Vincent C. Gray
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| Vincent C. Gray | |
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7th Chairman of the Council of the District of Columbia
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| Assumed office 2007 |
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| Preceded by | Linda Cropp |
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Ward 7 Member of the Council of the District of Columbia
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| In office 2005 – 2007 |
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| Born | November 8, 1942 |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Children | Jonice Vincent |
| Alma mater | George Washington University |
Vincent C. Gray (b. November 8, 1942[1]) is a politician from Washington, D.C. He is currently chairman of the Council of the District of Columbia.
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[edit] Early life and education
Gray is a native of Washington, DC and was educated in its public schools. He earned a B.S. in psychology at George Washington University, where he also received a graduate degree.
[edit] Pre-council career
Gray was the founding executive director of Covenant House Washington in 1995. Over a decade, 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.
[edit] 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.
In 2008, Gray successfully led his Council colleagues in passing the "Pre-K Enhancement and Expansion Act of 2008", a program to provide universal pre-kindergarten to every three- and four-year-old in the District of Columbia by 2014, to increase early intervention and enhancement services for student success.
[edit] Family
Gray has two children, Jonice Gray Tucker and Vincent Carlos Gray, and two grandchildren, Austin Gray Tucker and Jillian Gray Tucker.[1]
[edit] References
- ^ a b "Voters Guide 2006 Supplement" (PDF). The Washington Informer. 2006-09-24. http://www.washingtoninformer.com/Voters%20Guide%20REVISED%2006.pdf.
| Council of the District of Columbia | ||
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| Preceded by Kevin P. Chavous |
Ward 7 Member, Council of the District of Columbia 2005 – 2007 |
Succeeded by Yvette Alexander |
| Preceded by Linda W. Cropp |
Chairman of the Council of the District of Columbia 2007 – present |
Incumbent |
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