A Falls Church City Council member has resigned amid investigations into her employment disclosures.
The Washington Post and NBC 4 reported yesterday that Caroline Lian resigned her post as deputy director for the D.C. Department of Buildings after it was revealed that she had a second full-time job that she had not disclosed.
The second job, at Tysons-based mortgage broker Freddie Mac, was in addition to Lian’s disclosed elected post on the Falls Church council. But the D.C. Board of Ethics and Government Accountability investigation found “that on more than 10 occasions Lian attended to city council business and meetings on D.C. work days without logging time off,” the Post reported.
The reporting prompted Falls Church to probe Lian’s employment disclosure, which led to her immediate resignation today when it was found that the D.C. job was not reported, the city said in a statement.
The matter has now been turned over to Arlington and Falls Church Commonwealth’s Attorney Parisa Dehghani-Tafti for further investigation, the city said.
The latest development is in stark contrast with Lian’s reported comments to the Falls Church News-Press downplaying the situation.
“She told the News-Press in an exclusive interview [Wednesday] night that the matter resulted from a ‘clerical error’ on a disclosure form that has been corrected, concerning the fact she also worked for Freddie Mac and on the F.C. City Council,” the paper reported earlier today. “She said she’s resigned her position with the D.C. Department of Buildings as a result of what she called a ‘very petty’ action against her. ‘I’ve corrected the form, paid the fine, and now I am moving on,’ she said.”
More, below, from a City of Falls Church press release.
Council Member Caroline Lian has resigned her council seat effective today, August 8, 2024.
The City of Falls Church issued the following statement:
“Ms. Lian’s council resignation follows an article in the Washington Post published August 7, describing a finding by the District of Columbia’s Board of Ethics and Government Accountability Office that Ms. Lian had not properly reported outside employment, resulting in her resignation from the District. The Post article prompted the City to review Ms. Lian’s most recent annual Financial Disclosure, known as “Virginia State and Local Statement of Economic Interests.” Upon review, the City discovered that the former council member listed only Freddie Mac as her employer and did not disclose her employment relationship with the District of Columbia. Following procedures set forth by state code, the City has relayed this information to the Commonwealth’s Attorney for investigation,” said Mary Catherine Chase, spokesperson for the City of Falls Church.
Photo via Caroline Lian for Falls Church City Council/Facebook
