“WILL CITY officials now, at long last, do the right thing . . .” That’s the question we posed when we last wrote about Eric W. Payne, the former D.C. contracting official who a federal jury determined had been wrongfully fired for trying to raise the alarm about misconduct in government contracting. The answer — unfortunately for Mr. Payne and for D.C. residents with a stake in good government — is no. D.C. Attorney General Karl A. Racine (D) has opted to appeal the jury’s verdict in a move that sends yet another troubling message about how the city treats its whistleblowers.

In a motion filed in U.S. District Court last month, Mr. Racine asked that the Nov. 22 verdict be set aside or a new trial ordered. Failing that, he asks that the jury’s award of $1.7 million in compensatory damages be reduced to an amount not to exceed $300,000. Mr. Payne, who was demoted and then fired from his position in the Office of the Chief Financial Officer in 2009 after he refused to go along with political meddling in the city’s lucrative lottery contract, is also entitled to back pay, legal fees and reinstatement (or equitable relief) under the D.C. Whistleblower Protection Act.

Mr. Racine has said he has an obligation to defend the city and that he is committed to resolving the matter in a way that is fair to both Mr. Payne and the government. Well, fair is acknowledging that an employee who acted honorably was treated terribly. Fair is not needlessly prolonging an expensive legal battle. Fair is not blaming, as Mr. Racine’s motion has the temerity to do, Mr. Payne’s wife for losing her job and contributing to their financial stress. Fair is paying Mr. Payne every penny he is due for the damage done to his life, including losing his home and savings and having to move out of the country to get a job after he was blacklisted.

Legal decisions are the domain of the city’s independently elected attorney general, but integrity in government is a matter that should be of concern to all elected officials. Mayor Muriel E. Bowser (D) and Chief Financial Officer Jeffrey S. DeWitt, who both took office after the retaliation against Mr. Payne occurred, refused comment, citing the ongoing litigation. D.C. Council Chairman Phil Mendelson (D) offered a refreshing contrast. He said that he understands Mr. Racine’s duty to protect the city’s interests, but “the District has been found to have acted inappropriately. This guy was a whistleblower. It is time to put it behind us.” We urge Mr. Mendelson to push his colleagues for a “sense of the council” resolution calling upon the attorney general to drop this misguided challenge of Mr. Payne’s claims. If not, city employees who want to do the right thing will be left wondering if they too will end up being punished.