June 21, 2007
The Washington Post
Yolanda Woodlee and David Nakamura

As the man behind Loose Lips, Washington City Paper’s D.C. political column, James Jones is used to reporting on the doings of the city’s governing class.

Now he’s the news.

Jones, who has penned the column for about two years, is leaving City Paper to become a senior program associate at D.C. Appleseed, a nonprofit public policy organization. He said he will do a little of everything for Appleseed, focusing on a couple of high-profile issues, including HIV and AIDS.

Jones took over Loose Lips duties from City Paper veteran (and current Washington Post reporter) Elissa Silverman and quickly put his stamp on the column, which is a must read for city leaders, employees and gadflies. He was tough on some, regularly lampooning former council member Harold Brazil and angering a pair of current members -- Jack Evans (D-Ward 2) and Jim Graham (D-Ward 1) -- with his stinging reports.

Last week, Jones got a scoop about Dorothy Brizill being sued in Guam by slot machine promoters. Brizill helped block a similar effort by the promoters in the District a couple years ago; she allegedly was sued after making remarks about the group on a Guam radio show.

Jones said he has admired Appleseed’s work for years and was ready to make the change when the right job opened up. His last column in City Paper runs today, and he’ll start at Appleseed on Monday. City Paper Editor Erik Wemple said the column will continue after a short hiatus to find a replacement for Jones.