👋🏼 It's Cuneyt, with Town Talker — my column on money and power.

At Howard Theatre in January, labor leader Jamie Contreras made a bold promise to Janeese Lewis George: local unions were ready to mobilize their 53,000 members.

• Call it JLG's superweapon in the D.C. mayor's race: A volunteer army primed to turn out voters block by block.

Why it matters: Now, her opponents are striking at the heart of that operation.

📝 State of play: Spurred by a citizen complaint, the D.C. Office of Campaign Finance opened an investigation this week into whether JLG's alliance with labor unions crossed the line into improper campaign coordination.

• Lewis George called the allegations "baseless."

The main allegation is that JLG's campaign is "engaging in concerted coordinated activity" with two unions and a labor-funded super PAC called Safe & Affordable DC.

• Campaigns are prohibited from working with super PACs. The six-page complaint, first reported by journalist Tom Sherwood, says the PAC used official photos from the campaign, claiming it's "evidence of collusion."
• It asks investigators to review whether campaign manager Adam Yalowitz and spokesperson Amanda Michelle Gomez were improperly compensated. The two are on leave from their union jobs to work for the campaign, but the complaint alleges the campaign has improperly reimbursed the union to cover "their salaries, taxes, benefits, etc."
• In response, the campaign says it "is careful to follow the legal advice we receive from our lawyers" and that it has "had no involvement in the unions' contributions or in the PAC's activities."

🎯 Zoom out: The complaint's real impact may be whether it can hobble JLG's labor-backed momentum.

• Her campaign is benefiting from the union-funded, big-money super PACs cutting commercials against Kenyan McDuffie, her moderate Democratic rival.
• Heavy hitters like SEIU 32BJ and Unite Here Local 23, plus a dozen other shops, back her.
• Any cloud over the campaign could be a distraction as the sprint begins to primary day, June 16.

Already, JLG supporters are fighting back.

• Some are pointing out irregularities in McDuffie's attorney general campaign in 2022. Following an audit, city officials last year fined McDuffie's ex-campaign treasurer $2,000 for failure to respond to investigators, who had sought missing financial records.
• McDuffie's campaign says the ex-treasurer had moved out of the city and hadn't received the investigator's inquiries.

The bottom line: We'll have to see what investigators turn up — and how it might chip away at JLG's biggest edge in the race, her union machine.

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The biters are back. Mosquito season in the D.C. region typically takes off in May — and experts say this year could be longer and buggier than usual.

Why it matters: If you thought snowcrete killed the skeeters — bless your wishful heart.

• "I think we're in for a whopper," says Douglass Miles, vice president of Mosquito Shield for the Washington region.

State of play: Blame moisture. A wet winter, plus erratic yet heavy spring rains, equals perfect breeding conditions when temperatures rise.

• Even that big snowfall? Not a reset. "It makes it worse," Miles says. Eggs can freeze over winter, then thaw and hatch when it warms.

Between the lines: Miles has been in the mosquito biz for nearly two decades — a sprayer to the stars, responsible for embassies and yards of politicos —and knows when a season will pop.

• In dry years, "the phone stops ringing." This year? "Mother Nature has created a great atmosphere for it to be intense."

Zoom out: D.C. officials are watching closely.

• The city tracks mosquito populations, especially Culex, the main carrier of West Nile virus.
• These mosquitoes thrive in warm, stagnant water — often after wet springs.

The intrigue: Yard sprays are booming — but there are tradeoffs.

🦇 Want a natural option (plus a little backyard theater)? Try a bat box.

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❌ Montgomery County unanimously passed the "Unmask ICE Act," banning most law enforcement officers from wearing masks on duty, with limited exceptions. Backers say the measure boosts transparency and accountability by ensuring officers are identifiable. (MoCo Show)

Prosecutors released a selfie yesterday that they say was taken by the alleged WHCD gunman just before the attack, showing him armed in a Hilton hotel room. The suspect faces a myriad of charges, including attempted assassination of the president, and is expected back in court today. (WTOP)

📃 Acting AG Todd Blanche's bid to join the elite Metropolitan Club is hitting a wall, with members quietly lobbying to block him as too polarizing. Critics say his DOJ tenure — and ties to Trump-era tactics — clash with the club's bipartisan ethos.

• The behind-the-scenes pushback is turning a typically sleepy membership process into a public showdown — similar to the DC Bar brawl over Pam Bondi's bro. (Politico)

🌭 Costco's viral "hot dog bourbon," released in D.C. for $85 and selling for up to $3,000 on the resale market, is tough to find — but if you want to drop the big buns, two bottles are on auction here.

Brisa, a coastal Latin restaurant, is opening at Buzzard Point this summer with Michelin-awarded chef Carlos Delgado at the helm.

Why it matters: The stretch by Audi Field is finally finding its footing — and Brisa wants to be a colorful anchor for the neighborhood's next phase.

Dig in: Eaternity Hospitality — the team behind splashy Wharf spots like La Vie and Nara-Ya — tapped Delgado's lead as culinary director.

• While his restaurants (Causa/Amazonia, Maru San) are distinctly Peruvian — and his head chef, Favio Gonzales, is Peruvian-born — Delgado is thinking bigger.
• Any Latin American country touching the water (so, almost all) is "fair game."

The vibe: Breezy, not busy. Expect a light, coastal feel — more Tulum beach than neon fiesta — with an airy dining room and patio built for lingering.

The menu: A tour of Latin America's coastlines — ceviches, platters of barbacoa ribs, and a little friendly rivalry: both Colombian and Venezuelan arepas.

The intrigue: Next door is a connected but separate street food concept. Think arepas, tacos and salchipapas (fries + hot dogs), with about 15 bar seats — ideal for pre-game fuel or a waterfront picnic.

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At President Trump's direction, workers continued painting the Reflecting Pool "American flag" blue yesterday — leaving critics and preservationists feeling a similar shade.