The Examiner has a story this morning that accuses the deputy mayor for planning and economic development, Neil Albert, of a potential conflict of interest in lobbying the District to give a $57 million contract to EdBuild, the company he founded in 2005. The school board is scheduled to vote on EdBuild’s contract today.

Albert told The Examiner that he sat down with Council Chair Vincent Gray and Deputy Mayor for Education Victor Reinoso, and that EdBuild’s contract was “one of several issues” discussed at a meeting in Gray’s office earlier this month.

The council must ratify any contract worth more than $1 million.

Albert said there was “absolutely no conflict” in his urging Gray to support EdBuild. He no longer has a stake in the company, Albert said.

“I’m actually very proud of the work that EdBuild has done and will continue to do in this city,” he said. “Their work speaks for itself.”

The article then goes on to detail some skepticism about EdBuild, a nonprofit organization created to help renovate school facilities in the District of Columbia, including the high contracting rate the non-profit would charge (9 percent) for school renovations and the fact that they haven’t raised very much money since they launched.

The tone of the piece tries to suggest something Halliburton-esque under the surface of the contract granting process that’s beginning now that Mayor Fenty’s school takeover plan looks to be all but in place — but what do you think? Does it bother you that Albert is promoting EdBuild with the Council? On the one hand, even from the outset EdBuild drew criticism for being created “behind closed doors” by city government insiders. But on the other, this is a small city with an even smaller community of skilled local government leaders. Should we really bar officials from working with the organizations they know best through their positions with the city, as long as they no longer have financial ties to them?