Mayor Gray Needs to Go

I’ll preference my remarks by telling a joke I have about elections in DC. I don’t vote for people whose last name is a color or whose first name is Vincent. So I think that tells you what I feel about the current mayor. One quick note the Democratic primary is essential the general election in DC because DC has so many Democrats.

Now back to the Mayor. In light of what’s happened in the past few days, Gray is no longer fit to serve. The conviction of the Mayor’s most recent crony, Jeffrey E. Thompson, shows Gray is not fit for office.

Is this the fourth or fifth person close to the Mayor convicted over the “shadow” campaign run to help Gray get elected in 2010? It’s four or five people too many as far as I’m concerned. And the “shadow” campaign was not necessary because Gary easily defeated Adrian Fenty 53 to 46 percent.


As to the allegations made by Thompson that Gray new all about the “shadow” campaign Gray said this:

“I say this to all of you, clearly and unequivocally: I didn’t break the law,” Gray said in front of several hundred at Kelly Miller Middle School in Northeast Washington. The crowd gave him a standing ovation and chants of “four more years.”

Gee sort of reminds you of a certain governor in New Jersey. Who didn’t do anything wrong. Didn’t know what was happening. And had no knowledge of the actions taken. And just because you didn’t break the law doesn’t mean what was done was right.

Here’s the problem I have with both of these defenses. What type of culture existed in these campaigns that the actions of close associates and aids to the Mayor and Governor thought it was fine to do what they did. In both cases the elections were not in doubt so why was the “shadow” campaign and bridge closing necessary at all. This is a reflection on the candidates themselves.

The Post summed up the recently development in DC most succinctly:

Based on the guilty pleas now delivered to a federal judge, there can be no dispute that Mr. Gray’s election was tainted. Given that — and even accepting his continuing claims of ignorance about the shadow campaign — you might think Mr. Gray would do the city he claims to love the favor of dropping his bid for a second term. Apparently that isn’t going to happen, at least not yet.

My choice in the election isn’t all that easy because of the number of candidates running seven in all. But Vincent Gray will not be among those choices at all.

He needs to go and go now.