Mayor-elect Vince Gray says he isn’t ready “to take a position” on the budget cuts proposed by the mayor — but he is willing to continue the council vs. mayor rhetoric that helped get him elected.
When asked by The Washington Examiner on Monday afternoon whether has reviewed the proposals Mayor Adrian Fenty sent to the Council last week to close a $188 million spending gap, Gray said he hasn’t yet looked at it closely.
“I’ll be doing that this afternoon,” Gray said. He then added, “It looks like things the council put into the budget have been taken out.”
The Council Chairman could be referring to the $7 million that Ward 1 Councilman Jim Graham put into the budget to provide tax breaks for businesses whose doors open on streets that are under construction. Fenty wants it cut.
He could also be referring to the more than $3 million Fenty wants to cut from a program backed by Ward 3 Councilwoman Mary Cheh that put healthier food options into the city’s schools.
On the campaign trail Gray often talked about how Fenty failed to communicate and work with the council. By noting that Fenty’s cuts target council members’ programs, Gray is keeping that tension alive.
