Vincent Gray cleared of wrongdoing

The D.C. Office of Campaign Finance has cleared Council Chairman Vincent C. Gray (D) of any wrongdoing for his decision to allow a company owned by friend and mega developer William C. Smith to perform improvements at his home, according to a ruling released Wednesday afternoon.

The office, part of the D.C Board of Elections and Ethics, also ruled that Gray did not violate election law when he used his official council stationery to solicit a contribution for the D.C. Democratic Committee from Comcast. The board said Gray's solicitation was designed to raise money for the District's push to secure voting rights, not for partisan politics.

Gray announced last week he plans to challenge Mayor Adrian M. Fenty (D) in the September Democratic primary. In that race, both candidates' personality and ethics are expected to be key points of debate.

-- Tim Craig