Vincent C. Gray

Vincent C. Gray (b. November 8, 1942 cite web |title=Voters Guide 2006 Supplement |work=The Washington Informer |date=2006-09-24 |url=http://www.washingtoninformer.com/Voters%20Guide%20REVISED%2006.pdf |format=PDF ] ) is a politician from Washington, D.C. He is currently chairman of the Council of the District of Columbia.

Pre-council career

Gray was the founding executive director of Covenant House Washington. Gray grew the agency from a van outreach program to a multisite agency serving homeless youth in the city's Southeast and Northeast communities. Previous to Covenant House, Gray served as the director of the Department of Human Services for the District of Columbia under then-mayor Sharon Pratt Kelly. Kelly picked Gray from his longtime role as executive director of the D.C. Association of Retarded Citizens.

Council of the District of Columbia

In the September 2004 primary election, Gray defeated Kevin P. Chavous, the incumbent Ward 7 member of the Council of the District of Columbia, and went on to win the November general election with 91% of the vote. He was sworn in as a member of the council on January 2, 2005, and was a member of the council's Committees on Health; Economic Development; Human Services; and Education, Libraries and Recreation. Chairman Linda W. Cropp also appointed him to chair a Special Committee on Prevention of Youth Violence.

In 2006, when Cropp decided not to run for another term as chairman but to run for mayor instead, Gray ran for chairman. He defeated his council colleague Kathleen Patterson in the Democratic primary, 57% to 43%, and then won the general election easily (he was unopposed). Gray ran his campaign under the banner "One City" and focused on unity among the disparate racial and economic groups in Washington, D.C.

Family

Gray has two children, Jonice Gray Tucker and Vincent Carlos Gray, and one grandchild, Austin Gray Tucker.

References