Washington, D.C. , is reportedly spending a significant amount of money for an inauguration viewing stand for local officials, but many may not use the costly heated platform.
Outside of the John A. Wilson Building, where the mayor’s office and the Council of the District of Columbia’s offices are, a viewing platform for district officials has nearly tripled in cost since the 2017 inauguration, according to a report from Axios. The viewing stand, including heated front-row seats, will cost $1.5 million despite several council members saying they would not attend the inauguration.
The 154-seat viewing stand is split between the mayor’s office and the council, with residents of the district able to request tickets from council members. In 2017, the Washington Post reported that the stand cost $419,560, significantly less than this year’s stand and that only three of the 13 council members planned to attend the parade. The mayor’s office attributed the uptick in cost to rising prices since the pandemic…