In an Examiner column yesterday, writer Harry Jaffe made quite the claim about Mayor Vince Gray’s intentions for “One City“:

I suspect that “One City” really means Gray intends to move more services and government offices east of the Anacostia River, to Gray’s home turf, at the expense of the city’s white, western wards. There’s talk, for example, that Gray might close the Department of Motor Vehicles office in Georgetown, so residents living west of Rock Creek would have to renew their licenses and handle other chores downtown or at Penn Branch, east of the Anacostia. So — one city based in Ward 7? If “One City” is code for moving even more services east of the Anacostia, just say so.

Beyond the not-so-subtle racial undertones of Jaffe’s claims, there’s a problem — the Georgetown DMV isn’t being closed because of Gray, much less will all of its users be sent across town to get a license or update their registration.

Yes, the Georgetown DMV service branch may well close down in the future, but it’s mostly because the mall it’s located in, the Shops at Georgetown Park, will soon undergo a massive redevelopment that’s been in the works since before Gray became mayor. Moreover, that alone doesn’t mean that the DMV will be kicked out for good — according to NBC4, the Department’s lease runs through 2014, so there’s a chance it could return after any work is completed.

According to DMV spokesperson Sylvia Ballinger, the agency is well-aware that they may eventually be kicked out of the mall. But once that happens, there are no set plans to permanently send all of the service center’s users across town.

“We do know there are plans in place for extensive redevelopment at Georgetown Park Mall. DMV has no plans to consolidate our operations at Georgetown with an existing DMV Service Center. When the time comes to move out of the mall, we will relocate the service center to another location,” she told us.

For example, in 2009, the Brentwood Service Center closed, leaving behind three locations where normal drivers can get a license, renew their registration and do a number of other things. DMV officials are also increasingly pushing residents to do as much as possible online.

In short: Jaffe may be right about the DMV location closing, but it’s not because it’s part of an evil “One City” plan hatched by Gray, as he implied.