Every now and again, I feel a tad sorry for Mayor Vincent C. Gray. That happened recently during his “One City Summit.”
There he was on a stage in the Walter E. Washington Convention Center, pleased with the turnout of 1,700 for a signature event. Gray displayed an Obama-esque teleprompter addiction while channeling former Mayor Anthony A. Williams’ penchant for technology. But for the recovering public policy wonk the environment was near Heaven.
The occasion was seen as yet another opportunity to reset his administration, turning its back on an ugly first year that saw the launch of three separate investigations–including one by the feds — of him and his 2010 mayoral campaign. Previous attempts — firing offending executives caught hiring friends and family at exorbitant salaries, bringing in other high powered professionals — often splashed more stink on an administration trying to Febreeze itself.
Never a quitter, Gray brought in a new a chief of staff, deputy chief of staff, communications director. That team and potential job-generating initiatives suggested he may have buried the scandals.
But a survey of summit participants corrected that assumption. Audience members were asked to identify the challenges to achieving the “one city” goal Gray set for himself, without fully describing its parameters.
Fifteen percent of attendees cited “corruption and perceived corruption with the city government.” The only issue to score higher — 17 percent–was affordable housing. Only 11 percent identified race, which civic leaders and pundits have tried to cast as the District’s core affliction.
That corruption registered so prominently was surprising, especially since last December the D.C. Council passed much-touted ethics reform legislation. The city was supposed to be on the path to restoring the public’s trust.
Christopher Murphy, the mayor’s chief of staff, told me Gray shares residents concerns about fraud, waste and abuse in the government.
“As he has demonstrated in the recent unemployment insurance investigation, malfeasance will not be tolerated and those involved will be held accountable,” continued Murphy, adding Gray has required his cabinet to sign an ethics pledge. That mandate and ethics training soon will extend to all government employees.
Truth be told, residents may grudgingly accept the rogue behavior of low-level workers. They have no tolerance for misbehaving politicians. Even some politicians lack patience with the questionable actions of their colleagues.
Could At-large Councilman David Catania’s spat with Michael A. Brown have been a response to the latter’s underhanded dealing related to Internet gambling? Catania, after all, was the first legislator to call for Harry Thomas Jr.’s resignation, immediately following D.C. Attorney General Irvin Nathan’s revelation the Ward 5 councilman had embezzled $300,000 intended for disadvantaged youth.
Council Chairman Kwame R. Brown, who also is under federal investigation, has promised to introduce a resolution aimed at upbraiding his colleagues for their increasing expletive-laced public exchanges.
But don’t expect any peace in the legislature–or better survey results for the executive — until U.S. Attorney Ronald Machen Jr. completes and announces the results of his investigations.
Jonetta Rose Barras’s column appears on Monday and Wednesday. She can be reached at [email protected].
