Mayor-elect Vince Gray has cited the need to fix the city’s $188 million budget gap swiftly to justify a series of private meetings with individual council members to plan cuts in areas of government they oversee. But critics say the closed-door meetings between council members and Gray — who is still the council chairman — gives the impression that which services will be slashed and how many public dollars will be spent is being decided in back-room deals.
“Given the amount of public dollars at play here and the critical public services that could be cut, it seems to me these should be open-door meetings,” said longtime political observer Terry Lynch. “It gives the appearance that they’re making deals on things that seriously affect the city’s residents behind closed doors.”
Gray met with council members individually late last week, asking them about the programs they want to save from the ax, where they’re willing to make cuts and if they would support raising taxes. Several council members said Gray was mostly mum on the direction he’d like to take. They said the meetings are necessary to build consensus in the time crunch. The council vote is scheduled for Tuesday, just two weeks after receiving a proposal of cuts and revenue sources from Mayor Adrian Fenty.
The mayor-elect said there was nothing insidious about the meetings with council colleagues.
“It’s perfectly appropriate for me to sit down with a council member and have a discussion,” Gray told The Washington Examiner.
Gray pointed to the more than 15 hours he and the council spent on Nov. 30 listening to the public’s concerns about the proposed cuts Fenty sent down as evidence that “the process is transparent.”
He said a major concern is the tight deadline created by Fenty’s late delivery of the budget.
“It’s an unreasonable period of time,” he said.
The council will crunch much of its debate into an afternoon meeting on Monday that will be televised, but otherwise closed to the public. Late Monday or early Tuesday morning, Gray will send them a rundown of his proposals. It’s likely to include a tax increase after several council members voiced their support for one during the public hearing.
Council staffers said Gray will not introduce a budget fix that won’t get the council’s support. Gray has proved himself an able consensus builder throughout his tenure. As he met one-on-one with council members he was likely counting to seven — the number he needs to get a majority — for any steps he wants to take.
At-large Councilman Phil Mendelson said Gray’s approach is the right one.
“With the limited amount of time, the best way to deal with this is through the leadership of the chairman,” he said.
