Widespread accusations of corruption in the District bring back memories of Mayor Marion Barry, but the sudden eruption of alleged ethical breaches by the city’s top officials is more intense than at any given moment under Barry’s regime. “It’s frankly unprecedented to have this number of clouds over the council members and the executive branch’s actions,” said community activist Terry Lynch, who has been involved with city politics since he moved to D.C. in 1977. “It does certainly harken back to the old days, although the city is better off now.”
Despite the current series of scandals, city services continue to function and the budget is balanced. By the time Barry’s fourth term ended, the District couldn’t afford to pick up trash or fix potholes, and its inability to meet pension payments had landed it under federal control.
Corruption charges under Barry were also more spread out:
— 1985, Barry’s chief political adviser, Ivanhoe Donaldson, pleaded guilty to stealing $190,000 in public funds.
— 1987, Barry’s deputy mayor for finance, Alphonse Hill, pleaded guilty to stealing more than $260,000 in auditing contracts to a friend’s firm.
— 1989, Barry’s department of human services director, David Rivers, indicted on bribery charges. He was later acquitted.
— 1990, Barry convicted of misdemeanor drug possession.
The corruption allegations now are a reminder of the “old politics of Washington,” Lynch said. Those accused of wrongdoing — Councilman Harry Thomas, council Chairman Kwame Brown, and Mayor Vince Gray, key among them — “are the next generation down from the Marion Barry days, and Gray has ties directly to Barry,” Lynch said.
Freeman Klopott
