The ongoing corruption scandal in Washington, D.C, has eroded public support for Mayor Vincent Gray in his city, with 54 percent of District residents saying he should now resign, according to a Washington Post poll.
Thirty-seven percent of respondents in the Post poll say Gray should not resign, and 9 percent had no opinion. Forty-eight percent of African Americans believed he should resign. Among those who say they voted for him in 2010, nearly four in 10 think he should step down.
As reported in AtlantaBlackStar.com on Tuesday, Gray’s administration has become so engulfed in scandal and corruption that Washington has become an embarrassment.
“Gray’s accomplishments have been overshadowed by corruption by campaign officials, including the operation of a ‘shadow campaign,’ secretly spending money in excess of what is allowed by campaign finance laws,” Jackie Jones wrote in a column. “His predecessor, Adrian Fenty, was turned out of office by voters, angered that the once earnest, driven young council member-turned-mayor had become arrogant and had lost the common touch, had overseen the steering of contracts to friends regardless of their qualifications (though he was later cleared of wrongdoing) and had appointed a highly controversial schools chancellor, hailed nationally as a change agent, but who produced questionable results in the city. Then-Council Chairman Gray was seen as a change agent, a man with a reputation for efficiency and civility and the ability to build consensus. A reluctant candidate, Gray was pushed into the campaign by a grassroots groundswell. Even suburbanites hosted fundraisers to encourage his candidacy.”
The official in the Gray administration who have been indicted on corruption charges is growing ever larger, including the assistant treasurer of his 2010 campaign, Thomas W. Gore, campaign consultant Howard Brooks and PR consultant Jeanne Clark Harris.
“For his part, Gray says he has no intentions of resigning and that he’s going to continue running the city and concentrate on bringing jobs to D.C.,” Jones wrote.
But U.S. Attorney Ronald C. Machen Jr. told reporters last Tuesday that the corruption investigation was continuing and more charges were likely.
“The truth is going to come out in the end,” Machen said, “and it would be better for you to come forward on your own rather than wait for us to approach you.”
