File photo of Christopher Geldart speaking in June 2021
The District's deputy mayor for public safety, who was charged with assault this week, is now facing questions about where he lives.
Chris Geldart's job requires that he be a resident of the District, but the police report stemming from an incident Saturday listed his address in Virginia.
Geldart is a longtime District government employee, holding cabinet-level positions under two mayors. Like most high-ranking D.C. government officials, he’s required to live in the District. But when he was charged with assault after an argument in a parking in Arlington, police listed his address as a home in Falls Church, Virginia.
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The Falls Church house is, in fact, where Geldart and his wife and their children live. However, Geldart also rents a 12th-floor apartment in a building in Southeast D.C., where he’s registered to vote and pays income taxes.
It’s unclear how much time Geldart spends at each residence.
The D.C. government's electronic personnel manual states an employee must live in the District for the duration of their appointment.
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"What he's doing may indeed be legal, but not everything that is legal is right and ethical," longtime D.C. community activist Phil Pannel said. "I think it is very, very disappointing that a deputy mayor is not a full-time resident of the District. I hope that is corrected."
Geldart is not the first District official whose residency came under scrutiny.
Former Police Chief Cathy Lanier who owned homes in D.C. and Maryland faced similar questions about her full-time residency.
Longtime D.C. CFO Natwar Gandhi made no secret of the fact he and his family lived in the Maryland suburbs and he had a small apartment in D.C. to comply with the requirement.
Mayor Muriel Bowser has the authority to issue hardship waivers but has never issued a waiver to any employees. Geldart did not request a waiver.
Geldart Charged After Altercation Outside Gym in Arlington
Geldart has been on personal leave since an altercation Saturday. He is accused of assaulting a man in a parking lot dispute outside the Gold's Gym in Arlington's Ballston neighborhood.
Geldart and his family were leaving the gym in the 3900 block of Wilson Boulevard on Saturday afternoon as a man who works at the gym also left, a police report says. Witnesses said Geldart opened a door of his car and may have hit the man’s car with the door. An argument broke out.
News4 viewed a portion of surveillance footage from outside the gym. Geldart and the other man could be seen facing off and arguing, with both men waving their hands in the air. At one point, the two men make contact before Geldart’s wife steps between them.
On Monday, the alleged victim filed a criminal complaint with the Arlington magistrate’s office. An arrest warrant for assault was issued, and Geldart turned himself in and was released pending a preliminary hearing.
The mayor's office said in a statement Thursday afternoon: "All matters raised this week regarding Chris Geldart are under review. He remains on leave."
Geldart does not have any comment.
CORRECTION (Friday, Oct. 7, 2022, 5:37 p.m. EDT): A previous version of this article said former Police Chief Lanier received a hardship waiver from then-Mayor Adrian Fenty to live outside the city, but no such waiver ever was granted.
