Members of a special D.C. Council committee voted Wednesday to accept the findings of its investigation into Mayor Vincent C. Gray’s hiring practices, vowing to use the results of the inquiry to push for reforms this fall.
In a 3 to 0 vote, the committee concluded that the Gray administration engaged in “cronyism and nepotism” in filling several government positions shortly after the mayor was inaugurated in January.
The committee, whose investigation spanned six months, also concluded that a senior Gray campaign official probably paid Sulaimon Brown last year to stay in the Democratic mayoral primary to attack then-mayor Adrian M. Fenty on the campaign trail.
Council member Mary M. Cheh (D-Ward 3), chairwoman of the special panel, said she will use the findings to try to restructure mayoral authority to appoint senior city officials.
Currently, the mayor has free rein to name about 160 “excepted service” staffers and agency leaders.
Although Cheh said she thinks a mayor should have the authority to appoint senior staffers and agency heads, she wants to reduce the number of positions that can be filled without a competitive application process.
“This system must be reexamined, both to the number of positions and how they are filled,” Cheh said.
Legislation that Cheh plans to draft would also make it a local crime for high-ranking D.C. officials to hire immediate family members, Cheh said.
In January and February, the children of five senior Gray administration officials were given city jobs, according to the report. There is no provision in the D.C. code barring nepotism for “excepted service positions.”
But the report concluded that at least two of the five hires probably violated a federal nepotism prohibition that applies to the District because it is a federal enclave.
The two committee members who joined Cheh in endorsing the report Wednesday were David A. Catania (I-At Large) and Tommy Wells (D-Ward 6). The other members of the committee, Michael A. Brown (I-At Large) and Harry Thomas Jr. (D-Ward 5), were not present for the meeting.
Wells called the completion of the report a “decision point and milestone” in efforts to resolve the controversy that has hobbled Gray’s first eight months in office.
“The decision to investigate a newly elected mayor did not come easily and did not come lightly,” Wells said. “But I commend the city council for moving forward with a thorough review of the matter. “
Gray (D) issued a statement Wednesday thanking the committee for its work. He said he plans to unveil his own agenda for reforming city hiring policies in coming weeks.
“When issues were raised, I requested a full and complete investigation by this body, and others, and I instituted policies, practices and staff changes to ensure compliance with personnel rules, directives and regulations,” Gray said. “I remain committed to leading an administration with integrity, transparency and openness and in the coming weeks will announce a series of further measures to help repair and restore the public trust in our government.”
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