GUEST POST: Ward 8 Councilman Accused Of Stealing Taxpayers Money by Ebony Kankam
“ I have lived in Ward 8 all my life. I can remember every scandal Marion Barry has been involved in. I am not a bit surprised by this new corruption he has engineered. In order for Ward 8 to move out of the rut it is in, we need to get rid of all the corrupt leaders, and get better leaders,” said one elderly Ward 8 resident.
Barry, who served as the Mayor of the district in 1989, has currently denied all allegations against him. According to investigators, Barry obtained a contract for his ex-girlfriend to help her pay bills. In their report investigators concluded that Barry breached the public trust, as well as violated the conflict-of-interest laws of the District of Columbia. The report also detailed how Barry funneled public money to friends and former associates, while also allotting him a substantial amount of money. However, despite the allegations many in the community believe that Barry has done a lot of admirable things for the Ward 8 community.
“ Marion Barry has made his mistakes. But so has everyone else. He is always giving back to the community. He started a summer youth jobs program and also helped many people in this community get government jobs,” said Ward 8 resident, Erin Watts.
However, being in the negative spotlight is not an unknown position for Barry. In 1990, while holding the title as Mayor of the District, Barry was found in a hotel smoking Crack-Cocaine. He also ran into more legal troubles when he was found guilty for failure to pay local and federal taxes. Tuesday’s allegations marked the first time the former mayor has been accused of stealing taxpayer’s money.
“ Marion Barry has been caught for many things, but rarely held accountable. I think that in order to get rid of corruption the D.C. Council should strip him of committee responsibilities and titles. We don’t need someone in office who isn’t representing for those who don’t have the power to change things in this community. Ward 8 has a lot of growing to do, but we can’t grow if our leader is a criminal,” said Ward 8 resident, Jeff Guy.
At this time the D.C. Council has not yet given word to what consequences Barry will face. However, the committee did announce in a recent press release that they would take some action. In the investigator’s report, investigators urged that Barry’s case be referred to the U.S. Attorney’s Office and the D.C. Office of Campaign Finance. In recent years Barry has faced consequences for his actions. He was sentenced for his cocaine charge, and is currently repaying his federal and local taxes.
“ If Barry goes to jail for stealing money, I think we should get all of the political corrupters and charge them as well. At least he has done substantial things for his community. In order to truly get rid of corruption Ward 8 needs to get a political leader that has our community at interest, and not themselves,” said a local D.C. police officer.
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