What do Ward 8 D.C. Councilman Marion Barry’s plan to bequeath his legislative seat to his son and Mayor Vincent C. Gray’s ethics pledge maneuver have in common? They are examples of old-style D.C. politics — the kind marked by nauseous self-dealing and empty symbolism. Barry’s legacy strategy, as first reported by the Washington Post’s Mike DeBonis, would involve the aging pol winning re-election in 2012 only to step down two years later. Then, his son, Christopher, would be tapped to complete Barry’s term. A special election, undoubtedly, would be held.
That plot, which Barry discussed with select individuals in Ward 8, isn’t new. In 1994, he pulled a similar stunt.
Two years after his release from federal penitentiary and his improbable political comeback — winning the Ward 8 seat in the legislature — Barry decided to run in 1994 against then-Mayor Sharon Pratt Kelly. That was a betrayal to his constituents, whom he had promised he would serve his full term. Instead, he used them as steppingstones to the mayoral suite.
Seeking a successor for his Ward 8 seat, Barry passed over Sandy Allen, an activist who had been credited with maintaining the cohesiveness of his political organization while he was in prison. Instead, in 1995, Barry tapped Eydie Whittington, a more malleable sycophant, to run in the special election. She won.
Allen subsequently defeated Whittington in 1996, winning a full term. But, after resigning as mayor, Barry returned to Ward 8 in 2004, unseating Allen.
“It’s old-school politics where politicians put themselves over service to the people,” said Jacque Patterson, a civic leader expected to run against Barry for the Ward 8 seat in 2012 Democratic primary.
Many of Gray’s moves since becoming mayor have seemed to come straight from Barry’s playbook, replete with political pandering designed to shore up his base and protect his career.
Monday — 11 months after beginning his tenure, which has been marked by allegations of cronyism and nepotism and violations of personnel rules — Gray called in the press to watch his senior staff sign an ethics pledge. Among other things, the document requires them to “avoid misuse of their office for personal gain or the benefit of friends and family members; refrain from financial and representational conflicts of interest; decline to receive gifts from those with business before the government; and safeguard government resources from misuse or personal use.
“This pledge outlines and underscores my administration’s commitment to ethical and conscientious government,” said Gray, adding that it’s part of “an ambitious new ethics training program for all District government employees.”
But, in fact, the document simply restates current conflict of interest and code of conduct laws, which individuals, when hired, agree to follow.
The ethics pledge signing party is nothing more than a renewed effort by Gray to reimage his scandal-stained administration while diluting the effect of pending D.C. Council personnel and ethics reform legislation, which could limit executive prerogatives. In other words, it’s all about Gray and his political career.
Jonetta Rose Barras’ column appears on Monday and Wednesday. She can be reached at [email protected].
