With only one month remaining until the candidate submission deadline, Vincent Gray has announced his entry into the upcoming D.C. mayoral race. Gray, who is currently serving as mayor of D.C., will seek re-election against several prominent candidates – including Jack Evans, Muriel Bowser and Tommy Wells – in the Democratic primaries. To get to know the candidate a bit better, here are our factual “Fifteen Shades” of Gray:
1. This is Vincent Gray. He is 71 years old.
2. Gray is a graduate of The George Washington University.
3. In 2004, Gray defeated incumbent candidate Kevin Chavous to become a member of the D.C. City Council, representing Ward 7.
4. In 2010, he was elected mayor of D.C. His campaign slogan was “One city. Leadership we need.”
5. Since taking office, Gray has had several major accomplishments for the city. In order to save the District $19 million in 2011, Gray proposed a plan that would furlough a majority of D.C. workers. (The D.C. Council later passed it.)
6. As a result, the District has one of its first balanced budgets in years – with no new taxes.
7. During his tenure, Gray has expanded the Metropolitan Police Department.
8. During Gray’s time in office, Washington has seen its lowest number of homicides in 50 years.
9. Since being elected mayor, Gray has implemented numerous reforms in technology and education. Unemployment has fallen almost 3 percent since he took office in 2011.
10. That being said, Gray’s tenure has also been plagued by scandal.
11. In what has been termed the “Sulaimon Brown controversy,” Gray has been accused of cronyism and making backroom deals to form his administration.
12. Accusations of nepotism and unethical hiring processes ran abound. Some of Gray’s political appointees received salaries that were higher than those permitted by District law.
13. Moreover, several of Gray’s campaign officers pled guilty to illegally diverting campaign funds, in addition to other corruption charges.
14. Gray has denied any involvement with the campaign scandals. However, numerous D.C. Council members have called for his resignation.
15. Thus, despite his successes, it looks like Gray faces a rocky road ahead in the 2014 mayoral race. For all of our campaign coverage and more, head over to The Hoya.
