My endorsement: Because Gray cares

By Sharon Gang
Ward 3

From the tiniest town to the biggest metropolis, mayors are the go-to individuals for anyone needing help from their city. From road repairs to public safety to trash pickup and education, mayors must attend to their constituents’ needs. There is not much money in being a mayor, nor is there much good publicity once you’re in office, so people who seek the job should have other reasons for doing so. The best mayors feel love and responsibility for the people under their watch.

D.C. Council Chairman Vincent Gray cares about and respects the people of this city. He cares about the parents of school-age children; he wants to help senior citizens who need shelter; he cares about people with disabilities; he worries about people without jobs. He is mindful of the people who work for him.

Being mayor is about showing up and showing respect not just at groundbreakings and at the first day of school, but at people’s homes to help them bail out their flooded basements and at funerals to show that someone is thinking of them. As mayor, Vince Gray will show up, and he will show respect. Because he cares.

The writer was deputy director for communications for Mayor Anthony A. Williams from 2001 to 2006.