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→Government: expand
===Politics===
===Politics===
The voters in Washington are 90% Democratic. It is America's fourth-most liberal city.<ref>http://www.govpro.com/News/Article/31439/</ref> The current mayor of the District of Columbia is Vincent C. Gray.
The voters in Washington are 90% Democratic. It is America's fourth-most liberal city.<ref>http://www.govpro.com/News/Article/31439/</ref> The current mayor of the District of Columbia is [[Vincent C. Gray]].
===Elected officials===
===Elected officials===
* [[Vincent Gray]], Mayor.
* [[Vincent C. Gray]], Mayor.
* Phil Mendelson, Council Chair
*Michael A. Brown, Council Chair Pro Tempore
*At-Large
**David Catania
**Michael A. Brown
**Vincent Orange
*Ward Members
**Kenyan McDuffie
**Jim Graham
**Jack Evans
**Mary M. Cheh
**Muriel Bowser
**Tommy Wells
**Yvette Alexander
**[[Marion Barry]]
====Federal====
====Federal====
Since 1992, Washington, D.C. has offered [[domestic partnership]]s.<ref>[http://www.answers.com/topic/domestic-partnership-in-the-united-states Answers.com]</ref> In 2009, the D.C. Council enacted a law, effective March 3, 2010, that "expanded the
Since 1992, Washington, D.C. has offered [[domestic partnership]]s.<ref>[http://www.answers.com/topic/domestic-partnership-in-the-united-states Answers.com]</ref> In 2009, the D.C. Council enacted a law, effective March 3, 2010, that "expanded the
definition of marriage in the District to include same-sex couples."<ref>[http://www.dcappeals.gov/dccourts/appeals/pdf/10-CV-20_JACKSON_MTD.PDF ''Jackson v. District of Columbia Board of Elections and Ethics''], citing D.C. Code § 46-401 (a) (Supp. 2010); 57 D.C. Reg. 27 (Jan. 1, 2010).</ref>
definition of marriage in the District to include same-sex couples."<ref>[http://www.dcappeals.gov/dccourts/appeals/pdf/10-CV-20_JACKSON_MTD.PDF ''Jackson v. District of Columbia Board of Elections and Ethics''], citing D.C. Code § 46-401 (a) (Supp. 2010); 57 D.C. Reg. 27 (Jan. 1, 2010).</ref>
===Corruption===
The 2010 election was hotly contested and resulted in a number of convictions. Incumbent mayor [[Adrian Fenty]] lost the Democratic primary to [[Vincent C. Gray]]. However, his primary effort was assisted by a minor candidate [[Sulaimon Brown]], who Gray paid to stay in the primary race and appointed to a position in his administration. When this became public, Gray fired Brown and the resulting investigation led to campaign staff being convicted. On Tuesday, July 10, 2010, Jeanne Clarke Harris, plead guilty to laundering campaign contributions from city contractor [[Jeffery E. Thompson]] through friends into the Gray campaign. The effort involved $653,000 in improperly reported donations. U.S. Attorney Ronald C. Machen Jr said that the 2010 mayor's race was "compromised by backroom deals, secret payments and a flood of unreported cash."<ref name=wp711>{{cite news|title=Gray's victory called tainted|author=Mike DeBonis and Nikita Stewart|date=July 11, 2012|page=A1}}</ref> Harris said that Thompson sought to hide his campaign contributions to Gray to avoid angering the Fenty administration that had awarded large contract to Thompson's firms.<ref name=wp711/> Howard Brooks and Thomas W. Gore have previously plead guilty to charges surrounding the forwarding of Gray campaign cash to Brown.<ref name=wp711/>
[[Kwame R. Brown]] was the Chairman of the District of Columbia Council until he resigned to plead guilty to bank fraud and campaign finance charges in 2012.
A probe of DC government employees disclosed that 318 of them had collected $1.9 million of unemployment benefits while on the DC payroll. The DC government is seeking return of the funds and has dismissed or prosecuted the employees.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://washingtonexaminer.com/d.c.-says-more-than-300-city-workers-involved-in-unemployment-scandal/article/2513901#.UKzKE5I5V4s|title=D.C. says more than 300 city workers involved in unemployment scandal|date=
November 19, 2012|first=Alan|last=Blinder|work=Washington Examiner|accessdate=November 21, 2012}}</ref>
Current city councilman [[Marion Barry]] has previously served as Mayor from 1979 to 1991, and from 1995 to 1999. While Mayor, he was arrested for crack cocaine possession.<ref>{{cite news |title= Barry Arrested on Cocaine Charges in Undercover FBI, Police Operation |work= The Washington Post |date= January 19, 1990 |page= A1 |first= Sharon |last= LaFraniere |url=http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/local/longterm/tours/scandal/barry.htm }}</ref> After serving his sentence, he successfully ran for city councilman in 2004. In November 2012, Barry organized the distribution of free Thanksgiving turkeys in his Ward that was funded by a $30,000 donation. DC law does not require disclosure of the donors, so Barry declined to name the funders, saying it's only "liberal white folks" who are interested in disclosure rules for turkey giveaways.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.washingtoncitypaper.com/blogs/looselips/2012/11/19/barry-only-liberal-white-folks-care-who-pays-for-my-turkey-giveaway/|title=Barry: Only “Liberal White Folks” Care Who Pays for My Turkey Giveaway|first=Alan|last=Suderman|date=Nov. 19, 2012|work=Washington City Paper|accessdate=November 21, 2012}}</ref>
== Symbols ==
== Symbols ==