Vincent Gray delivered a State of the Ward speech on the same day that Mayor Muriel Bowser defended her 2018 budget to the D.C. Council. (Photo by Cuneyt Dil)

After a long Thursday of needling Mayor Muriel Bowser over her $13.8 billion budget proposal at the D.C. Council, Vincent Gray returned to home turf to tell Ward 7 how he would spend the city’s money.

In the morning, he sat across from the mayor in the council chamber at a budget presentation, questioning why more funds weren’t set aside for a new hospital east of the Anacostia River. That evening, Gray gave what was billed as a “State of Ward 7 Address,” where his criticisms of the mayor translated into easy applause lines.

“Is there evidence in this budget that will lead to construction of a new hospital on the east end?” Gray said. He would later say that the answer “is a resounding no.”

Bowser has put $180 million in the capital budget to improve or replace the aging United Medical Center in Southeast, though both leaders said they know that isn’t enough money to fully fund the project.

“You’d be lucky to build a hospital out of lego blocks,” Gray said of the spending plan, in a tense back-and-forth at the dais. She responded that her administration was committed, but that it’s a “complicated”, long-running project.

Gray is now reaching 100 days in his latest term as councilmember, and at 74-years-old he maintains he’s still the same late night “workaholic.” It won’t be long before the former mayor will have to officially decide whether he wants a rematch with Bowser, who beat Gray in the 2014 Democratic mayoral primary.

So is he planning to run?

Steven Young, pastor at House of Prayers and a Gray supporter “through thick and thin,” thinks it’s easy to tell. “I know he is, everybody in this room knows. Can’t you just smell it in this room?”

Gray again said he doesn’t rule out anything for the future. “I certainly loved the job as mayor,” he said after his speech Thursday.

Running citywide remains a challenging prospect for Gray, who is known to enter election races late on. Though Gray was ultimately not charged after a nearly five-year shadow campaign investigation, the controversy may continue to haunt the former mayor on the campaign trail.

Most of all, he’ll have to convince the District that change is required in city hall, after a Bowser administration that’s steadily managed a booming city with relatively few political scandals. There’s also likely to be other entries into the race; Attorney General Karl Racine and Ward 5’s Kenyan McDuffie are frequently mentioned as possible competitors.

Gray made public safety a key point during his speech Thursday night, a likely campaign issue for 2018. He rang alarm bells about attrition in the Metropolitan Police Department, saying he wants a force of at least 4,200 for the city.

“My last count had us below 3,800,” he said.

Another necessity for Gray will be to prove he didn’t just seek his Ward 7 seat on the D.C. Council as a stepping stone for a mayoral bid. Sherice Muhammad said she wants results for her ward.

“I was hoping to see more vision,” Muhammad, an Advisory Neighborhood Commissioner, said of Gray’s speech. “If he can make considerable strides in Ward 7, he might be able to convince the city [he can be mayor again],” she added.

One thing going for Gray: he won’t have to give up his council seat if he decides to get into the 2018 contest. By running for mayor midway through his council term, he has little to risk.

Much of Gray’s 30-minute speech focused on recent legislation he’s introduced on the council. Staffers passed out 30-page glossy “Ward 7 Action Plan” booklets, parts of which talk up Gray’s time as mayor. Afterward, he spoke with residents for around an hour, some of whom wanted hugs or had constituent service requests.

Bernardyne Williams, 68, says she thinks Gray will take a shot for the mayoralty and that she’d consider voting for him. A Ward 7 native, Williams wants the area to see more economic development. “We’ve been forgotten for awhile,” she says.

That echoes the concerns of Clyde Thompson, 33, who is indifferent on the political questions surrounding Gray. He came out Thursday night to hear what might be done to bring more services to Ward 7 neighborhoods. He lists a lack of offerings like sit-down dining joints, grocery stores, and even basic amenities like dog parks.

“Things so taken for granted west of the river, we don’t even have,” says Thompson.