Councilmember Jim Graham (D-Ward 1)

Councilmember Jim Graham (D-Ward 1) won’t be joining his three colleagues that have called on Mayor Vince Gray to step down in the wake of the revelations of a $653,000 shadow campaign. At least not yet.

According to a statement put out by Graham’s office this afternoon, the Ward 1 councilmember met with Gray and asked him to provide a “formal statement” on the shadow campaign. But unlike councilmembers David Catania (I-At Large), Mary Cheh (D-Ward 3) and Muriel Bowser (D-Ward 4), Graham stayed away from any calls that Gray resign:

Today, I met with the Mayor. I restated my firm belief that he should provide a formal statement on the campaign issues in an appropriate setting with opportunity for questions. This is important for a questioning public that wants the best and most accurate information.

In my opinion, these difficult times require patience and forbearance. I have confidence in the U.S. Attorney to ferret out the truth in this matter. I want to wait for further developments before taking any other action.

I agree with Chairman Phil Mendelson that restraint is in order until such time that “the United States Attorney actually asserts that the Mayor himself has done something wrong.”

D.C. Council Chair Phil Mendelson urged patience last week, saying that a resignation would cause instability in the city when it least needed it. Councilmember Kenyan McDuffie (D-Ward 5) also asked that the process be allowed to play out, while Councilmember Michael Brown (I-At Large) said today that he didn’t think Gray should yet resign, a call similarly made by councilmembers Marion Barry (D-Ward 8) and Tommy Wells (D-Ward 6) last week.

Gray’s has said little about the shadow campaign thus far, opting only to take the advice of his lawyer and remain quiet as the federal investigation runs its course. During an interview last week, though, he insisted that he had done nothing wrong and that those seeking his resignation had a political reason to do so. A rally in support of Gray has been organized for Wednesday in front of the Wilson Building on Pennsylvania Avenue.