'Strong and Getting Stronger,' Gray Says in Speech

Mayor Vince Gray played the sunny optimist last night in delivering his second State of the District address. In a 54-minute speech before a packed house at Sixth and I Historic Synagogue, the mayor portrayed the District as an island of economic stability and growth in an otherwise tempestuous country.

A balanced budget, environmental sustainability, technological incubation and early-childhood education were among Gray's key themes in the address. But he also ended on a somewhat somber, self-reflective note in admitting his own culpability for various missteps in his first year on the job. He repeatedly returned to his 2010 campaign slogan—"One City"—and attempted to define the phrase as something besides words on a lapel button.

"I understand why people were disappointed and I take full responsibility for those mistakes," he said. Gray also spoke sternly of this week's revelations that 150 current and former city employees were found to be drawing both their normal salaries as well as unemployment benefits, a scheme that has cost the District as much as $800,000 in excess jobless payments. Ninety city employees were placed on leave after the Post reported the double-dipping scheme on Monday. "We have no tolerance for fraud or malfeasance in our government," Gray said.

Beginning by highlighting the District's $240 million budget surplus left over from fiscal 2011, Gray took credit for an improving economy that added 9,500 jobs to the city last year and that, he said, should create another 45,000 by 2015. The District's unemployment rate was 10.4 percent at the end of 2011, down from a peak of 11.2 last September, but still high. And though the joblessness rate is trending downward, Gray said he would like to see future economic growth be more equitable.

"While all of this economic growth is good for the city, some of our fellow Washingtonians have not yet benefitted from the economic turnaround," he said.

To continue lifting itself up, Gray said, the District must focus less on the federal government and "ad hoc and reactive" real estate development. Instead, the mayor would like to focus on long-awaited developments, especially those east of the Anacostia River, that would boost the private sector.

Gray spoke at length of building a "new economy" for the District, a platform that includes a "cradle to career" educational path for the city's youths. Having reached universal pre-kindergarten availability for 3- and 4-year-olds, Gray said the next focus area should be expanding D.C. Public Schools' capacity for early-childhood education. He also boldly embraced charter schools, calling himself a "huge supporter" of such facilities. The mayor's education-to-workforce program continued with school construction and greater investment in vocational training that adapts to 21st-century industries.

Gray also talked at great length about the District's burgeoning high-tech sector, mentioning by name several homegrown companies that have emerged in recent years, perhaps most notably LivingSocial. He also said he'd like to bring more established tech companies to new business districts like the St. Elizabeth's Hospital campus in Congress Heights. Though Gray did not mention the software giant by name, Microsoft announced last month it is opening an "Innovation Center" at the site.

While Gray received many rounds of applause in his description of the District's current economic situation and future plans, perhaps the loudest came when he bragged about last year's crime statistics. The District saw 108 homicides in 2011, an 18 percent drop from the previous year and the lowest since the early 1960s.

At time, reporters and other spectators' eyes wandered toward the several dozen firefighters in the audience. Two weeks ago, a large group of firefighters, angry about city's proposal to switch from 24-hour shifts to 12-hour rotations, staged a walkout at D.C. Fire Chief Ken Ellerbe's "State of the Department" speech. Last night there was no walkout, but while others applauded the mayor, the firefighters remained still.

After the speech, several members of the D.C. Council DCist spoke with praised Gray's acknowledgment of first-year scandals, while some also pointed to portions of the speech that touched on their favored issues. Jack Evans (D-Ward 2) said a proposed commission on business regulatory reform was a strong proposal.

"I think it's a great idea," he said. "Taxes and fees are too high on businesses. I think it'll address some issues."

Councilmember Tommy Wells (D-Ward 6) was also quick to offer effusive words for Gray's fiscal stewardship. "He has been the best leader of all of us on financial management," Wells said.

Pedro Ribeiro, a spokesman for the mayor, said that an outside speechwriter was brought in to help compose the address and was paid just under $5,000 out of the mayor's office's budget.

Read the full State of the District address. Sorry, we got it in ALL CAPS, too:
State of the District 2012

Contact the author of this article or email tips@dcist.com with further questions, comments or tips.

By Benjamin R. Freed in News on February 8, 2012 10:30 AM 0 Comments

Comments [rss]

D_Rez

I think an interesting game might be "let's find parts of this speech which couldn't have been part of a state of the district speech in 2008, 2009, 2010, or 2011. "

BrandName

As a small business owner in the district... I applaud the recognition that the regulatory, tax and fee structure is crippling, but I doubt shit will be done about it.

Vance Grey

GOOD EVENING REVEREND NUTBALL?

Samuel A. Moore

"Gigabyte City"

wizzyliz

He forgot to mention unicorns. Yay Unicorns!

PedanticMFr

Gay Unicorns?

DCTransplant

I do like unicorn tears.

Ollie Pooeater

DC will never be the "Silicon Valley of the East Coast". For one thing, that's an idea that's 10-15 years too late. Second, we'd be competing with Boston, Research Triangle, Poughkeepsie, (if you want to include the Midwest Chicago, Austin, Denver), etc., not to mention the I-270 corridor and the Dulles Greenway for companies. We have crap for local technical research incubation beyond Genetics companies; the local universities are shit for computer/electronics tech and genetics/pharma are a long slow burn for regulatory approval. Thirdly, tech isn't leaving silicon valley to "onshore" in DC. It's leaving for India, China and the rest of SE Asia. Fourth, land is too expensive.

What a bunch of empty headed, rhetorical bullshit, Mayor Gray. I'm glad you paid someone $5k to recycle 15 year old stump speeches.

Shiba Fussa

You forget to mention the ANC's objection to any new business that might promote growth

Ollie Pooeater

Can you imagine trying to open a technology campus next to Big Bear coffee? You'd want to slit your wrists.

scooterj2003

The term "Silicon Valley of the East Coast" is empty headed rhetoric anyway... so let's just get that out of the way shall we? You know, since we're calling out people for using empty headed rhetorical statements.

Nevertheless, this region is a HUGE hub for high-tech jobs (top 10 in the country by most measures, top 5 by some measures). I applaud the mayor for wanting to bring some of these jobs into the District instead of concentrating them in the Tysons/Dulles ~~wasteland~~ corridor.

Also I somehow doubt that we're competing with Austin, Denver and Chicago to be the Silicon Valley of the East Coast.

Ollie Pooeater

Actually every tech center is competing with Silicon Valley, which is why everyone's the "Silicon Valley of ________". And there is and will be very little "tech" hiring in any of the "__________" locations much less Silicon Valley Itself. The electronics industry is in a massive consolidation and constriction.

It's a zero sum game in electronics at this point as the industry is rapidly shrinking. Most if not all of the high cost talent is being replaced with lower cost talent off shore. DC isn't going to get a piece of that. Any work that's left in the US is being fought over by the few remaining design centers left in the US. It's a fierce battle and simply don't see DC incubating an R&D metropolis under these conditions.

This region being a "huge" hub is subject to semantics and is being measured by journalists who think Word is a high tech skill. When you start diving into what a "high tech" employee really is and where the actual root of innovation is, there is nothing in DC beyond Genetics. Being an "HVAC" engineer is not "high tech". Even the proposed Microsoft campus is nothing other than a glorified regional sales and support office for existing MS products. There's no R&D going on there that won't disappear the second the rest of the economy recovers and the latest round of federal database upgrades are completed. It's at best personalization of existing technology for the feds who don't have the talent to personalize it themselves. Furthermore, the Top 5 is almost assuredly based on companies in VA, not in DC so it's worthless to our tax base.

Can you name any high tech company that has anything other than a headquarters here? Living social (if that counts as technology, as opposed to what it actually is --an advertising firm) but they're at best an also-ran in a crowded field.

scooterj2003

How would you define the "actual root of innovation"? Where VC money flows? How many startups are in the region? How many patent applications come out of the region? All that data is available online for you to peruse. Seems like a lot better comparison than what's happening in the "electronics industry".

All I am saying is that Gray should try to court high-tech companies to DC. Namely startups. That's what the mayors of San Francisco and other cities in Silicon Valley have been saying in their annual addresses for many years now. It not only creates a healthy tax base but also creates a healthy and creative cultural economy. I don't know why you would use the rationale that DC has very few high tech companies as an excuse for not recommending that more high tech companies locate here.

mensan98th

Pedro Ribeiro, a spokesman for the mayor, said that an outside speechwriter was brought in to help compose the address and was paid just under $5,000 out of the mayor's office's budget.

This is just a cover; we're dedicated to a higher purpose. We're fighters for truth, justice, and the American way.

Dread_Pirate_Roberts

AAAAAAAAwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww YAY GRAY! (said in the style of "Awwwwwwwwwwwwwww FREAK OUT!)

DCTransplant

Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger

http://www.warhw.com/wp-conten...

Guest

And Uncut.

Newhce

""We have no tolerance for fraud or malfeasance in our government," Gray said.

Go to hell.

dcissound

Too bad no one stood up to yell "LIAR". It would have actually been appropriate that time.

wizzyliz

Where do you think you are ... South Carolina?

Shiba Fussa

No, Ward 8!

monkeyrotica

He's already Mayor of DC. Where else is he going to go?

Guest

http://imgc.allpostersimages.c...

ADrauglis

Getting stronger, and stronger! Yes! But it still needs more blood! Blah!

Shiba Fussa

apparently he got a double dose of Platelet Rich Fibrin

monkeyrotica

Police released this artist's sketch of what a strong and getting stronger mayor might look like.

http://img2-1.timeinc.net/ew/d...

Guest

In that picture he looks like he is about to belt out Climb Ev'ry Mountain (from the Sound of Music).

♫ Climb every mountain
Ford every stream
Follow every rainbow
Till you find your dream ♫