This is part two of a series of investigations into the nexus of money, corridors of power, special interests and mega-churches that surround CM Will Jawando. You can read part 1 here.
Earlier, we explored how Council Member Will Jawando (Democrat – At Large) has a connection to an area AME mega-church and its non-profit corporation. This connection goes beyond just singing in a men’s choir. The Council Member’s wife is on the board of directors of this non-profit ‘corporation’ and the non-profit corporation received or was allocated at least $400,000 in taxpayer funds in the FY 23 Operating Budget of Montgomery County, Maryland. It actually appears to be more, as $90,000 was also to be allocated to a “partner organization” of the AME church’s non-profit in eastern Montgomery County.
Returning to the church and business connections in a later post / follow-up story, today we shed some light on Mr. Jawando’s political connections, specifically his (new) chief of staff, Michelle Whittaker.
Per the county government’s web site for contacting Mr. Jawando:
According to her work history, this position with CM Jawando just started at the beginning of the term, in December 2022. See screen shot below:
Michelle Whittaker’s name sparked some curiosity on my part. Sure enough, a quick google search revealed some interesting tidbits. She is at the nexus of many interesting stories and organizations that sought influence over money, local elections, local power and more in the Washington, DC area (sometimes referred to charmingly as ‘the swamp’).
As readers can see above, Whittaker is the ‘principal owner’ of something called MCW Creative Group. “Social Good Powered by Creatives”. But it is also powered by something else. Lots of work / contracting with local campaigns and Democrat-affiliated “non profits” that seem to also involve or be led by… Michelle Whittaker.
Last April, local blog The Seventh State noted something interesting in its post called “Fallout Continues from Brooks Campaign”. The post was about the suspended campaign of MoCo At-Large candidate Brandy Brooks, who was then running in a crowded Democrat primary.
“Brooks’s most recent campaign finance filing, filed on February 15, reported $55,227.76 in the bank—significantly below what is normally needed for a viable countywide campaign. Nothing in the media, printing or postage sections of either the January or February filings indicate that the Brooks campaign has prepaid for mailers or much other media. She reported spending a total of $1,803.21 on Facebook ads.
According to these two most recent filings, 61% of $47,178.07 in expenditures were on salaries and other compensation. Payments to MCW Creative, Michelle Whittaker’s company accounted for $7,550.00, or 16%, of the total spent on salaries and other compensation. Besides being Brooks’s campaign manager and a communications professional, Whittaker is also her sister.”
Huh. Curious, isn’t it? Also curious is that Michelle Whittaker’s sister, Brooks, had attempted to run for Montgomery County At-Large in the 2018 cycle (where she was heartily endorsed by the Democrat Socialists of America’s DC area chapter). In a letter to the County Council seeking appointment to the “Committee to Recommend Funding for Public Election Fund” back in 2019, Whittaker is proud that “Brandy’s campaign qualified for public financing and received over $122,000 in matching funds from nearly 400 residents. I led our fundraising strategy throughout her campaign.” How much taxpayer / public money for “campaigns” (yes plural, as Brooks received taxpayer dollars in both 2018 and 2022) ended back up at MCW Creative?
The pattern seems to repeat itself through an organization called “Represent Women”. Michelle Whittaker is an active board member of this organization based out of… you guessed it… Takoma Park, MD. In fact, per the 2021 Form 990 tax return of the organization, she is the treasurer (page 7)! It should be noted that she did not receive direct compensation from Represent Women for this role, per the 990 form.
There is also a bio page for Michelle Whittaker on the website from a prior event called “Democracy Solutions Summit” last spring that ends with the curious: She organizes the revolution from her home office in Kensington with her 7-year-old, London, and husband, Doogie.
The part about her being the “statewide coordinator for Ranked Choice Voting Maryland” is interesting. RCV Maryland has a website (of course!) and it casually mentions: RCV Maryland is fiscally sponsored by Represent Women, a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization incorporated in the state of Maryland.
“Fiscally sponsored” by Represent Women. Does that mean wholly owned and operated by them? Regardless, the Form 990 for Represent Women in 2021 indicates over $106,000 went to ‘services expenses’ including program costs. This is stated on the 990 Form – Statement of Functional Expenses.
On Whittaker’s MCW Creative website (screen shot below taken 1/24/2023), it conveniently depicts RCV Maryland as a client / past (perhaps present?) project. It does bear the question – how much of Represent Women’s program ‘costs’ ended back up at MCW Creative for projects, consulting, or otherwise?
There is a clear and questionable pattern here. Why did CM Jawando choose her as chief of staff? Ideological purity?
One more interesting note. Bill 46-20, introduced at the end of 2020 and co-sponsored by CM Jawando, was pushed by a handful of CMs to “prohibit school resource officers” in Montgomery County Public Schools.
Jawando’s chief of staff Whittaker submitted individual testimony in support of the bill, hyperbolically stating:
Public safety should never be defined by force — or the threat of force, yet that is the message we are sending our children. When we send a school resource officer to respond to a child struggling to focus in the classroom, we are not supporting that child. We are criminalizing hunger, mental health, or childhood itself.
Just weeks ago, a lawsuit was filed by the family of a student at Magruder High School in Derwood, Maryland. The article states:
The family of the student shot in January at Col. Zadok Magruder High School has filed a lawsuit against Montgomery County and its Board of Education. The lawsuit alleges negligence and faults the removal of resource officers as a factor in the January school shooting, which left DeAndre Thomas severely injured.
