Former D.C. Council member Trayon White suggested he will compete in the Ward 8 special election to fill his old seat, less than two months after the council made him the first lawmaker in modern history to be expelled from the body due to his ongoing federal bribery case.

The ex-city councilman, who is accused of pocketing more than $100,000 in cash in exchange for influencing government contracts, said “ReElection campaign starts tomorrow” in an Instagram post Sunday celebrating the end of Ramadan.

The D.C. Board of Elections said Mr. White, a Democrat, had not filed paperwork to join the race as of Monday morning. All candidates interested in running have until April 17 to complete their application to qualify for the July election.  

D.C. Council Chairman Phil Mendelson, the at-large Democrat who railed against Mr. White’s “quintessential corruption” during February’s expulsion hearing, struck a softer tone Monday when commenting on his former colleague’s apparent announcement. 

“Nothing like this has ever happened before, but then again, as I said, every situation is unique,” Mr. Mendelson said at a press briefing. “I do have a concern, and I expressed this when the council was moving on the expulsion that the public’s impression, the image of the council, is very, very important. In order to function well, government has to have the respect of its citizens, and so, you know, that obviously is implicated here.”

Mr. White, 40, faces federal charges after prosecutors said he agreed to take $156,000 in bribes in exchange for awarding the city’s multimillion-dollar anti-violence contracts to his preferred organizations.

Court documents include video and audio recordings of Mr. White allegedly taking $35,000 in cash from an FBI informant on four separate occasions last summer.

He has pleaded not guilty to the charges. He is scheduled to go to trial in January.

The criminal case against Mr. White fueled the council’s unanimous decision to boot him from office Feb. 4. But unless or until the ex-councilman is convicted of a felony, he is still eligible to run for office in the District.

Mr. Mendelson said he believed there is no law preventing the council from expelling Mr. White again if he were to win. Mr. White was overwhelmingly reelected to a third term last fall in the midst of his ongoing bribery scandal.

But Mr. White would likely face stiffer odds in the July special election if he were to jump in. Eighteen people have submitted paperwork to run in the special election race. The election is scheduled for July 15.

Mr. White’s campaign war chest went into the red last fall when he took on $45,000 in debt, with donations drying up after he was charged in August. 

At least $30,000 of that debt is owed to vendors. Mr. White will be on the hook for that repayment personally if his campaign cannot come up with the cash. 

Mr. White also racked up $80,000 in unpaid campaign debt from his failed 2022 mayoral bid and his 2020 reelection campaign. It’s unclear if he’s paid down any of that balance.

Fria Moore, Mr. White’s campaign manager in last fall’s race, could not be reached for comment.

Robbie Woodland, an advisory neighborhood commissioner in Ward 8, said most residents are choosing to ignore Mr. White’s proposed campaign because it would be a dead end for their legislative interests.

She said Mr. White is acting selfishly for trying to get back into city hall, and she doubts any of the council members would allow him to wield influence on the body he was just removed from.

Besides, Ms. Woodland said, Mr. White failed to deliver on much for the ward even when he was in office.

“We deserve to have more than turkeys and book bags,” Ms. Woodland said, referencing some of the giveaways Mr. White organized while on the council.

The four at-large council members are representing Ward 8 while the special election process plays out.

In March, Mr. Mendelson held two public events in the ward just east of the Anacostia River that has long struggled with crime and poverty.

Council member Robert White, at-large Democrat, also held a town hall in the ward in February. Robert White is not related to Trayon White. 

• Matt Delaney can be reached at mdelaney@washingtontimes.com.