Former United States Atty. Thomas Sullivan has lasted a weekend in the role of the mayor`s special investigator of the scandal in City Hall. The last time his name was announced, the deal fell apart within days over the issue of whether Mr. Sullivan had to get permission to deal with law enforcement officials and speak to the public. But this time the appointment seems likely to stick, with Mr. Sullivan having attained a good deal of independence.
The question now is his power and the scope of his investigation, and that puts the city council in a fascinating position. The mayor`s opponents, who of course were eager to get to the bottom of the scandal (or the top of it), now may have to vote on whether to give Mr. Sullivan authority to follow the investigation into the council if that`s where it leads. The reaction has been less than enthusiastic.
Even if Mayor Washington did not quite recover all the ground he had lost when the Sullivan deal collapsed, he has rather cleverly positioned himself for one city council battle he cannot lose. If his opponents refuse to grant Mr. Sullivan the extra authority the mayor seeks for him, they will look as though they have something to hide. Because he has been granted a fair degree of independence, Mr. Sullivan will not be easy to accuse of being used by the mayor to discredit his foes.
There is a question, of course, of whether a wide-ranging investigation running parallel to the federal inquiry is really necessary. But on both sides of the city council split, that will not be the question most of the aldermen will be asking.
