The District is now returning the Lincoln Navigator that has served as Mayor Vince Gray’s “backup” vehicle since it was rejected by D.C. Council Chairman Kwame Brown because it had a gray interior. It’s the second lease for a Lincoln Navigator ordered by Brown that city officials said they will break this week. On Tuesday, Brown said he has asked the attorney general to break the $1,963-per-month lease for the fully loaded, black interior Navigator he has been driving around town since taking office in January. During a Wednesday news conference, Gray was questioned about the future of his “backup” sport utility vehicle after The Washington Examiner reported the Brown reject had landed in the mayor’s entourage of Lincolns.
“I will consult with Chairman Brown and verify he wants them both sent back,” Gray said. “As far as I’m concerned, both vehicles can go back.”
Brown’s spokeswoman, Traci Hughes, said giving back the first SUV-turned mayoral backup, “fully complies with what the chairman has wanted for a couple of months now.”
Attorney General Irvin Nathan said he will now include both SUVs in the negotiations to break the lease. He said it’s too early to know how much breaking the leases and returning the Navigators will cost the city.
Gray will keep his “primary” Navigator and the Lincoln Town Car used by his security team.
A department of public works spokeswoman initially told The Examiner that the rejected SUV was being used as Gray’s backup, then later refined that statement to say that it is being used as second vehicle for Gray’s security team. She declined to comment further, citing security concerns.
The Navigator kerfuffle dates back a month when the Washington City Paper reported that Brown and Gray were driving fully loaded Lincoln Navigators, courtesy of the city. On Sunday, the Washington Post laid out the details of a series of e-mails among Brown’s staff and department of public works officials. The e-mails show Brown had actually ordered two Navigators, rejecting the first because it wasn’t up to snuff. It not only was missing the black interior he wanted, but also the 8-inch television screen for the back seat.
The two Navigators Brown ordered collectively cost the city about $3,800 a month. Brown says he didn’t realize the leases were so expensive. Both were acquired with one-year leases, the most expensive option available, car dealers said. The Navigator that Gray is keeping costs taxpayers $1,941 a month during the first year of the one-year lease. If an option is taken for future years, then the price drops by about half.
“I have one because [the police department] says I need to have one,” Gray said.
