Arlington County Board Chair Libby Garvey says she has confidence in her Board colleague Christian Dorsey, despite his continued legal and financial troubles.
As first reported by the Washington Post, Dorsey’s long-running personal bankruptcy case was dismissed by a federal judge last week after Dorsey overstated his debt obligations in “an act of overt misrepresentation,” according to the bankruptcy trustee.
Dorsey told the Post that he “vigorously disputes” the allegation that he deliberately and fraudulently misrepresented his finances.
It’s not the first time that money issues have landed Dorsey in hot water. He failed to disclose a $10,000 political donation from a transit union, leading to his resignation from the WMATA board earlier this year. He promised to return the donation but initially failed to do so, at one point claiming that a check was lost in the mail, before finally delivering a cashier’s check in person to the union this summer.
Despite all the issues, Garvey said in a statement to ARLnow that Dorsey has her confidence.
“Throughout this most challenging year, Mr. Dorsey’s work and support have been extremely valuable as the Board and Arlington have navigated multiple challenges and crises,” Garvey said. “Because of my experience with Mr Dorsey this year and over past years, I am confident, despite his personal financial issues, that Mr. Dorsey has provided and continues to provide important service to the people of Arlington.”
“While I do not believe his personal financial issues affect his standing on the Board, the question for us all is how this affects Mr. Dorsey’s standing among the people we serve,” Garvey continued. “All our work is affected by perceptions among those we serve and with whom we work. At this time, I do not know how those perceptions will develop after this latest publicity nor how they will balance out with the very real benefit Mr. Dorsey provides to the Board and Arlington.”
ARLnow asked Dorsey whether he intends to continue serving his term on the Board, which runs through the end of 2023. Through a county spokeswoman, Dorsey said he “has nothing to add at this time beyond his quotes to the Post.”