D.C. Councilman Marion Barry violated council ethics by giving a $10,000 contract to his lover and commingling government operations with nonprofit organizations he set up, but he did not break any city laws, the Office of Campaign Finance concluded in a report.
The Campaign Finance Office “admonished” Barry for the ethics violations.
The councilman and former mayor said Monday that “in reading the report, there is no way anyone could not conclude that this is not a vindication for me.”
Earlier this year, Barry’s fellow council members stripped the Ward 8 councilman of his committee chairmanship after an independent investigation concluded Barry had taken a cut of the contract to girlfriend Donna Watts-Brighthaupt. The council started its investigation after Barry was arrested for allegedly stalking Watts-Brighthaupt in Anacostia Park on July 4, 2009. The charges were quickly dropped.
The independent investigation’s conclusions were then forwarded to the Campaign Finance Office and the U.S. attorney.
The Campaign Finance Office released its conclusions in a report late Friday.
According to the report, Barry failed to inform the council of his romantic relationship with Watts-Brighthaupt and that she owed him $700 when he submitted his proposal for the $10,000 contract she later fulfilled. Barry also played a role in helping organizations set up as sounding boards for Ward 8 residents so they could receive earmarks from his office as nonprofits. He then allowed them to operate from his constituent services office in Southeast.
But in neither case did he violate city laws.
“The Councilmember violated the Standards of Conduct through his failure to disclose his relationship with Ms. Watts-Brighthaupt to the [Council], and to prevent the use of his employees and his [constituent services office] to facilitate the operation and activities of the Ward Eight Councils,” the report concluded.
The report may have cleared Barry of breaking the law, but the court of public opinion might be a different story, said longtime D.C. political operative Chuck Thies.
“It’ll be hard for a decision to clear the record,” Thies said.
Barry said he’s learned a lesson.
“My enemies in the media and the public never sleep,” he said. “I know that, but sometimes I get too comfortable.”
