A bill requiring D.C. Council approval of all deputy mayor appointees is likely to set up the first battle between Mayor Vince Gray and the council members he once led as chairman. Councilmen Jim Graham and Marion Barry are co-sponsoring the emergency bill and plan to introduce it on Tuesday. It’s meant to immediately require Gray to submit for council confirmation his Deputy Mayor for Health and Human Services B.B. Otero and his Deputy Mayor for Public Safety Paul Quander. The two positions aren’t required by District law and weren’t filled by Gray’s predecessor Mayor Adrian Fenty. They were created by Mayor Anthony Williams. Gray has asked the council to approve a total of about $1.5 million to fund the offices for both jobs.
When asked about the bill, Gray told The Washington Examiner: “We don’t need that.” He added, “We don’t have confirmation for the chief of staff. We don’t have it for the city administrator.”
