To err is human, but to forgive, six times, is … well, stupid. –gerald radford
D.C. must have very slim pickings when it comes to viable political candidates. Esteemed ex-mayor of the city, now 8th Ward Council member, Marion Barry is at it again. Is it crack this time? No, that was back in 1990. Well, is it failure to file tax returns for five years? Nah, that was between 1994 and 2004. OK, it must be violating traffic laws and driving drunk. Wrong, again; that was back in 2006. Now, we have it! It was stalking his girlfriend! Sorry, no, that was back in 2009. This time, it’s violating city law by awarding a $15,000 contract to his then-girlfriend — the one he was accused of stalking —and then receiving a kickback from the deal.
A larger investigation of contracts and grants related to Mayor Adrian M. Fenty and the 13-member D.C. Council uncovered Barry’s policy violation, which also led to the other details emerging that put the politician is in the hot seat for the fifth time in his mind-defying political career.
The seven-page summary by attorney Robert S. Bennett states Barry, 73, requested that his ex-girlfriend Donna Watts-Brighthaupt write a proposal for a program called Emerging Leaders of Ward Eight. The city rejected the proposal because it appeared “political in nature,” the report states, but Barry then won approval for one on poverty and had Brighthaupt take the reigns. In addition, the report says Barry, on several occasions delivered checks to Brighthaupt, accompanied her to the bank to cash the checks and then made her give him some of the money.
Brighthaupt claims she gave Barry several hundred to thousands of dollars, but Barry countered by saying he was just being repaid for money he gave Brighthaupt to help her with a mortgage, car repairs and other bills. Brighthaupt, of course, said she thought the money was a gift.
Barry has said he could not recall how much he received, but has admitted going to the bank with Brighthaupt. He insists he did not ask her to repay him from the contract checks. The report also states that Barry tried to impede the investigation by refusing to answer questions and advising witnesses to withhold documents and information subpoenaed by the special council.
Barry served four terms as mayor, with a six-month prison stint for the crack episode somewhere in between. His entire political career has been peppered with misstep after misstep ever since, but despite his rap sheet, he still has a firm grasp on the hearts of the citizens in Ward 8, the Southeast district he represents. After retiring from politics in 1998, he ran again for the D.C. Council in 2004 and won with 96 percent of the vote. He won re-election in November 2009 with 92 percent of the vote.
Forgiveness is indeed divine, but at what point does it become gullibility and complete ignorance? –gerald radford
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