Activist Quits Job in Political Dust-Up
Veteran Ward 8 political activist Philip E. Pannell finally found work after 19 months in the unemployment wilderness. But after just three weeks on the job, Pannell resigned in anger, accusing his new employer -- a nonprofit organization that serves public charter schools -- of improperly forbidding him to campaign against Ward 7 council member Kevin P. Chavous.</br></br>The way Pannell tells it, he was hired in late May to serve as outreach coordinator for the PCS Center for Student Support Services, which informs D.C. residents about education options in the public school system.</br></br>Three days after he started work, the center's executive director, Eve Brooks, got a call from an aide to Chavous, who chairs the council's education committee.</br></br>The aide informed Brooks that Chavous was "really angry that I'd been hired," Pannell said. Pannell has long maintained an adversarial relationship with Chavous. Most recently, he helped engineer a takeover of the Ward 7 Democrats on behalf of Vincent Gray, Chavous's strongest challenger in the Sept. 14 Democratic primary.</br></br>Pannell said Brooks told him to be careful because "Chavous is a good friend of charter schools." Pannell said Brooks also threatened to fire him "if I find out you're doing anything for Vince Gray."