Mayor’s Aide Rehired After Flap Over Word

The mayor of the nation’s capital is rehiring an aide who resigned because some people were offended when he used the word “niggardly” to describe how he managed his office’s funds. District of Columbia Mayor Anthony A. Williams was criticized by city officials in recent days for accepting David Howard’s resignation over the use of the word, which means stingy and has no racial connotation. Williams urged Howard to return to his job as director of the mayor’s Office of the Public Advocate. Howard agreed to return but asked for a different job. Howard said he resigned because rumors were spreading that he used a racial epithet in a Jan. 15 conversation with members of his staff.