The winner's secret.

• Author: Peters, Charles
• Position: Tilting at Windmills - Go-go club in government building - Brief Article

Around 16 years ago, The Washington Monthly launched a feature called The Worst City Government. Often written by Katherine Boo, it sought stories of municipal ineptitude from around the country. The District of Columbia emerged a clear winner over other cities, and so dominated the column that we were afraid it was becoming boring, and decided to close it down. The District government, however, continues to operate as ineptly as ever.

Now, we know at least one reason why local officials sometimes fail to adhere to the highest standards of public...