DC Deputy Mayor Resigns After Assault Accusation In Arlington

ARLINGTON, VA — D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser announced Wednesday she has accepted the resignation of Deputy Mayor Chris Geldart, who had been accused of assault in Arlington and was facing questions about his residency in Virginia.

Bowser made the announcement at a news conference Wednesday afternoon. “I’m saddened to say that I have accepted the resignation of Deputy Mayor Chris Geldart,” Bowser said. “But I’m proud of the work we’ve done together over the last years.”

Geldart, D.C.’s deputy mayor for public safety and justice, had been on leave since early last week. Police said a personal trainer at Gold’s Gym in Arlington swore out a criminal complaint alleging that Geldart had grabbed him by the neck in the gym’s parking lot on Oct. 1.

Geldart is scheduled to appear in court Monday for an arraignment hearing on the criminal charge.

As for the questions surrounding his residency, under D.C. law, top-ranking appointees to the D.C. government’s executive branch must be city residents during their time in office.

An Arlington County Police statement on the incident outside Gold’s Gym said Geldart lived in Falls Church.

NBC4 reported Wednesday that Geldart and his wife and their children live at a home in Falls Church. Geldart also rents an apartment in D.C., where he is registered to vote and pays income taxes, according to NBC4.

Bowser has said City Administrator Kevin Donahue would oversee the city’s public safety agencies while Geldart was on leave.

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