No one is ever going to accuse mayoral contender Vincent Gray of not thinking through an issue. Whether it’s his own decision to challenge Mayor Adrian Fenty or how best to approach the city’s schools, Gray is perceived as deliberate and detail-oriented.

In an informal sit-down with local bloggers at Ben’s Chili Bowl yesterday, Gray didn’t do anything to act otherwise. While taking questions on everything from schools to streetcars, Gray demonstrated an exacting knowledge of policy details, implications and implementation. He spoke of how certain city programs weren’t working, and explained how alternatives would better meet their goals. He was quick to cite legislation he had introduced or co-sponsored, and stressed the need of bringing together different groups to better address the District’s biggest challenges.

On education, Gray spoke proudly of his ambitious plan to create a comprehensive birth-through-24 system. He pledged to be more transparent and hold weekly press conferences — something Fenty has been strongly criticized for. He agreed that the District’s Summer Youth Employment Program — which “has been about a numbers game” — needed reform, as did the District’s Department of Youth and Rehabilitation Services. He promised that economic development would be one of the things he tackled in his first year, using regulatory reform to improve the “Byzantine system” currently faced by the District’s small businesses.

And yes, Gray emphasized that he was in favor of streetcars, though he did worry that not enough planning had been done before tracks were laid down on H Street NE. When asked about the budget kerfuffle which saw funding for streetcars stripped from the city’s budget and then restored, Gray admitted that “it was a misunderstanding.”

“I’m really sorry that it happened,” he added.