSF issue was covered about as widely as any issue can be covered. The story has been related by (this is not an exhaustive list):

• The Washington Post
• The Washington Times
• The Associated Press
• Washington City Paper
• Washingtonian Magazine
• NBC Washington
• WJLA
• WAMU Morning Edition
• The GW Hatchet
• The Hoya
• The Georgetowner
• The Georgetown Dish
• Borderstan (in an interview with you)
• DCist.com
• The DC Pundit

It was not just a one-day story. It has been brought up again and again for seven years. Washington City Paper brought it up again just this last April: "Evans Constituent Service Fund Spends Another $26K on Sports Tickets".

The Swift Boat story occurred several years ago. So did the Battle of Hastings. When you say "all of that was several years ago," are you suggesting that there's an expiration date for the notability of an event? There isn't: on Wikipedia, notability is not temporary.

How do you expect to change anyone's mind if you keep making statements about the reporting on this issue that are contrary to the demonstrable facts? —Largo Plazo (talk) 19:23, 4 September 2014 (UTC)

I think, Jack, if you want more eyes you should ask for them. Largo has provided a good useful link above and you can post a request on whatever page seems the most suitable. (Don't post to a bunch of places, and if you aren't sure which is best and post to more than one, note your uncertainty and that you're posting in more than one place.) JohnInDC (talk) 21:10, 4 September 2014 (UTC)

I give up. Largo, you win. Good bye Evansjack1 (talk) 22:45, 4 September 2014 (UTC)

GLAA rating and gay rights

This section:

Evans supports gay rights. According to Lou Chibbaro Jr. of The Washington Blade, "Evans has been the lead sponsor or co-sponsor of virtually every LGBT- supportive bill that has come before the legislative body."[citation needed]In 2009, Evans co-sponsored the bill that legalized same-sex marriage in D.C.[citation needed] The nation's capital became the first jurisdiction in the United States south of the Mason–Dixon line to allow same-sex couples to marry.[18] In 2014 ratings by the Gay and Lesbian Activists Alliance, Evans was ranked third among DC mayoral candidates for his support to gay rights issues.[19]

should be either re-written or removed. It strikes me as kind of irrelevant and badly sourced. Why should this particular issue be worth mentioning here? I see no indication of its significance. Bonewah (talk) 13:51, 29 August 2014 (UTC)

I have no problem with this. This is an article about a politician and this is, in fairness I think, one of his defining political positions. It should be in. I found the actual reference, which I'll add to the article. As I have said above, I think that little addition about the GLAA rating is misleading, and should come out, but two or three sentences about his position on gay rights strikes me as perfectly appropriate. JohnInDC (talk) 13:56, 29 August 2014 (UTC)

I don't know how to determine which political positions are "defining" enough to merit inclusion. That said, I think it is better to err on the side of adding more knowledge and content, everything else being equal (no significant effect on readability, for example). This position should be included, especially now that the sourcing has been cleared up. Bangabandhu (talk) 00:20, 30 August 2014 (UTC)

I appreciate your comments. Again, the bio currently posted is bare bones arrived at after much discussion. To start adding back negative info without adding back positive is not fair and only takes it back to where we were. I am beginning to wonder why so much attention is being paid to this bio. Can't we let it be for several months. Evansjack1 (talk) 15:35, 29 August 2014 (UTC)

"I am beginning to wonder why so much attention is being paid to this bio." Uh, that would be because of your egregious activity on it. And your question makes no sense anyway. Presumably you should be grateful for all the attention that's been paid because it is only that attention that has resulted in the removal of the negative material that's in the article. So, you love, crave, and demand (I'm remembering the one time you complained the time a day had gone by without anyone answering a peremptory request from you) the attention when it works in your favor, but when it doesn't, suddenly you are unworthy?

More generally, what do you imagine your role to be in decreeing how bare-boned or fully fleshed out an article, whether on you or on any other topic, should be? —Largo Plazo (talk) 15:51, 29 August 2014 (UTC)

Largo, my entire "role" these past 2 weeks was to get a fair and accurate bio like you would find in an encyclopedia. We have achieved that. I would like nothing better than to sign off right now. And I would if I had confidence that you and your friends would leave the bio alone. There must be other areas where your time would be better spent. I am glad I have learned to use Wikipedia I will remain vigilant. Evansjack1 (talk) 17:08, 29 August 2014 (UTC)

Then you're going to be here for a very long time because this article, like every Wikipedia article, is subject to change, and you don't own it. You aren't the appointed guardian of this page, and you simply do not have any entitlement to control the image of you that's presented here to the extent you think you do. The irony is that your own activity and your comments that are permanently recorded here may have made a worse dent in your public image than some of the material that was deleted from the article. You may be of better service to yourself if you take the serenity prayer to heart. —Largo Plazo (talk) 18:26, 29 August 2014 (UTC)

I agree with John, above, that the last (GLAA) sentence is misleading. The source says about the decision to place him third, "The ratings are comparatively harsh to Jack Evans, who comes in third with +8 despite a history of pro-gay legislation. Blame it on the 'championship point,' an extra boost candidates can get for leading on a recent issue that GLAA president Rick Rosendall says adds an element of 'What have you done for me lately?' to the scores." It is also misleading because it cherry-picks one rating from a very long succession of ratings - again, as John has clearly laid out above.

Because two experienced editors in good standing agree that the sentence is misleading, per our biographies policy, I shall now remove it. Per that policy, please do not restore it until there is a clear consensus in support of its inclusion. --Anthonyhcole (talk · contribs · email) 12:23, 30 August 2014 (UTC)

I understand how that sentence needs to be tweaked, but the nuance of that article is important in describing the record. Can we work to compromise language that comes to a better representation and includes that citation? I don't see the argument for removing it completely. Bangabandhu (talk) 00:41, 31 August 2014 (UTC)

What nuance? He ranked 3d (out of 10) mayoral candidates, with an unusually low rating that appears largely to have been an artifact of the scoring system. I don't see the point of including an essentially wrong fact, even if sourced, if in the same sentence it's necessary to explain the problem with it. The more I think about it, the more sense it makes to leave it out altogether, as Anthony has done. JohnInDC (talk) 01:49, 31 August 2014 (UTC)

I think it's partly a matter of transience. The Chibbaro quote is one moment in time, though not that far in the past (2012). Eventually, it will need to be updated with info about whether its still an accurate reflection, and I think the 2014 citation does that. But I realize that it would make the passage unnecessarily verbose. Bangabandhu (talk) 15:05, 1 September 2014 (UTC)

That quote describes the arc of his career, not a moment. It is the opposite of transient. As for the 2014 GLAA mayoral reference, I forgot to add BTW that it is, in addition to being incomplete, incorrect in that it describes a rating for Evans (8) which GLAA later changed (9). So if it is included we would in fairness have to not only add additional text to explain how the rating, at face value, tends to underrate Evans, but add that the article is wrong to boot. I don't see how any of that adds value to the article. JohnInDC (talk) 18:48, 1 September 2014 (UTC)

Those are good points. Bangabandhu (talk) 16:49, 2 September 2014 (UTC)

Sources for the article

Hey everyone, I was starting to write about all the different mayoral candidates but then real life sidetracked me. I only made up a list of Jack Evans sources (with quick summaries) that you can see here. Seems like a good time to make this article as strong as possible especially after Jack himself started editing it. Nomader (talk) 16:43, 19 September 2014 (UTC)

If you look at the history of the article, versions before Evans' edits included many of the articles you reference. Your contributions are welcome. Bangabandhu (talk) 02:22, 23 September 2014 (UTC)

I don't understand why such detailed - and many cases trivial - information about ancient mayoral races is appropriate to a Wikipedia article about someone, who, in the final analysis is just a local politician with two or three failed attempts at becoming mayor. Wikipedia isn't intended to be, and isn't, a compendium of every thing that can be said about a subject just because a source (indeed in many instances here) a single source once said it. Evans has foolishly and impetuously brought a lot of attention onto himself for his persistence in trying to edit his own article, but when I see exhaustively researched material about him, and only him, presented with the idea of including it here, I feel a bit of sympathy for his claim that he's being singled out. This article has been whittled down, by several disinterested editors, from what was described (not by Evans) here or maybe at BLP as a "hatchet job" and I am disinclined to begin filling it back up again with stuff of only passing pertinence. JohnInDC (talk) 12:01, 23 September 2014 (UTC)

"Trivial" is very subjective. I'll agree that it might be an accurate assessment of some points, like the discussion of his nanny and pets, which have been removed. Though many politicians have their entire electoral history listed and I don't see why there should be any difference for this subject. I'll note that some sitting members of the DC Council who have shorter tenure have far longer bios. I don't think its our job to decide whether or not the number of bytes in an entry is appropriate to the subject's stature, but to decide whether each point is notable, relevant, and well sourced.-Bangabandhu (talk) 18:38, 23 September 2014 (UTC)

For the sake of comparison:

• Jim Graham#Criticism: driving away African American businesses and a taxicab scandal
• Vincent Orange#2010s: campaign contributions

—Largo Plazo (talk) 19:06, 23 September 2014 (UTC)

Yeah, it's true - trivia is in the eye of the beholder. I'm just wary of efforts to reload the article with a lot of material - much of which seems tangential or stale or inconsequential - after the laborious effort to clear the thing of cruft. I agree that Evans has had a long career, and has accordingly left a long record of things about him, both good and bad, but that doesn't mean it all qualifies for inclusion; even if it is properly sourced. There's a difference between the truth of a matter and the weight to be assigned to it, and as editors our job is to apply our best judgment concerning the latter. (I am assuming you are being facetious in suggesting that Evans's article should seriously be compared to Marion Barry's, measured by the length of their time on the council, wholly apart from WP:OTHERSTUFFEXISTS, which is not much of an argument for inclusion or exclusion either way anyhow.) I guess I'd feel more sanguine about this if Nomader's project to profile all of the mayoral candidates had even touched on other candidates, or had been presented before, you know, the whole thing was decided and laid to rest. But if people here want to add it, then, well, we'll be talking about it I guess. JohnInDC (talk) 21:00, 23 September 2014 (UTC)

What I meant to highlight from Marion Barry is that in a political career that is far more colorful, the article is replete with incidents that might be considered "trivia" or "minutiae". Similar content has been expunged from this page. I understand concerns about raising these points after the fact, though I don't think these matters were ever laid to rest. -Bangabandhu (talk) 05:53, 28 September 2014 (UTC)

Again, WP:OTHERSTUFFEXISTS. If it is trivial it should come out of that article, and not be used to justify its inclusion in this one. JohnInDC (talk) 11:44, 28 September 2014 (UTC)

I accept that. But I don't think this page should receive special treatment. Just because Marion Barry lacks Jack Evans' interest in Wikipedia is not a reason for the exclusion of well-cited, noteworthy text. Bangabandhu (talk) 17:13, 28 September 2014 (UTC)

It isn't getting special treatment. Evans had an obvious conflict of interest and should not have been editing his article at all, let alone being so persistent in it. But he had several well-founded objections to the tone and content of this article as it once stood, and it is a better article now. And none of that has anything to do with what might be found in the Marion Barry article, or the relative levels of personal interest that either person may have in what these articles say. JohnInDC (talk) 18:57, 28 September 2014 (UTC)

Just wanted to come back to this really quick; I'm seriously busy so I won't be able to edit the article, but I'll be adding in a lot of those sources over the next month, especially in late November when my time will be freed up. To be clear, my intention is to go through all the city council members and give them the same treatment (including Muriel Bowser) so we can have as much detailed information as possible on all of our sitting members. I'm disappointed that JohnInDC failed to assume good faith, and I promise that this isn't me singling out one sitting member. These sources were compiled months ago and honestly I just totally forgot about them. I'm not sure how a Board of Ethics looking into Council Member Evans is a "trivial" thing, or how he violated ethics rules is "trivial", and I think these are important things to include in a well-rounded article. Nomader (talk) 21:37, 29 September 2014 (UTC)

First, Nomader, I'm sorry if I left any impression that I was questioning your good faith. I tried to choose my words carefully, describing a certain sympathy for Evans, not questioning your motives, but I wasn't clear enough. As I've noted above, for all the problems and headaches that Evans created by his tendentious COI editing and edit-warring, the article had actual substantive issues that have been largely sorted out now. And I think, our having (apparently) at last persuaded Evans to stay the heck out of the way, we owe it to him, and to the project, to ensure that the article remains free of the kind of junk that had crept into it before. It is also important that the article reflect a scope and depth that is suitable both for the subject and his relative importance, and remain in keeping with BLP policies. Remember, we are talking about local politicians here! So for example I am not sure I agree with a general proposal that articles should reflect as much detailed information as possible about DC's sitting council members - Wikipedia isn't a local election guide, or Google. Just because someone said something about someone, and it can be sourced, that doesn't mean it should be included. This is particularly true of episodes that came, and went, without anything ever coming of them. If someone was reported to be the subject of an ethics probe several years ago and the probe turned up - no problem! - then I wonder whether it really warrants inclusion. Of course an argument can be made in the other direction as well - if someone is repeatedly the subject of inquiries then maybe there's something to be said about it. But I do not agree that the answer is as plain as, "an event like that can't be trivial". It can. All I am saying is that, we need to be deliberate and careful about what is included in this article, and the simple fact that some or another tidbit has a decent source is not, in itself, sufficient to include the material. JohnInDC (talk) 02:21, 30 September 2014 (UTC)

For example - at the end of one of the articles in the source list, I found this quote:

Evans has largely avoided the ethical questions that have clouded district government, but in 2005, The Washington Post revealed that he used a political-action committee to pay for meals for constituents. Following the report, Evans shut down the PAC, and he did not face discipline. He has also spent more than $100,000 from his constituent-services fund on sports tickets, a practice that is permissible under district law but has been criticized by some of his colleagues.

Now, that may or may not be a complete summary of Evans's ethical transgressions over the years but - the article is pretty recent (August 2013) and, read fairly, would seem to suggest that Evans's ethical issues are, in fact, pretty light stuff. When considering what should be included in this (and other similar articles), it's important to look beyond the headlines and acerbic quotes from other local figures to figure out if there's any there there. JohnInDC (talk) 02:31, 30 September 2014 (UTC)

I am very concerned about what is happening Evansjack1 (talk) 16:34, 5 October 2014 (UTC)

How do i skip lines and make a new paragraph? I tried the colons. Not sure it worked. Thanks — Preceding unsigned comment added by Evansjack1 (talk • contribs)

COI confirmation

For the record, Evansjack1's claim to be Jack Evans was confirmed, according to Will Sommers of the Washington City Paper, through a Freedom of Information Act request. See http://www.washingtoncitypaper.com/blogs/looselips/2014/09/19/yes-jack-evans-vandalized-his-own-wikipedia-page/. —Largo Plazo (talk) 00:11, 6 October 2014 (UTC)

I am astonished you are back at my page after all we went thru I am requesting john and anthony review this The paragraph concerning the ag is incorrect and was added back without concensus. Also, ii have done exhaustive research and only one of my fellow councilmembers critized my csf. Not enough to include it Please make the appropriate changes. Finally, Bang is not neutral. He needs to be banned from my page.Evansjack1 (talk) 02:34, 6 October 2014 (UTC)

I'm trying to figure out how you would draw that conclusion from "all we went thru". The astonishing thing is that you have forgotten that your edits to the page are suspect. (You were blocked twice, remember?) By all means, raise your concerns here on this Talk page, and if you find the outcome unsatisfactory, then follow more advanced channels. I'll let you figure those out for yourself rather than spoon-feeding you because I tried three times before to explain where to seek of more opinions, as you were requesting, and your response was first to ignore them and just repeat your beseechments here (as though it was John and Anthony's responsibility to go and bring the additional eyes here to you), and finally, after John repeated my advice and gave you even more details, to say "I give up". —Largo Plazo (talk) 06:08, 6 October 2014 (UTC)

Largo, we had an agreement not to edit my page. What is going on.

We had definitely established that you should not edit the page about you (i.e., not "my page", as there is no ownership over articles, which you seem to have forgotten). I can't imagine where you got the impression that I agreed to me not editing the page. —Largo Plazo (talk) 06:08, 6 October 2014 (UTC)

I got the impression from the fact that we all came to a consensus. Now someone has added back a paragraph concerning the attorney general. I introduced and got past dozens of bills last year far more important than the Ag. I introduced all the baseball legislation leading to the nationals return. That barely merits a sentence. My point being, you can wright many paragraphs about thinks i have done. Yet you always chose a n to write something in a negative fashion. Again, stating i was critized by my fellow councilmembers when only one person who was running against me made a comment and including that is just wrong. Thats why i dont trust your judgment. If you are really neutral, delete that paragraph on the AG. Evansjack1 (talk) 10:56, 6 October 2014 (UTC)

No one "owns" a Wikipedia page - not its subject, not its author. It doesn't matter if Largo or Anthony or I arrive at a point where we think the article is fine - anyone else is free to come in and edit it. I have said many many times that the page as it stood 8 weeks or so ago was in pretty bad shape. We cleared it of the snarkiness and innuendo that permeated it before and I think Largo and Anthony and I, as well as others, were pleased to be able to do that. But Wikipedia pages are dynamic, not static, and no editor controls any page. If some other editor wants to add something, or add something back in that was removed before, and can address objections to a prior formulation, then it's pretty hard to keep it out. You need to understand this, Jack, because the page is very likely to continue to change, and not always in exactly the way you would like it to; and if you get upset every time that happens, you will take years off your life. Or, if your constitution is robust, keep you unhappy for the many years you've got left! JohnInDC (talk) 11:26, 6 October 2014 (UTC)

Jack, has your account been hacked or do you now have a staff member writing on your behalf? I'm asking that somewhat seriously, because in comparison with your posts in August and September, your spelling, punctuation, grammar, and proper use of capital letters have gone to hell and you seem to have completely forgotten to start a new indented paragraph before each of your posts. This is making me think a different person is doing the writing. If you have someone else using your account on your behalf, please see Wikipedia's prohibition on that. —Largo Plazo (talk) 12:52, 6 October 2014 (UTC)

That or he's writing in haste and letting autocorrect run wild. The issue needs to be ironed out though, I agree. JohnInDC (talk) 13:43, 6 October 2014 (UTC)

For the record, i support the current edit vis-a-vie the AG stuff. It is well sourced and fairly written. Evansjack1, what exactly is your complaint here? Bonewah (talk) 14:03, 6 October 2014 (UTC)

No it is me. Somehow, i am not able to see what i am writing until it is posted. Im not sure why. Also, yes, i have forgotten how to indent. My objection to the AG paragraph is that it is insignificant compared to other things i have done. The fact that i supported the change which was eventually overturned by the courts is not important. So did 8 other council members. Yet it is not mentioned on their pages. Which brings me back to my origional point. Why all the interest in my page. It is longer and contains more trivia than the three current candidates for mayor. I had not looked at this since september and again was surprised that you all were back. Focus on the others. Please. Evansjack1 (talk) 14:35, 6 October 2014 (UTC)

<-(OD)If your comments dont look right after you post them, dont be afraid to just edit to make them look right. Lots of editors go back and correct mistakes after they post. I took the liberty of indenting your previous post and then outdenting this one. With regards to the AG and the question of 'should wikipedia include that information' , the question of when is something of sufficient noteworthiness to include in an article is largely a matter of editorial judgement, but do take a look at WP:UNDUE, that is the wiki rule most relevant here. In my opinion, the material is noteworthy because it received a significant amount of coverage relative to the subject's normal coverage. Ill try and make some time to go back and look at the sources and see if we should include mention of this affair on any other council member's page. Bonewah (talk) 14:46, 6 October 2014 (UTC)

Ple ase refresh my recollection on how to start a new paragraph. And why cant i see my sentences on my i pad? Evansjack1 (talk) 02:27, 7 October 2014 (UTC)

I don't edit on an iPad, so I can't speak for why you can't preview. To indent, just add one more colon than the paragraph before. —C.Fred (talk) 02:42, 7 October 2014 (UTC)

lets see if this works. Does anyone edit on an i pad? Last summer i could see what i was typing. I can't now. Evansjack1 (talk) 18:04, 7 October 2014 (UTC:::thanks fred . I would again request that the paragraphs dealing with the Csf and the Ag be deleted. John said it best that adding paragraphs piecemael lessens the quality of the bio. It provides basic info for someone interested. Thats all it should do. Thanks for your consideration.

Thanks again Fred. Now I can see what I am writing. Bones John and Anthony all agreed at one time to remove these paragraphs. The Attorney General was removed for good reason. Yes it is an issue, but not for me. It is over and the election is taking place. There are dozens of issues like that. John said it best. It is being included to try and show that I am ignoring the will of the voters. The fact that the mayor, the current AG, and 8 council members supported delaying the election means I should not be singled out. Yet I am. Wikipedia should not be used to attempt to tarnish someone. It can be a great resource. But many of us are now very suspect of what we read. thanks for considering my request. — Preceding unsigned comment added by Evansjack1 (talk • contribs) 19:38, 7 October 2014 (UTC)

Thanks Anthony.

— Preceding unsigned comment added by Evansjack1 (talk • contribs) 17:56, 13 October 2014 (UTC)

More eyes

There is a low-level edit war happening here. I've asked for new eyes at Wikipedia:Biographies of living persons/Noticeboard/Archive208#Jack Evans. --Anthonyhcole (talk · contribs · email) 03:53, 13 October 2014 (UTC)

Additions & reversion

The following discussion began on my Talk page and I'm moving it bodily here for continuation. JohnInDC (talk) 14:47, 4 June 2015 (UTC)

====================

Hi. Could you please explain your cursory deletion of these important updates?

Before my edits, it did not reflect the fact that he has left his position at Squire Patton Boggs:

Old: As of June 2013, Evans received $190,000 in yearly compensation from Squire Patton Boggs in addition to his $125,000 council salary. http://dcist.com/2013/06/jack_evans_launches_2014_mayoral_ca.php During his time on the D.C. Council, Evans also worked as an insurance executive for Central Benefits Mutual Insurance Co., a position that paid $50,000 a year.

New: As of June 2013, Evans received $190,000 in yearly compensation from Squire Patton Boggs in addition to his $125,000 council salary, though the position ended when the firm merged in 2015. http://www.washingtoncitypaper.com/blogs/looselips/2015/06/01/jack-evans-full-time-councilmember/

He began practicing law in Washington, D.C. at the Securities and Exchange Commission in the Division of Enforcement and was an of counsel attorney at the Squire Patton Boggs law firm.

Before, it did not reflect that his relationship with his wife has ended.

Old: Over the next seven years, Evans raised his triplets and on September 18, 2010, he married Michele Price, a former staffer of late Wyoming Republican Senator Malcolm Wallop.

New: Over the next seven years, Evans raised his triplets and on September 18, 2010, he married Michele Price, a former staffer of late Wyoming Republican Senator Malcolm Wallop. The couple's split was reported in February 2015.

Before, it did not reflect any of his history with parking violations and abuse

Evans has been noted for his tendency to park illegally and questioned for potential abuse of parking privileges. His tickets were dismissed because he claimed he was on official business.

This content is well-sourced and relevant. Would you please self-revert, or at a minimum, provide a better justification than "this is silly stuff, gossipy and hyper local". I do not think that characterization is appropriate for articles in the Washington Post, Fox News, and CBS. Thanks. Bangabandhu (talk) 19:21, 2 June 2015 (UTC)

Refs:

It is well sourced, perhaps, but barely relevant, except as snark. I agree that if he no longer has his job at Patton, that should be noted. But the salary - now his former salary (and a private one to boot, not even taxpayer funded) isn't much relevant to anything. He doesn't even earn it any more. Second. The fact that he and his wife appear to be no longer living together - not divorced, just "split" - is relevant to - what? It's trivial, personal, not-really-anyone's-business information. It's gossip, even if the Post did devote three whole sentences to it back in February. If / when they're divorced, then we can cap this section with, "... and the couple has since divorced". And finally - parking tickets. I think the burden is on you to explain why parking tickets - sourced or not - rise to such a level of importance that they need to be included in an encyclopedia article. (I note too that they were all dismissed.) We've had this discussion many times before - just because something is sourced, doesn't mean it's appropriate for inclusion. I stand by my assessment that this material (other than his job change) is trivial, gossipy and hyperlocal. JohnInDC (talk) 19:40, 2 June 2015 (UTC)

I revised it to reflect his (un)employment with the law firm, and left in the salary information since the balance of the paragraph seems to focus so much on his salaries as it is. The current state of his relationship with his spouse and his minor - and officially forgiven - scofflaw tendencies can stay out. JohnInDC (talk) 19:49, 2 June 2015 (UTC)

Your point about his relationship status is reasonable; even though it has been published in the Washington Post, it doesn't say he's been divorced. Though I don't understand your deletion of the parking tickets text and references. I don't think its up to us to decide whether or not parking tickets are notable. If its generating such an abundance of media attention, clearly it is of public interest. It is uncertain exactly how the tickets were handled - if you read the coverage, you'll see the conflicting explanations between Evans and the DMV about their dismissal. More importantly, Other DC Councilmembers have this topic included in their entries. I don't know how to appropriately wordsmith this, but there's no doubt it deserves inclusion. Bangabandhu (talk) 05:18, 4 June 2015 (UTC)

It is precisely our job to decide what, of all sourced material in the world there is about a subject, to include or not to include. We are "editors", not "aggregators". Evans parks illegally. Let's just postulate that. He parks illegally. This is trivial by any definition, even if local outlets pick up the thread from time to time. Conversely, if we're going to add "parking issues" to the article on Evans, shouldn't we make sure that all the council members' parking transgressions are reported here? See http://dcist.com/2015/03/dc_politicians_worst_parking_jobs_r.php ; http://www.washingtoncitypaper.com/blogs/looselips/2014/09/18/the-d-c-councils-parking-scofflaws-now-on-instagram/ ; http://www.myfoxdc.com/story/26228273/dmv-dismisses-all-of-dc-councilmember-yvette-alexanders-unpaid-parking-tickets . This is all just silliness. (Incidentally, I'm going to move this entire thing to the article Talk page, where others may see the discussion and weigh in.) JohnInDC (talk) 14:44, 4 June 2015 (UTC)

If parking infractions were a habitual, longstanding practice among any of the other Councilmembers you mention, I would certainly support mention of it in their entries, as has been done with Barry. I can only find one article about Yvette Alexander. In her case, I think its more of a "dog bites man" story - an aberrant, one-time incident. In Evans' case, it's long exceeded that threshold. He's made public statements and been called into account for his actions. Its been chronicled in multiple publications, many times, spanning more than a decade. Its something that he's become known by. While the act of parking in and of itself is trivial, when rules are continually broken and their actions recorded, it becomes much more than that. Bangabandhu (talk) 15:46, 4 June 2015 (UTC)

Thanks for picking up the thread here. I think you and I are not going to convince one another of anything at this point - maybe we'll hear from @Largoplazo: or @Anthonyhcole:. JohnInDC (talk) 15:53, 4 June 2015 (UTC)

I agree with JohnInDC about the parking ticket and salary stuff. Well sourced trivia is still trivia. I see no reason for its inclusion. I also strongly agree that it is our job as editors to determine what is relevant to an encyclopedia article and what is not. Good sourcing is necessary, but not sufficient for inclusion. Bonewah (talk) 00:01, 5 June 2015 (UTC)

It's hard for me to believe everyone is still editing my page. Let's see if we can make some corrections. I was with Patton Boggs from 2001 not 1991 until 2015. I left in January. I agree that my former salary is not relevant, unless you include my former salary at the SEC. No other counilmembers salary is published. This was an attempt to embarrass me during the mayors race. Also no other council members spouse is mentioned. The chairman Phil Mendelson is divorced as is Mary Cheh. No mention. Why am I held to a different standard. Johnindc is correct. Get rid of this stuff. It is no longer necessary to try and embarrass me. The election is over. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 70.42.157.81 (talk) 23:08, 6 September 2015‎ (UTC)

The SPB tenure dates were wrong, I've corrected that. You probably have a point about the salary; I'm going to go ahead and exclude that, especially since the source gives such a broad range of possible numbers.

As for spouses, it is standard across all biographical articles to include background information like spouses, provided it's sourced. Since we have a source showing a marriage, the marriage is included. If there's a change in status, another source can be added providing updated information.

Finally, it is bad form for the subject of an article to edit the article. You may request changes on the talk page, but please do not edit the article directly, because of your conflict of interest. —C.Fred (talk) 23:24, 6 September 2015 (UTC)

Fred, I left a message on you talk page. Please let me know the best way to communicate. Thanks. Jack — Preceding unsigned comment added by 50.190.115.106 (talk) 01:48, 7 September 2015 (UTC)

Salary

I see that with almost no discussion (I completely missed it!) and at Evans' insistence, information about his salary has been excised. I'll let someone else take up the issue of how Evans is now editing on and IP account and how this fits with WP:U. But his time with EBP and the salary he received is highly relevant and imperative for inclusion. As is the many conflicts of interest that he encountered while wearing both hats, but we can start by restoring the text that was already there before this Evans-initiated revision. Bangabandhu (talk) 11:31, 18 September 2015 (UTC)

Why not just say, for many years while on the council, Evans had this job, and that job also. Why is the actual (estimated) number "imperative"? The existence of the position tells you all that you need to know. The bald number just sitting there, with no context, raises more questions than answers. Is $190,000 a lot of money for an of counsel? Or not very much at all? Also, it sounds like a bundle of money to most people in most parts of the country, but people in Washington DC know that $190,000 does not get you very far in Ward 2. How many hours did Evans put in to earn that amount? Do we know? If he showed up once a week to pick up his mail, that's one story. If he was working 75 hour weeks, to the neglect of his council duties, that's another. But we don't know which it is at all. So why put it out there without explaining what it means? What is the actual number relevant to, other than possible inferences that the reader may draw? JohnInDC (talk) 12:44, 18 September 2015 (UTC)

The salary gives a sense of the importance of his outside council work. Unless it is included, readers ask all the questions you raise above, plus "what did he make?" and "was he making more than what he made on the council?" or even just the basic "what else is known about his work?" I wholly support more context, though you risk WP:UNDUE, so we need to prioritize what other information we include. You're right that his position was is important, though much of the media attention focuses on his salary, not his title. The previous version titled him as "of counsel" which is appropriate, though I think some additional information about his real estate dealings there can provide greater detail about his day to day. Bangabandhu (talk) 14:32, 18 September 2015 (UTC)

Thinking about this more, I am astonished that Evans could sway editors so easily. The previous, long-standing version was the result of significant discussion and compromise. I haven't read all the back and forth around the recent excisions, but he made it clear long ago that he would prefer a one-sentence bio devoid of anything he doesn't approve. And it seems like editors are willing to go along with his wishes. Bangabandhu (talk) 14:52, 18 September 2015 (UTC)

That's my point. The salary does not give a sense of the importance of his outside work, vis-a-vis his position on the DC Council. It completely fails in that regard. It's just a number. Even when you compare it to his salary on the council, what is the reader supposed to infer from that? That if he made more money from the law firm, then he would prefer the firm's client's interests over that of his constituents? What if the numbers were the same? What if the law firm salary was just two thirds of his salary on the council? Would it mean that at least he usually favors the interests of his constituents, but not always? It's just - innuendo, criticism by implication. JohnInDC (talk) 16:04, 18 September 2015 (UTC)

New to this discussion, but I am trying to edit local DC government pages to make them better comply with Wikipedia:Biographies of living persons guidelines and be more informative to potential readers. My concern with salary information is that it frequently changes (Council salaries are subject to cost of living adjustments and is no longer $125,000), and as JohnInDC said, it creates criticism by implication. If the $125,000 council salary info is deleted, is the CBMI salary still revelant? Anonymouse202 (talk) 16:27, 18 September 2015 (UTC)

I can't believe bang is again editing my page. He is so anti Jack that he should be barred. To add paragraphs about the redskins and not about the new arena or the other positive things I have done recently is unfair. Bang this is not loose lips in the city pa per. This is an encyclopedia A. I should be treated like my fellow council members and not subject to snarky comments by one of my detractors. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 164.82.84.23 (talk) 17:01, 18 September 2015 (UTC)

Salary information belongs in every Councilmember bio. If its not in there and adequate sourcing exists, then it needs to be added. I'll make the additions if I'm aware of the bio. Is there any more essential information for citizens to know about their elected officials than who is paying them? The concern that the salary changes only underscores the importance of active editors ensuring info is up to date and well sourced. Bangabandhu (talk) 17:02, 18 September 2015 (UTC)

There seems to have previously been consensus in the NPOV problems section of this talk page that pets, housing, salary info, etc. was extraneous at best and insidious at worst. I would agree with JohnInDC's previous suggestion to say "for many years while on the council, Evans had this job, and that job also." I would also suggest we combine his Of Counsel position info with the insurance job info under public service, since it doesn't apply to his "early life, education, or family" Anonymouse202 (talk) 19:05, 18 September 2015 (UTC)

Are you really equating his pets with his salary? I don't think you're serious. Bangabandhu (talk) 19:37, 18 September 2015 (UTC)

I'm simply referring to multiple comments made by other editors on this page that mention those items together as trivial. Barack Obama's salary is well-documented as being $400,000 per year, but that is not included on his wikipedia page because it is trivial, rather than encyclopedic information about the subject. That Evans held outside employment while on the council seems relevant, that he made X amount at those jobs seems meant to sensationalize. I believe the inclusion of salary information about his previous law firm job was determined to be triv'sial in the NPOV conversation above. I'm going to remove it here for the insurance job and combine both position into one note under public service using JohnInDC template. Anonymouse202 (talk) 20:06, 18 September 2015 (UTC)

Just what is sensationalistic about his salary? Did you bother to read the comment below? Are the dozens (probably more, I haven't done an exhaustive search) of articles also sensationalistic? You'll note that the Obama page does talk about his donors, which is entirely appropriate, and if he were employed by any outside firm during his political career it would describe that in detail, as well. Bangabandhu (talk) 20:48, 18 September 2015 (UTC)

Yes. I read the sources you listed in your comment below. They also give various amounts for the salaries for his council job (as low as $92,500 in 2006) and outside employment (up to $240k from the law firm according to the DC GOP). There seems to be consensus from most editors here and in previous discussion about this page that the salary info is trivial from [Bonewah], [Cullen328], and [JohnInDC]. I strongly agree with you and others that outside employment while in public office is important to note, but there seems to be mixed info on the actual salary numbers of those jobs (which I imagine is because salaries change) and according to sources, he no longer holds either job. In order to be conservative and per Wikipedia:Biographies of living persons "get this right", I think we must remove information that is in dispute. I'd ask other editors to weigh in here.Anonymouse202 (talk) 21:15, 18 September 2015 (UTC)

The appropriate language is that "His salary ranged from $96,000 to $240,000 while he was employed at EPB from 2001 to 2015 and working as a Councilmember." Bangabandhu (talk) 21:31, 18 September 2015 (UTC)

As to this issue of context and importance, the criteria is its presence in reputable sources. Why are there so many articles that mention his salary? Is it because they're all guilty of misinforming their readers? Do these sources not provide proper "context"? No, they're writing about it because they know its an issue of importance. Wikipedia needs to reflect that. Bangabandhu (talk) 17:11, 18 September 2015 (UTC)

Bang, I have noted this many times before to you but I guess it bears repeating again: just because it is sourced doesn't mean it has to be included. My objection to this fact (to the extent that these ranges, based on what appears to be supposition, can be called a "fact") is that it seems to be trying to say something, but never comes out to say what that thing is. It just seems to be here because it's icky somehow and "people need to know". JohnInDC (talk) 22:58, 18 September 2015 (UTC)

Yes, you have said that before. Sourcing is a necessary but not sufficient criteria for inclusion, fine. Other criteria are relevance, significance, and precedence, all of which this this satisfies. The inclusion of any piece of information could be interpreted any number of ways. Its our job to provide the context, not delete the content because we're afraid that it might be perceived as "icky". Bangabandhu (talk) 14:19, 19 September 2015 (UTC)

You have provided sources (a couple of which are personal blogs, a couple of which mention the figure only in passing, a couple of which don't even focus on Evans, but setting all that aside), but you still haven't explained what this figure tells us. In one of the sources you offered above, the interviewee says something like "just what is Jack Evans doing that he earned so much money at that law firm every year?" The article deserves better than that kind of innuendo. JohnInDC (talk) 17:10, 19 September 2015 (UTC)

I have not seen anything here that changes my previous stance. I agree with JohnInDC, this is a mechanism to imply that Evans did something insidious without actually saying that. Bang, id consider an alternate edit that expresses what you want to say, but nothing you have provided so far would get my approval, such as it is. Bonewah (talk) 23:39, 19 September 2015 (UTC)

Bonewah, JohnInDC, what are your thoughts on my previous edit to include the outside employment info, without salaries, and combine in a single note under public service (e.g. "During his time on the D.C. Council, Evans also worked as an insurance executive for Central Benefits Mutual Insurance Co., and from 2001 until 2015 was of counsel attorney at the Squire Patton Boggs law firm.")? If we agree with Bang that outside employment is relevant enough for inclusion, but that the salaries attempt to insinuate wealth or some sort of criticism by innuendo, I believe this arrangement achieves both ends without giving undue weight. Anonymouse202 (talk) 21:22, 20 September 2015 (UTC)

I'd say, "*has* also worked", but otherwise, fine! JohnInDC (talk) 00:02, 21 September 2015 (UTC)

- Notability. The issue of his salary is widely reported. If you need more links than the ones provided above, I'll find them, but I'd rather spend my time making more useful edits. The WP has routinely mentioned it. Do they traffic in innuendo? - Relevance Outside salaries should be mentioned on every Councilmember's page. It appears on Mary Cheh's Page Should it be removed? No, it should be included on every page where adequate sourcing exists. If we exclude it from Evans' page, we're giving him special treatment. Why? Is it because he's got the nerve to go on Wikipedia and insisting on it, or because working for Patton Boggs is more "icky" sounding than working for a University? Or something else entirely? Importance Is there any piece of information more important to readers than who is paying their elected officials? I am hoping other editors like @Largoplazo: or @Nomader: will weigh in. Bangabandhu (talk) 04:49, 21 September 2015 (UTC)

1) The lone WP source you cited focuses on his insurance salary, the law firm salary being mentioned only to set up that discussion. 2) I am not particularly persuaded by the circular argument that "it is relevant because it should be mentioned". 3) Mary Cheh - WP:OTHERSTUFFEXISTS. Indeed neither David Catania's (sourced) salary nor that of Kwame R. Brown are mentioned on those articles, and Brown had to resign because of ethics issues. 4) Finally we all agree that the article should identify on the "who". JohnInDC (talk) 11:06, 21 September 2015 (UTC)

Brought here by BLP noticeboard posting. In reading the article and through several relevant sources, I'm of the opinion that it is undue and largely irrelevant to include his salary information. Just an uninvolved editor's opinion for some perspective. Cheers! Immortal Horrors or Everlasting Splendors 12:51, 21 September 2015 (UTC)

I believe this comment gets us to consensus. Four editors now agree that the salary information is undue and irrelevant. I am making the change to my suggested revision, with JohnInDC's verb tense suggestion. Bangabandhu if you again revert this edit, I will ask for page protection. As you said, I think we can all be spending our time making more useful edits.Anonymouse202 (talk) 13:10, 21 September 2015 (UTC)

I am good with the edits that were made by Anonymouse202. Bonewah (talk) 17:19, 21 September 2015 (UTC)

Please, go ask for page protection now. Evans, who is editing the page from multiple IP accounts, will be prevented from deleting any more content. Bangabandhu (talk) 07:34, 22 September 2015 (UTC)

How many references to his salary in source-able publications do you need, JohnInDC? What will satisfy your perception of it as an important issue? This isn't a rhetorical question; I would like a number. As for this being something that promotes innuendo, I am disappointed that such a highly subjective criteria would hold sway with other editors. Anything can be read to have innuendo. Does the fact that he has attended multiple DNC meetings suggest that he is a party insider who is eager to curry favor with party bigwigs? Does the fact that he lives in Georgetown imply that he has no appeal outside of the neighborhood? Maybe we should provide more context to what Georgetown is and what it means. Or, we could just accept that on Wikipedia we include facts from legitimate sources, regardless of whether the subject does not like them. Bangabandhu (talk) 07:41, 22 September 2015 (UTC)

I don't know, Bang, what else I can do to convey to you what I've been saying, stressing, throughout this discussion, which is: It isn't a matter of number of sources; and, just because it's sourced, doesn't mean it should be included. Particularly in the biography of a living person. By and large (in this country at least), how much we make at our jobs is regarded as a kind of personal information. People don't (typically) volunteer it and it's rude to ask. Some people do have jobs where their salaries are public: Athletes & government officials are two that come to mind. In those cases the information is known - it's not secret - but it's still a bit personal. It's publicly known but not - merely because it's known - a suitable subject for public discourse or, in this case, for inclusion in an encyclopedia article. There needs to be something else to make it relevant, and that's the question I've been stressing. If we are going to talk about Evans's salary, which incidentally isn't "public" but has rather just become known, what's the reason? Why are we including this known-but-still-sensitive issue in an encyclopedia article? What does it tie to? It's like, I dunno, including when someone and his wife began sleeping in separate beds (which, heck, might be right there in the divorce papers). It’s not like Max Scherzer’s record-breaking salary, which was the subject of long negotiation, lots of public speculation in many major media outlets, and which – once settled – induced him to leave one team for another. Finally, the difference between “salary” and “residence” is pretty plain to my eyes. If I met someone at a cocktail party and they asked where I live, I'd tell them. Wouldn't think twice. But if they asked how much money I made, I'd find someone else to talk to. (Even though, if they knew the public agency where I worked, they could probably find the figure somewhere on the internet.) JohnInDC (talk) 11:59, 22 September 2015 (UTC)

I think what I have the most difficulty with is the issue of politesse. What might hurt someone's feelings or make them offended is highly subjective and I don't think that should be our call. Again, it wasn't so potentially offensive that it couldn't go in the WP. Evans didn't raise any concerns when it was reported there. My guess is that once the print ink has dried its a lot easier to change than a Wikipedia article. Bangabandhu (talk) 18:46, 22 September 2015 (UTC)

It's personal. Even if everyone knows it and it's not "private" any more, it's still personal. Between that and WP:BLP we can afford to be a bit conservative about just what we include in these articles, articles about actual, real people who - in addition to holding public posts - are often just trying to go about their day-to-day business. If there's a reason to include this no-longer-private-but-still-personal information in the article, then include it - the sensitivities of the article's subject be damned. But until there's such a reason, then it should stay out. JohnInDC (talk) 19:06, 22 September 2015 (UTC)

The tax forms of presidential candidates are disclosed for a reason. Should we reproduce all their disclosures here? It's publicly available information, it's often reported widely—but Wikipedia isn't a voting guide, a forum for alerting people to potential conflicts of interest. It makes sense to report office holders' outside jobs, for the same reason we often list all the places that a person has worked. But I don't see that salary is a desirable piece of data to include in Wikipedia just because it legally has to be disclosed and because it's been gossiped about. (Yes, some of what's in even the most venerable papers is fluff.) —Largo Plazo (talk) 12:52, 22 September 2015 (UTC)

I have a counter question for you @Bangabandhu:, how many editors have to disagree with you for you to accept that consensus is against you? This also is not a rhetorical question. Bonewah (talk) 14:41, 22 September 2015 (UTC)

I understand where consensus now stands. I'm looking to change it and try and understand other's reservations about doing so. We had consensus to include the salary; then Evans got involved, complaining and editing through multiple IP accounts and with almost no discussion it was changed. So, I think if your question is how many editors would I like to see involved, the answer is a single influential one. Bangabandhu (talk) 18:22, 22 September 2015 (UTC)

Ok thats fine. If you want to change consensus, at least as far as im concerned, you need to offer an argument that isnt just "sources say so". Or offer a compromise edit like including salary ranges as a footnote on a sentence which mentions his work outside DC council. Bonewah (talk) 14:57, 23 September 2015 (UTC)

I oppose including salary information as unduly intrusive. --Anthonyhcole (talk · contribs · email) 15:48, 22 September 2015 (UTC)

I have to agree with Anthony here, it seems like a bit too much. I think this article is definitely somewhat whitewashed in its current state and a lot of things that should be in it (like his ethics complaints and such) should probably be included, but that's not what's being discussed here and that's not the current consensus, and I'm happy to respect it. Also, to @Bangabandhu:: I think it's a bit disingenuous to try and canvass votes from people who have spoken before on this page. I appreciate the ping, but you should be careful that it doesn't get looked on badly. Either way, I agree with most of the people above. Nomader (talk) 18:28, 24 September 2015 (UTC)

I didn't think that it was canvassing unless I reached out to people who weren't in the discussion previously. Now I know, thanks. Bangabandhu (talk) 19:50, 25 September 2015 (UTC)

No big! It's a bit more of a gray area and you're fine especially if you don't know. I only said it because above, I agreed with most of your stances on things (and I still do, except this). Nomader (talk) 00:34, 26 September 2015 (UTC)

Religion

With good reason, religious affiliation is regularly included for all politicians, including DC councilmembers, and I see no reason why this article should be treated any differently. I am restoring. Here is the relevant text: Evans identifies as Christian and claims affiliation with the Foundry Methodist Church in Dupont Circle and the Christ Church in Georgetown. https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/post-partisan/wp/2014/02/18/a-soul-stirring-performance-by-d-c-mayoral-candidates/ Bangabandhu (talk) 14:36, 17 July 2016 (UTC)

It's a single opinion piece about the tendency of DC politicians (including Evans) to tout their religious bona fides during election season. I know of no other sources that describe Evans's religious affiliation and for this reason alone this opinion piece is a dicey source at best for this otherwise unreported material. Also, parroting the opinion piece's cynical tone to note that Evans "claims" affiliation with two different churches appears to inject that author's POV into the article. I've revised the wording to say, "has claimed" rather than "claims", given that it is a one-off quote, in an opinion piece; and I may change it further still. JohnInDC (talk) 15:18, 17 July 2016 (UTC)

I left in his Christian affiliation, added a cite for the Foundry Methodist Church (which appears to be his actual church) and left out the singly-sourced reference to other "affiliation" (whatever that may mean). JohnInDC (talk) 15:27, 17 July 2016 (UTC)

By excluding the mention of both churches, you're bringing in your own analysis of his religious behavior. We don't know which is his actual church (at least not until we find a reliable source) so we should go by what we have. Maybe he maintains affiliations at both churches, as the WP suggests. Your first version conveyed it appropriately and accurately. Bangabandhu (talk) 17:13, 17 July 2016 (UTC)

I restored your addition about the AIDS fundraiser. Bangabandhu (talk) 17:19, 17 July 2016 (With good reason, religious affiliation is regularly included for all politicians, including DC councilmembers, and I see no reason why this article should be treated any differently.

"With good reason, religious affiliation is regularly included for all politicians, including DC councilmembers, and I see no reason why this article should be treated any differently." "With good reason"? Why, is Wikipedia an investigative journal with a responsibility to warn the public of politicians' personal interests? In any case, when affiliations to religious groups and to house of worship are given, for politicians or anybody else, they have to be known and verifiable. If "we don't know" then it doesn't belong in the article. We don't write in articles anything to the effect of "we don't know, but here's what I think". At the very least, "claim(s)" implies "but he may be lying", and that is unacceptable. I'm removing the whole affiliation bit until you sort this out. Largoplazo (talk) 17:39, 17 July 2016 (UTC)

Agree with Largo, particularly the insinuation implicit in the term "claims". I agree with his streamlining the text to omit reference to any particular church. JohnInDC (talk) 20:20, 17 July 2016 (UTC)

As I'm not either a higher power or in a position of authority in any faith, I'm not equipped to judge someone's membership or affiliation; I take them at their word. In this case, Evans has stated affiliation to two groups and both deserve mention in the entry. I've suggested using the verb "claim" but maybe "said he is affiliated with" is more accurate. Regardless of the verbage this merits inclusion. Bangabandhu (talk) 03:36, 18 July 2016 (UTC)

The opinion piece wasn't about Evans's faith but rather what he (and other politicians) say about their faith when trying to get elected. The author was openly scornful of the claims made by Evans and the others to church-goers about their deep (or in some cases, broad) faith. Surely you can appreciate the difference between straight factual reporting ("Evans attends both Foundry Methodist and Christ Church") and op-ed ("Evans claimed affiliation with two different churches and no one in the audience believed him"). By importing the skeptical & cynical tone of that article into this one, you aren't setting out facts but rather pushing a POV. JohnInDC (talk) 10:21, 18 July 2016 (UTC)

The citation used appears to be an opinion column, not a fact checked news item. Im ok with some mention of Evan's religious affiliation, but only if it can be traced back to a reliable source. For the record, i agree with JohnInDC above that the language used here is non-neutral as well, but the sourcing is the more important problem in my opinion. Bonewah (talk) 15:39, 18 July 2016 (UTC)

I acknowledge the reservations about accepting an oped as a reliable source though I doubt that the WP would knowingly misreport or misquote in their opinion pages any more than their news. Regardless, there are other sources that confirm his affiliation with both churches. From ..."What does your Sunday routine look like? We wake up pretty early and usually head down to Marvelous Market for a bite to eat. Then it’s off to services at Christ Church" and the already mentioned "...Chair of Foundry United Methodist Church's annual AIDS fundraiser". Upshot is that the RS point is really a non-issue as other sources corroborate.Bangabandhu (talk) 19:32, 18 July 2016 (UTC)

I can think of no good reason why we need to cobble together a series of passing quotes from a couple of old articles in order to determine which churches this fellow has, or may have, attended in the past so that the article can, at best state that it is not clear whether Evans is a Methodist-type Christian or an Episcopalian-type Christian - or, I suppose, not enough of a Christian that these doctrinal distinctions even matter to him. Maybe he went to the church that his (then) wife liked. Maybe he goes to the one that's closest, or with the easiest parking, or with the best snacks after the services. It's all speculation, and all trivial in any case. When Evans or a reliable source says, definitively, "Evans is Methodist" or "Evans takes an ecumenical approach to religion and attends a variety of churches", this kind of synthesis has to stay out. JohnInDC (talk) 20:11, 18 July 2016 (UTC)

Just because Evans' religion is a complicated matter doesn't mean it should be excluded. We've got different sources, they're not contradictory, they just require a carefully worded sentence explaining them. I think we can arrive at that. It doesn't require any more digging than it does for the religious affiliations of the other Councilmembers. As to the point about religious affiliation changing, that's risk for any bio and a reason for active, engaged editors. Bangabandhu (talk) 01:07, 19 July 2016 (UTC)

What is he, Bang? Methodist? Episcopalian? Both? Neither? We don't know, and "careful wording" can't camouflage that failure. Let it go. JohnInDC (talk) 01:55, 19 July 2016 (UTC)

If it's so complicated that you have to do your own analysis to figure out exactly what to say about it, then, yes, it should be excluded. By the way, these are primary sources, Evans talking about himself. Largoplazo (talk) 02:53, 19 July 2016 (UTC)

OK, ill bite, what do you propose, Bang? Bonewah (talk) 14:26, 19 July 2016 (UTC)

How's this: Evans identifies as Christian and has said he attends the Christ Church in Georgetown and the Foundry Methodist Church in Dupont Circle for which he served as Chair of the annual AIDS fundraiser from 2001-2003. Bangabandhu (talk) 22:30, 19 July 2016 (UTC)

He hasn't identified as Christian. That is an inference from his statements that has attended (or done volunteer work for) a couple of different Christian churches. They are not the same thing. I also object to the word "said". Is the point to identify Evans's religion (which the sources don't actually do) or to report what Evans says about his church attendance (which, to my knowledge, is not commonplace in Wikipedia articles)? JohnInDC (talk) 22:45, 19 July 2016 (UTC)

I'm not a religious scholar or a wordsmith when it comes to describing faith, but I think its akin to a sky is blue discussion about whether he's Christian. For what its worth he sends out Xmas cards and asks Santa for political favors. If you're uncomfortable with the diction "identifies as Christian" choose another verb or let's use "Evans attends the Christ Church in Georgetown and the Foundry Methodist Church in Dupont Circle for which he served as Chair of the annual AIDS fundraiser from 2001-2003." Bangabandhu (talk) 03:46, 20 July 2016 (UTC)

I have no POV problem with that language. It remains thinly sourced however, almost to the point of invisibility, and am not sure why it is so essential to shoehorn in something about Evans's religion when, in the course of a - what - 25+ year career in public office, this is all that the sources have to say about it. It is obviously not an important facet of his public life, or, judging by the paucity of sources, of his personal life either; and I'm not sure whether it's appropriate to include in a BLP given how little (finally) we actually can find. JohnInDC (talk) 10:56, 20 July 2016 (UTC)

Im ok with the "Evans attends.." proposed edit. I kind of agree with JohnInDC that the sourcing is not great, but given that proposed addition is neutrally worded and we avoided the problematic source i complained about above, im satisfied that my objections have been met. Bonewah (talk) 14:25, 20 July 2016 (UTC)

We cannot, in fact, in 2016, write "Evans attends" based on his role at Foundry that ended in 2003 and reports from 2010 and 2014. Largoplazo (talk) 14:50, 20 July 2016 (UTC)

I've noticed that tense is an issue on a lot of entries. So, then we're here: Evans has identified as Christian and attended the Christ Church in Georgetown and the Foundry Methodist Church in Dupont Circle for which he served as Chair of the annual AIDS fundraiser from 2001-2003. Bangabandhu (talk) 13:00, 21 July 2016 (UTC)

I dont think any of the sources cited back up the claim that he identifies as Christian. Bonewah (talk) 13:07, 21 July 2016 (UTC)

Attending a church doesn't make you that religion, and whatever we may know - or knew in 2003 or 2010 - about where Evans has gone to church certainly does not give us license to say how Evans thinks of his own faith. The most you can say from the sources we have is that Evans has attended Christ Church in Georgetown, and from 2001-03 served as Chair of the annual AIDS fundraiser for the Foundry Methodist Church on 16th Street in Washington DC. That's it. And again I'd say, that's so thin that I don't think it bears even mentioning here. JohnInDC (talk) 13:21, 21 July 2016 (UTC)

I know that comparison to other articles doesn't carry much weight, but most other Councilmember's entries have their religion listed and many are more thinly sourced than Evans'. I get the sense that we're uncomfortable saying he's Christian, but no objection to language about where he worships. Bangabandhu (talk) 12:57, 23 July 2016 (UTC)

I get the sense that you're driven to say anything at all about his religion because you've developed a keep-up-with-the-Joneses attachment to this article in relation to the articles about other DC council members rather than because you have good, solid, current sources to give anything we might write about it here both validity and relevance. Largoplazo (talk) 13:07, 23 July 2016 (UTC)

As a matter of principle, I think its important to know elected official's religious affiliation - the point about other CM's entries was just to illustrate how that principle is applied in practice. Since we're uncertain about wording of Christian, Methodist, Santa lover, or something else I think we should use the text that is supported by three other sources (though only one source corroborates the fundraiser).Bangabandhu (talk) 23:07, 23 July 2016 (UTC)

I don't think an officeholder's nominal religion matters one whit. Where they plainly wear their belief in, or about, a God or Gods (or none) as part of their identity, or these beliefs expressly influence their policymaking, then it matters; but otherwise it's just a label, and (as often as not) one that carries a panoply of preconceptions and presuppositions along with it. I think that scrounging up 3 or 4 sources (generated over a 25-30 year career in public office) just to be able to include such a label in an article is an unsound principle, and I disagree with it generally. All that being said, I am sure I'm swimming upstream with these views and it's not worth more argument. JohnInDC (talk) 02:43, 24 July 2016 (UTC)

Why is it important as a matter of principle to know an elected official's religious affiliation? Suppose one is Catholic. Does that tell you a single thing about whether he supports abortion rights, sodomy laws, same-sex marriage, birth control, our participation in a particular war, food stamps, a national health plan, the admission of Syrian refugeees, or U.S. membership in the Trans-Pacific partnership? No, it doesn't. For that reason, while I'm not at all saying it's wrong to divulge a subject's religion, what I'm reading when you say it's important as a matter of principle is that it's important to give people a label on which to hang all sorts of ill-justified assumptions. I'm also interpreting it as a statement that part of Wikipedia's mission is to give readers information by which to cast judgement on articles' subjects. It's not. Largoplazo (talk) 11:45, 24 July 2016 (UTC)

Religion is an element of identity, just a race, occupation, gender, age, and membership in other groups, and many other markers. It doesn't matter whether religion guides Evans' voting, but the affiliation is important to know. If he were a freemason, we'd want to include that. If he belonged to the NRA, the Sierra Club, or any number of other groups, all that would merit inclusion. I'll grant that I appear to draw the line for inclusion slightly wider than many (I still think we should include his salary), but religion does not have the loaded connotation that salary does (or at least no one has raised that objection). I'd also note that its not something he keeps private. I would understand the rationale for exclusion if he'd demurred whenever he's asked about it, but he's quite public in discussion his practice and has used it while campaigning, even if it hasn't guided his votes. Bangabandhu (talk) 19:43, 24 July 2016 (UTC)

That is simply not true. "Religion" is not an element of identity. Religious belief may be, but those are entirely different things and it is a dangerous mistake to confuse them. When a person's religious beliefs guide their decisions, influence their choices, help them formulate their ethics or shape their world view - or when they claim any of these things for themselves - then, of course, their beliefs become entirely appropriate for inclusion. But reflexively including a person's "religion" in a Wikipedia article simply because it can, at some level, be ascertained, is poor policy and plays into the hands of prejudice, bigotry and - to borrow Largo's term - baseless assumptions. Your claim notwithstanding, Bang, we have precious little sourcing concerning Evans's religion, indeed with the opinion piece that started all this being openly skeptical of the religion claims he has made for himself. Right now we have the thing whittled down to a minimum, it doesn't overstate what the sources tell us, and in that regard I'm fine with it - but I think you are badly misguided in stating that a subject's nominal religion, without more, is an element of "identity" and must be included whenever and wherever it can be ferreted out. JohnInDC (talk) 22:29, 24 July 2016 (UTC)

To be precise, we can never report that someone believes such-and-such, as that is inherently unverifiable. At best we can report that someone has expressed a belief in such-and-such. Largoplazo (talk) 02:18, 25 July 2016 (UTC)

That is of course exactly right and there is probably a better way of talking about the distinction I was making, which is (roughly) between a nominal or passive religious affiliation (which is trivial and close to meaningless) and active participation in a church / temple / mosque or adherence to doctrines espoused by a particular faith or denomination. JohnInDC (talk) 11:57, 25 July 2016 (UTC)

Just on this issue of religious identity - its not just a matter of belief, but one of behavior, too. Belief in a religion is not a prerequisite for identity with that religion. Evans may never identified as Christian and it would be inaccurate to say so in this article. But we know at a minimum that he has attended church, so has some identity as a church goer, even if he may be a non-believer. Churchgoing and santa-sitting signifies some modicum of Christian identity, even if it there isn't a verifiable source to support it and even if he accepts none of the tenets of the faith. Also, its not a binary issue. So he might identify more strongly as a Washingtonian or a Democrat than a Christian. I'd like to see all of these included. Bangabandhu (talk) 03:49, 26 July 2016 (UTC)

Bang, if you seriously intend to include his references to Santa as evidence of Christian faith, practice or identity then you are farther off base here than I had imagined. JohnInDC (talk) 10:58, 26 July 2016 (UTC)

You misread me if you thought I intended to include those references. I was trying to make a point about identity, faith, and religion, but I guess it missed the mark. Bangabandhu (talk) 13:59, 26 July 2016 (UTC)

This is Jack Evans. I just saw this and am utterly astonished. Why was this added. My religion is no ones business. Contrary to Bang representation, it is not mentioned in any other DC council members bio. In the last 2 years I have received information that Bang is a serial wiki attacker and has been banned from making edits. Anyone reading this can see his goal is to write negative things about me. I don't know why until he or she discloses their real identity. So I would appreciate his additions be deleted. This is such a waste of time. If Bang is not stopped here he/she will continue. Thanks. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 107.77.203.84 (talk) 02:27, 11 August 2016 (UTC)

If you are Jack Evans, you have to be frickin' kidding. We've had with you ad nauseam the whole conflict of interest editing discussion as well as the one about the limited nature of the say you have in what is written in an article about you. I've reverted your changes. If you have policy-based arguments to make against the inclusion of this material, you are welcome to bring them here for consideration and attempt to form a consensus.

By the way, I'm certain that members of Christ Church and Foundry Methodist Church will be thrilled to see that you've written here, on Wikipedia, that to state that you have attended those houses of worship amounts to writing "negative things about" you. Largoplazo (talk) 04:56, 11 August 2016 (UTC)

Incidentally, "it is not mentioned in any other DC council members bio" is a falsehood. The religious affiliations of at least three Council members—Vincent Orange, Elissa Silverman, and LaRuby May—are mentioned. Speaking of (potential) falsehoods, what is the nature of this "information" about Bangabandhu being banned? I see no evidence of it in the form of him ever having been informed of it on his user talk page. Largoplazo (talk) 05:08, 11 August 2016 (UTC)

Did you really just again remove sourced content, and, in your edit summary, did you really make another ridiculously false representation about the inclusion of religion and, this time, spouses, in other articles? Have you ever read another Wikipedia bio? As I already told you, the bios of at least three current D. C. Council members mention their religious affiliations. And four or five of them mention spouse, fiancé, and/or children, as applicable. What is your deal, man? Are you trying to out-Trump Trump in the unfounded outrage department? Largoplazo (talk) 13:17, 11 August 2016 (UTC)

Responding to your latest blanking that I've reverted, for which your edit summary reads "Look. You all started this editing. You all know Bang is up to no good. He has been censored in the past. Be fair. No other DC Councilmember has this in their bios. I'm not giving up. Jack":

• Where do you see a rule that if you think the intent of one editor of a page about you is less than benign, that you get full control over what does and doesn't appear in the article?
• Just, please, cut the bullshit about "no other DC Councilmember". I've already told you twice that that's false, so now you're just lying outright.
• Bang has been censored in the past? So have you, pal. You've been blocked. And you're on your way to another block.
• You aren't giving up? As I said, you're on your way to another block.
• How is it that you're so much more concerned about the article making neutrally worded statements about your religious attendance and your marriage than you are about the extremely poor way this permanent, public record of your behavior makes you look? I'm actually starting to wonder whether you really are Jack Evans or someone out to make him look terrible.

Largoplazo (talk) 14:45, 11 August 2016 (UTC)

What a surprise, it's Largo. I suspect you and Bang are the same person. Still engaging in personal attacks to justify your actions. Some things never change. For others watching, please consider the following changes: 1. I currently am a member of both churches. Not just an attendee 2. I was a delegate at the conventions. To say I "served" makes no sense 3. Put in order the campaigns I chaired by date 4. The .COG reference is out of place 5. I checked Mendelson, Cheh, and Bonds all of whom are divorced and no mention is made. Show me I am wrong. These are accurate changes I am requesting be made. Bang and Largo will always try and insert negative entries. Look at their long history above. I appreciate others helping out here. As I stated above, I was quite surprised that after 2 years Bang and Largo were back. Incidently, a person named Anthoney Cole e mailed me that Bang and Largo were being looked into. That's all I know. Jack — Preceding unsigned comment added by 107.77.203.185 (talk) 17:51, 11 August 2016 (UTC)

Hmmm.

• "I suspect you and Bang are the same person." Yes, that's why I put so much effort into disagreeing with him above, in this very section.
• "... and Largo will always try and insert negative entries." Yes, that's why I put so much effort, right here in this very section, into contesting the negative slant of the wording that Bang wanted to put into the article. Also, with the exception of this edit, I'm not sure that I've ever added any content to this article, except when reverting an improper deletion or adding a source. With respect to me, at least, your use of the word "always" here is beyond overwrought. Largoplazo (talk) 22:02, 11 August 2016 (UTC)
• "Still engaging in personal attacks to justify your actions." This is coming from the person whose initial entry in this discussion last night was a full-scale tirade about Bangabandhu. Different rules for you?

Fine, go ahead, say what you want, make stuff up, in full disregard of the plainly contrary evidence on the page sitting right in front of you. I give up trying to demonstrate to you that you are being treated in accordance with the treatment provided by Wikipedia for all such circumstances, since you seem intent on believing that you are being singled out. Going forward, I will simply revert, without explanation, any inappropriate edits on your part. Largoplazo (talk) 20:35, 11 August 2016 (UTC)

For the record, I concur with Largo's comments here, and particularly with his observations about the (ludicrous) claim that he and Bang are the same person. JohnInDC (talk) 00:02, 12 August 2016 (UTC)

Now that we have all the personal stuff out of the way, and by the way my comment about Bang and Largo was tongue in cheek (a little sensitive are we), I still am unclear why Bang inserted the religious entries. If you want to keep them, at least make them accurate. I am a member of both. Change "has attended" to "is a member". Second, fix the "delegate" wording. It makes no sense to say "served" I think someone meant to say "served as a delegate". Put the co chairmanships in date order, i.e., "He served as as co-chairman of the 1992 and 1996 Bill Clinton campaign etc.,etc.". Then " He served on the COG board from 1993-1997 and as Chairman in 1995." These changes make it easier to read and more accurate. Please don't not do them because you don't like me. That's not the point. Finally, I stand by my assertion that their is no mention of divorce in Cheh, Bonds or Mendelson. Check it out. Nor marriage for that matter in Cheh or Bonds. That's why I recommend deleting the line. I do not check this very often. That's why I was so surprised to find the same group from the summer of 2014 still editing my page. As you all remember, the page in 2014 was so bad it had to be rewritten. And it took a long time to get that done. It still contains some silly stuff about the attorney general, etc that is not reflected in any other council members page but life is too short. Again, please consider my suggestions. Apologies to anyone I insulted. All the best. Jack — Preceding unsigned comment added by 107.77.203.185 (talk) 02:10, 12 August 2016 (UTC)

Please point out to us the Wikipedia guideline that says that any time two or more people who are the subjects of articles fall into some particular category, every type of information about them must appear in either all their articles or none of their articles.

The fact is that there's no reason why Cheh's, Bonds', or Mendelson's earlier marriages couldn't be mentioned matter-of-factly in their articles. There are certainly articles about members of city council members from other cities that mention their earlier marriages/divorces, and there's no reason why there would be a special rule for D.C. Also, I already pointed out to you articles about your fellow D.C. council members that do contain family details, even if none of them happen to mention divorces.

I restored the "delegate" version something like two minutes after I restored the material you'd deleted, so I don't know why you're going on about it.

Finally, please identify reliable sources for the other changes you're requesting. This isn't your personal bio, and we can't just write things because you say they're true. Largoplazo (talk) 10:46, 12 August 2016 (UTC)

Thanks. Some of the changes are pure style like putting the co-chairs in date order. And the reason consistency is important is otherwise it looks like one person is being held to a different standard, particularly elected officials. Remember, this all got started during the last Mayor's race when Bang rewrote my bio. Wikipedia is an encyclopedia not an opinion piece as you all have said many times. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 166.216.159.51 (talk) 18:13, 13 August 2016 (UTC)

Well, I guess I'm already breaking my own resolution: "And the reason consistency is important is otherwise it looks like one person is being held to a different standard, particularly elected officials." It looks like that only if you imagine that every set of articles about a given category of subjects is written by a single group of people who work out together exactly what should and shouldn't be in each of the articles and enforce their lockstep consistency in that regard. You would also have to imagine, then, that every time anybody thinks to add some new sort of information to one of the articles, he would be forbidden from doing so unless he took it upon himself to add the same sort of information to every other one of the articles in that category. Wikipedia doesn't work that way. Authoring is simply not restricted or regulated in the manner that you are suggesting it should be. Therefore, if there is inconsistency among articles in the inclusion of information of a particular sort, the only thing it "looks like" is that one or more people have thought to, and bothered to, add that sort of information to the articles in which it appears, and no one has thought to, or bothered to, add it to the other articles. Largoplazo (talk) 19:06, 13 August 2016 (UTC)

I agree with everything you wrote. The problem is it leaves editing up to a very few people. So I am unable to make changes so the bio reads better that do not involve substance. Essentially, you, Bang, and John are the gate keepers. I am at a loss as to how to proceed. That's a shame. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 166.216.159.52 (talk) 03:57, 17 August 2016 (UTC)

WMATA

What is the justification in the reversion between these two edits? Apart from the incorrectly formatted wikilinks and citations, how do the articles justify the characterization of Evans as a "vocal advocate for reform of the agency and additional funding from the federal government, as well as the state and local governments of DC, Maryland, and Virginia." He's pushed for changes to Metro's operations, including curtailed or discontinued service and extended maintenance? The specifics of his actions should be mentioned, rather than a broad and imprecise characterization.Bangabandhu (talk) 01:41, 10 August 2016 (UTC)

If you think that general characterization is incorrect or otherwise biased, then discuss revisions or removal here but don't try to balance it with a list of contextless announcements that Evans has made concerning what appear to be decisions by others. JohnInDC (talk) 02:00, 10 August 2016 (UTC)

Well, I could take issue with the choice of "vocal advocate" which borders on self-puffery. But the larger concern is that the articles cited (without any formatting) don't actually support the text. Neither WP article says that he has "sought funding from the federal government, as well as the state and local governments of DC, Maryland, and Virginia", only that he's asked Congress (federal) for more cash. If there's something in that supports the latter part of the phrase, then please highlight. More broadly, I think the citations are being used as window dressing to justify a narrative, rather than letting the content of the articles speak for themselves, which is was trying to do in my careful representation of their content.Bangabandhu (talk) 17:10, 10 August 2016 (UTC)