More intense background checks for DC administration

Mayor Gray has ordered for more detailed background checks on the staff of his administration after the termination of staffer and former minor mayoral candidate Sulaimon Brown following reports of a 2007 restraining order filed by the mother of a 13-year-old girl and accusing Brown of stalking. Last week, some of Gray’s closest supporters told NBC Washington’s Tom Sherwood that the mayor needed to fix his off-track administration. This is a step by Mayor Gray to show DC citizens that he is working at improving security and restoring the publics faith in him and his policies. “While a vetting process was implemented, it is clear that the approach was not thorough enough to address all relevant issues and questions for Excepted Service appointments,” Gray said in a statement. “Moving forward, I want to make sure that we check and double-check all current and future Excepted Service appointees by also engaging our own Metropolitan Police Department.” Over the past two weeks, Gray has had to address appointments of mid- and upper-level city employees with questionable backgrounds. A spokeswoman for Gray said by including the police department in background checks for appointees, the mayor is taking an “unprecedented” step. Gray conceded that there was not “the same degree of vigor” used in top-level appointments as for those farther down. He said the vetting process that was in place didn’t “identify all of the challenges that maybe be experienced by potential hires.” Gray concluded, “while it is hoped that candidates for jobs such as these would voluntarily reveal significant aspects of their history that could influence the decision to hire them, clearly that has not always occurred.”]]>