Washington's winners and losers in 2023
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It's one last hurrah for the characters who sprinted — and bumbled — through our town's corridors of power and money.
- Here's our list for who's up and down in 2023. Let's roll the winners, first...
James Comer
The gentleman from Kentucky knocked down a city law this year, becoming one of the most influential House Oversight Committee chairs in the process.
- Surprise, surprise. Comer also got friendly with Mayor Muriel Bowser. The two made progress on redeveloping the RFK site and even toyed with removing the congressional block on legal weed sales in D.C. (still waiting on how that one turns out).
Debra Katz
The #MeToo lawyer and her firm had front-row seats to the end of the Dan Snyder era, after representing over 40 former Washington Commanders cheerleaders and employees who claimed sexual harassment and financial irregularities at the franchise.
- On top of that, Katz Banks Kumin represented accusers of John Falcicchio, leading to the former mayoral chief of staff's disgraced departure, city investigations (one still to come), and a new D.C. government harassment policy.
Angela Alsobrooks
Alsobrooks was center stage when Greenbelt landed the FBI headquarters in November — setting Northern Virginia's hair on fire.
- It was a huge win for Maryland and the affluent, majority Black suburb of Prince George's County that Alsobrooks has led since 2018.
- She is now running for U.S. Senate, with the endorsement of Gov. Wes Moore.
Michael Saylor
Billionaire playboy Michael Saylor ended 2022 in the crosshairs of D.C.'s high-powered attorney general, Karl Racine, who claimed the Florida man was not really a Florida man — instead allegedly living large in D.C. and not paying taxes here.
- But part of the explosive lawsuit, inherited by Racine's successor, was dismissed by a judge in March, the last time it made headlines.
In that time, Saylor scored big — on Bitcoin. The crypto is up 158% this year; and the stock of his Tysons-based firm MicroStrategy Inc., which has become a cult vessel for investing in Bitcoin, has returned 294%.
Yes, but: 2024 could be less kind, with the rest of the tax case moving forward.
Tony P
I don't profess to understand the P-Hive. I still can't tell if this is all a bit.
- But like a stranger in a strange land, I scroll through the Instagram of Tony P, a collage of weeknight chicken tenders and golf-dad half zips, and can't help but feel an outsider's appreciation for what the Post called "the radical earnestness of Tony P."
Constance
The 197-foot superyacht brought some Monaco to Washington. Aside from being the subject of my most-read column this year, it takes something special to leave your mark at The Wharf. Congratulations, Constance (and Alan Dabbiere)!
The losers, in no particular order...
Mayor Bowser
Bowser began the year with John Falcicchio, her right-hand man, banished in a sexual harassment scandal. Crime has increased. And she's ending the year with two professional teams bailing town. Fortune was not on the side of Herroner in Year One of Term Three.
John Falcicchio
Enough said.
Fred Ryan
Fred Ryan was the man who stewarded Jeff Bezos' money at the Washington Post. That is, until a disastrous company town hall in the final weeks of 2022 set in motion a slow-moving media train wreck.
- Ryan left the company in August after nine years. His acting successor said the company had "overshot on expense," leading to 240 job cuts.
Dan Snyder
Fans fed up with Dan Snyder, you might expect. But it was at none other than the upper crust Economic Club of Washington where David Rubenstein, toasting new owner Josh Harris, declared to the business world that "our long civic nightmare is over."
- Snyder still made off (even more) fabulously rich, selling the team for $6 billion and shipping out to London. Who's really the loser?
David Rubenstein's Giant Panda Habitat
The philanthropist had donated $9 million to fund the National Zoo's panda pad. For a while, you couldn't complain about these returns: "Two healthy pandas in just two years," the private equity executive had said in 2015.
- But panda sex proved hard for Mei Xiang and Tian Tian, and this year they left us for good. Which leaves the giant panda habitat empty. We hope it's a full house again soon.
💭 Aspiring winners and losers, there's always next year. Town Talker is a weekly column on local money and power. I'll be back in the new year. Send your tips to [email protected]