WASHINGTON (AP) — Embattled District of Columbia Mayor Vincent Gray laid out a detailed agenda Wednesday for the final 2½ years of his term and defended his administration’s accomplishments, but he declined several times to say whether he would seek a second term.
Gray, a Democrat, has been engulfed in scandal since he took office in January 2011. Three campaign aides have pleaded guilty to federal crimes, including a public relations executive and longtime friend who admitted that she facilitated a $650,000 “shadow campaign” to help Gray get elected. The funds were supplied by a businessman who holds government contracts and were not disclosed on campaign finance reports, according to court documents and testimony.
The probe by the U.S. attorney’s office is ongoing, and Gray, acting on the advice of his attorney, has declined to address specific questions, such as whether he was aware of the illicit funds.
While Gray, 69, has said he plans to finish his term, he has never spoken publicly about running again, and many political strategists believe he will not seek re-election. A Washington Post poll published last week put Gray’s approval rating at 29 percent, and more than half of respondents said they thought Gray should resign. Three members of the D.C. Council have called on Gray to step down.
At a news conference Wednesday, the mayor’s staff distributed a 56-page pamphlet detailing how the administration planned to realize Gray’s “One City” campaign slogan. The mayor’s broad goals are to improve the district’s economy, education and overall quality of life for district residents.
Many of the strategies detailed in the pamphlet have already been implemented. But the plan provides few specifics about how Gray intends to achieve other goals, including increasing the district’s affordable housing stock. A task force is studying the affordable housing issue and will report back before the end of the year.
Asked whether he would commit to a second term if it were necessary to implement his agenda, Gray did not answer directly.
“A plan is done to try to have a vision for the city, and whomever may be in leadership, I think people would pick this up and look at it,” Gray said.
The mayor also criticized the media for failing to report on or give him credit for his accomplishments. He noted that his administration has reduced from 2,200 to 1,600 the number of special-education students who are sent to schools outside the city’s public system.
Asked to clarify whether that reduction had occurred during his term, Gray appeared agitated and said: “Yes, my term, me!”
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