WASHINGTON – The deputy director of D.C.’s Department of Buildings, Caroline Lian, has resigned following a Board of Ethics investigation that revealed she had been working a separate full-time job with Freddie Mac during her telework days.

Lian, who also served as a Falls Church City Council member, allegedly participated in council business while on the clock for the District of Columbia. The investigation led to Lian being fined $25,000, and she is no longer part of the D.C. or Falls Church government.

Her resignation from the Falls Church City Council became effective on Thursday, following revelations about her failure to properly report outside employment. The City of Falls Church confirmed her resignation, which was prompted by an article published in The Washington Post on Wednesday. The article detailed findings from the District of Columbia’s Board of Ethics and Government Accountability Office, revealing that Lian had not accurately disclosed her outside employment.

“The Post article prompted the City to review Ms. Lian’s most recent annual Financial Disclosure, known as the ‘Virginia State and Local Statement of Economic Interests,’” said Mary Catherine Chase, spokesperson for the City of Falls Church. “Upon review, the City discovered that the former council member listed only Freddie Mac as her employer and did not disclose her employment relationship with the District of Columbia. Following procedures set forth by state code, the City has relayed this information to the Commonwealth’s Attorney for investigation.”

Daniel Gleick, Press Secretary for the District of Columbia’s Department of Buildings, stated, “The Department of Buildings has accepted the employee’s resignation effective immediately, and she is no longer employed by District government. The Department of Buildings is committed to our mission of serving D.C. residents, businesses, and visitors, and will be taking additional steps to ensure that all employees follow required practices.”

The investigation into Lian’s financial disclosures and outside employment is ongoing.

A Washington, D.C., government official has resigned after the city’s ethics board found she had been secretly working a separate full-time job and serving as an elected official in Virginia on government time.

Caroline Lian earned $175,000 per year as deputy director of the District of Columbia Department of Buildings while also earning a six-figure salary at Freddie Mac, according to a report from the District of Columbia Board of Ethics and Accountability.

Lian, who joined the DOB in 2022, reportedly maintained a hybrid work schedule at the agency, coming into the office on Mondays and Fridays and working remotely the rest of the week.

Meanwhile, she worked the opposite schedule as a risk management director at Freddie Mac, coming into the office on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays while working remotely on Mondays and Fridays, according to the settlement agreement signed by Lian.

She failed to report her employment with Freddie Mac on her financial disclosure statement for 2022 and 2023, according to the ethics board.

Lian also served as a city councilwoman in Falls Church, Virginia, on a part-time basis. Although she disclosed her position on the city council to the DOB, the ethics board found she attended council meetings while still reporting a full day’s work in D.C. on more than 10 occasions.

“The Department of Buildings has accepted the employee’s resignation effective immediately and she is no longer employed by District government,” a DOB spokesman said in a statement.

Under the terms of the settlement, Lian has agreed to pay a $25,000 fine and attend ethics training.

The report comes after District of Columbia Mayor Muriel Bowser in January ordered city employees to limit their remote work to one day per week.

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“It’s about the services that we provide to our residents, and we are a local government, and we need to be there to do that,” Bowser said.

The DOB spokesman said the department “will be taking additional steps to ensure that all employees follow required practices.”

Erratic driving and crashes on the Southeast-Southwest Freeway at the 3rd Street Tunnel could continue for several more years as D.C.’s interstate renumbering plan stalls.

At the Southeast-Southwest Freeway’s midpoint, the quirky divergence of Interstate 395 at Interstate 695 contributes to a flurry of eastbound weaving and swerving. WTOP’s dedicated traffic camera shows last-second lane changes and drivers suddenly sending their vehicles in reverse dozens of times every hour at the ramp for the 3rd Street Tunnel.

Nearly four years after proposing more logical route and exit numbers, the District’s Department of Transportation has asked federal officials to void the original deal in order to buy more time.

DDOT acting Director Sharon Kershbaum wrote to the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials that the department now wants to withdraw its applications for the changes until it can actually move toward fixing the signage to “eliminate unintended confusion.”

DDOT never amended the signs in the three years following federal approval. The city’s inaction has worsened an already confusing exit at the 3rd Street Tunnel. Some paper maps and navigation apps incorporated the new but unsigned numbers. The agency has reached out to some of those app makers and asked that the old numbers be displayed.

The plan originally called for signing the entire freeway as I-395 and smoothing out the exit numbers. Currently, there are two sets of exit numbers for the freeway — a sequential scheme for I-395 and a mile-based set of exits for I-695. DDOT also sought to lessen confusion by giving the 3rd Street Tunnel its own route number, I-195.

The letter to the transportation association, of which Kershbaum is a voting member on its board of directors, states the agency needs an additional two to three years to figure out how to re-sign the freeway and tunnel in a way that makes sense to local and out-of-town drivers.

“DDOT anticipates completing relevant procurement, design and construction activities in support of the proposed changes within the next 2-3 years. Following this, DDOT will resubmit the application for the proposed changes,” the letter reads.

This crash just happened a few minutes ago at @DDOTDC‘s notorious I-395/I-695 interchange. Last-minute lane changes happen repeatedly here because of the confusing exit condition. (1/3) pic.twitter.com/FiqluJy2AV

— WTOP Traffic (@WTOPtraffic) July 3, 2024

The association’s Special Committee on Route Numbering rescinded the application in April. The transportation organization sent a confirmation letter to DDOT on May 7.

The Federal Highway Administration is still weighing whether to accept DDOT’s request for additional time.

“The Federal Highway Administration has reviewed and provided comments on the District Department of Transportation’s renumbering request and expects to receive an updated request from the District soon,” a FHWA spokesperson told WTOP in early August.

A DDOT spokesperson insists the agency is not delaying the renumbering.

“Before the renumbering can be done, DDOT will first need to procure a design company,” a DDOT spokesperson told WTOP. “Once the design is completed, DDOT will move to secure construction funding, make a construction contract, and then change the numbering.”

A major sign structure improvement project concluded in late 2020, but the new signs that were fabricated displayed the old route numbers. A spokesperson told WTOP at the time that the shields and exit tabs would be amended with metal overlays.

I-395 is D.C.’s busiest road, carrying more than 160,000 vehicles per day, many from out of town.

WTOP’s Scott Gelman contributed to this report.

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