All Articles Tagged "vincent gray"
Gray Cash Donations Exceeded Legal Limit
(Washington Post) — D.C. Mayor Vincent C. Gray’s campaign accepted cash contributions above the city’s legal limit and in some cases recorded donations from people who say they didn’t contribute to his mayoral bid, according to a Washington Post review of District records and interviews. The Post found several instances of cash donations that exceeded the city’s $25 limit. Gray campaign workers then improperly exchanged that cash for money orders, which carry a higher donation limit. The campaign officially reported the money-order donations and not the cash, The Post found. Money-order donations totaled more than $56,000 — primarily from the city’s taxi industry — and are part of the $2.7 million war chest the Gray campaign amassed in last year’s defeat of incumbent Adrian M. Fenty, who spent nearly $5 million on his reelection bid.
Gray Juvenile Justice Nominee is Rebuffed
(Washington Post) — A D.C. Council committee on Friday rejected Mayor Vincent C. Gray’s nominee to run the city’s juvenile justice agency, which has not had a permanent director for more than a year and in recent months has been plagued by brazen escapes and a brutal assault on a corrections officer. The nomination of Neil A. Stanley to head the Department of Youth Rehabilitation Services will still go before the full D.C. Council for a vote, but the 2 to 0 vote against Stanley by the Committee on Human Services was the first time a council body has voted to rebuff one of the Democratic mayor’s Cabinet picks.
Some Ward 8 Leaders Wary about Mayor’s Plan
(Afro) — D.C. Mayor Vincent C. Gray’s economic plan for Ward 8, which he announced on June 27, struck a sour note with some of his campaigns supporters. Activists claim Gray quickly abandoned campaign promises to include leaders from the area in key positions to oversee all projects and programs and to be part of the decision-making. At the announcement, Gray called for a one-day summit on July 9 at Savoy Elementary School for the Ward 8 community to meet with cabinet members, agency heads and developers for input into the proposed ventures such as the rebuilding of Ballou Senior High School, several housing projects and a massive development for the U.S. Coast Guard and Homeland Security Department. “There is great enthusiasm in the pipeline of Ward 8 developments. Residents must play a role in shaping these developments,” said Gray.
On 4th Of July DC Mayor Calls for City’s ‘Independence’
(WAMU) — D.C. Mayor Vincent Gray used the festivities at yesterday’s Palisades Parade in Northwest D.C. to call attention to the District’s fight for “full independence.” Gray marched in Monday’s parade with fellow members of “DC41,” the group that was arrested earlier this year at the U.S. Capitol protesting D.C.’s lack of autonomy.
Future of D.C. Development Will Be in Ward 8, Gray Says
(The Washington Times) — Nearly six months into his term, D.C. Mayor Vincent C. Gray is striking a firm tone on the economic pillar of his One City plan and looking to rebound from the scandals that have surrounded the John A. Wilson Building. Mr. Gray on Monday announced plans to revitalize the job market, real estate prospects and businesses in key portions of the District, highlighting long-stagnant Ward 8 as the epicenter of new growth. The mayor laid out his economic vision at Yards Park, a part of Ward 6’s Southwest waterfront that is considered a “sign of what’s to come” for the District. A tangible portrait of the effects of the economic recession, the area has been a disappointing work-in-progress to those hoping a vibrant community will emerge around Nationals Park.
D.C. Council Scandals Disgust Residents
(Washington Informer) — The ethical cloud that envelopes D.C. City Council members has left the public disappointed and disgusted. At the moment, several members are either under investigation or enmeshed in ethical problems. And Mayor Vincent C. Gray (D) has been fending off accusations of his own for months. “I’m mad as hell,” said a Ward 5 resident whose gestures punctuated her agitation. “I worked real hard for Vincent Gray and I just threw out all of his T-shirts. It’s embarrassing for the whole city. Thomas, Brown, Gray…” The retired telecommunications employee, who declined to give her name, said the political shenanigans have been going on all along “but they just got caught.” John Walker, a Northern Virginia resident, said the Council members’ woes are nothing new. “I’ve been here a long time and this is consistent with [the District’s] history,” he said. “There is a lack of good governance but I have a feeling they’ll get it right.” Walker, who works for a non-profit which offers services to veterans, said there are larger implications to the Council’s actions.
Grand Jury Reviewing Gray Campaign
(Washington Examiner) — A federal grand jury is hearing evidence into accusations of election misdeeds leveled by a former mayoral candidate at D.C. Mayor Vincent Gray’s campaign, The Washington Examiner has learned. The U.S. Attorney’s office turned to the grand jury in April as part of its ongoing assessment of Sulaimon Brown’s charges that members of Gray’s mayoral campaign passed Brown cash-stuffed envelopes and money orders so he would stay in the race and keep up his verbal assault on then-Mayor Adrian Fenty, an attorney associated with the case confirmed to The Examiner. A law enforcement source confirmed a grand jury was involved in the case, but would not discuss it further.
Henderson on Track to Head D.C. Schools
(Washington Post) — Mayor Vincent. C. Gray’s pick to lead the District’s public school system received open support from several council members on Thursday, despite mixed reviews from the public and varying opinions about her links to the prior regime. Mr. Gray named Kaya Henderson acting chancellor of the D.C. Public Schools on March 9, prompting a series of “unprecedented” public hearings in the community before a formal vetting before the Committee of the Whole, Council Chairman Kwame R. Brown said.
Scandals Undermine D.C.’s Bid for Self-Rule
(Afro) — As scandals plague the same D.C. elected officials that push for the city’s autonomy, some residents think the city’s messy politics may hinder the home rule fight. Local groups recently signed and sent a letter to the House Financial Services and General Government Subcommittee to tell the government to stay out of local issues. But it becomes difficult to convince Congress—particularly a Republican-controlled House—that the District can handle its own affairs when more and more of the city’s leaders are becoming mired in a bog of corruption, bribery, misappropriation of funds, campaign reporting improprieties, failure to pay taxes and other charges. “We make it worse for ourselves when we have all these scandals,” said Corryn Freeman, who was arrested earlier this year in a D.C. autonomy protest led by D.C. Vote. “Because we are not managing ourselves correctly, it gives them more reason to say D.C. can’t handle their own business.”
D.C. Ethics Bill Draws Fire
(Washington Post) — A week after he unveiled dramatic allegations of corruption against a council member, city Attorney General Irvin B. Nathan on Monday criticized “major flaws” in an ethics overhaul under consideration by the D.C. Council. While calling the bill introduced by council Chairman Kwame R. Brown (D-At Large) and council member Mary M. Cheh (D-Ward 3) a “first step,” Nathan testified in a public hearing that it would create a “competing bureaucratic upstart” that would frustrate his own office’s efforts to root out public corruption. Comments from Nathan and other witnesses are likely to complicate the District government’s efforts to respond to an unprecedented array of city hall scandals. Nathan said the council should “scrap” the bill, which would create an Office of Government Accountability to police ethical matters and an advisory committee to make recommendations on city ethics law and procedures.
