Frankly, this is a bigger problem that isn't nationally recognized. The mayor is under federal investigation for his campaign and I've lost count of how many officials have been arrested or investigated at the federal level.

Living near the district, I'm shocked daily by how nobody seems to care that the corruption is so widespread.

"...the local government in DC..."

That might be part of the problem... they really don't have much local government. Congress holds sway in DC. When I lived in Glover Park I thought it was one of the strangest systems I had ever seen. Never really quite understood it completely.

taxation without representation. DC barely has a local government. Its Congress who has jurisdiction. so yes, they are as corrupt as it gets. from wikipedia: "Article One, Section Eight of the United States Constitution grants the U.S. Congress "exclusive jurisdiction" over the city. The District did not have an elected local government until the passage of the 1973 Home Rule Act. The Act devolved certain Congressional powers to an elected mayor, currently Vincent C. Gray, and the thirteen-member Council of the District of Columbia. However, Congress retains the right to review and overturn laws created by the council and intervene in local affairs.[160]"