1. Gray Remains…: Let’s be honest: it’s amazing that Mayor Vince Gray is still in office, especially after a disastrous July in which U.S. Attorney for D.C. Ron Machen publicly uncovered the $653,000 shadow campaign that helped Gray win the 2010 mayoral election. But despite the revelations, the three campaign associates that have so far pleaded guilty to a number of crimes and demands for his resignation from three members of the D.C. Council (and plenty of the city’s residents), Gray remains the city’s chief executive. Machen’s investigation hasn’t yet wrapped up, though, so it remains to be seen how far into 2013 and beyond Gray might last.

2. …while Brown Resigns: Gray may have survived the year, but D.C. Council Chair Kwame Brown didn’t. In June, Brown resigned from office after being charged with lying on applications for two personal bank loans. (It’s a family problem, it seems: Kwame’s brother was similarly charged with bank fraud in December.) What made Brown’s fall from grace that much more spectacular is that it had nothing to do with allegations of massive campaign finance violations in 2008, much less his ill-advised demand for a fully-loaded luxury SUV upon assuming the council’s top spot in 2011. (According to David Simon, creator of The Wire, Brown was unfairly felled by a “head shot.”) And while Brown largely escaped jail time—he was held for a single day—he will be confined to his home into next year, where he could well plot a comeback to D.C. politics.

3. Thomas Also Goes: We certainly can’t forget that the inglorious year in D.C. politics was kick-started by Harry Thomas, Jr., the disgraced former Ward 5 councilmember who in January pleaded guilty to stealing $350,000 in city funds and resigned his seat. Thomas is now serving a 38-month sentence in a federal prison in Alabama, and upon his return will be hard-pressed to find himself a good job: he has to pay back over $600,000 to the D.C. and federal governments, after all. (The feds have already sold some of his assets to recover those funds, which include unpaid taxes.) All told, it wasn’t a good time for Ward 5: around the same time that Thomas went down, an ANC commissioner similarly pleaded guilty to stealing city funds.

4. The Rise of Mendo: Brown’s resignation may have been sudden, but so too was the ascendancy of Phil Mendelson, who was selected by his colleagues and then the city’s voters to lead the legislature. Mendelson, long known as a no-frills politician (fully-loaded SUV? How about a Ford Focus?) and policy wonk, now has the pleasure (or is it punishment?) of trying to herd cats bring comity and confidence back to a council that has sorely lacked it throughout the year.

5. Orange is the Best…or Is He?: During the same June session that Mendelson was chosen to succeed Brown, Councilmember Vincent Orange (D-At Large) waged an epic, and wholly unforgettable, battle to claim a ceremonial title. With no one but Councilmember Marion Barry (D-Ward 8) on his side, Orange repeatedly proclaiming, “I’m the best!” His colleagues disagreed, and the producers over at The Kojo Nnamdi Show mashed up his speech to the tune of the Karate Kid soundtrack.

6. Grosso Defeats Brown: Incumbents long seemed unbeatable in D.C. Until David Grosso came along and unseated Councilmember Michael Brown (I-At Large) in November, that is. Grosso, a former council staffer and health care lawyer, out-campaigned Brown, a likable politician who was dogged by personal financial transgressions and a lackluster campaign that fell victim to a theft of $113,000 from his campaign coffers. Brown, though, may make a comeback: he’s hinted that he may run in the At-Large special election currently scheduled for April 23.

7. McDuffie Wins, and Moves Up Fast: After Thomas’ resignation, Kenyan McDuffie handily won a May special election to represent Ward 5 on the council. Since then, the former U.S. prosecutor has quietly but competently represented his constituents, demanding action to stop flooding in Bloomingdale and trying to stop his ward from being the “dumping ground” for things that no one else wants. His work seems to have paid off: earlier this month Mendelson chose him over his senior colleagues to serve as the council’s ceremonial second-in-command.

8. Barry Promotes Racial Harmony: Oh, wait: no he didn’t. After easily winning a Democratic primary in April, Barry buried himself in controversy by criticizing Asian-owned “dirty shops” in his ward. (It certainly wasn’t the first time he offended someone.) He eventually apologized for the slur, but in the process offended Polish Americans and later Filipino Americans. In more positive news, Barry remained one of the best local pols on Twitter (who else tweets pictures of themselves in a hospital gown?), and he’s said that he’s working on a 22-chapter autobiography.

9. Valentine’s Day, D.C. Council-Style: How are working relations on the D.C. Council? Well, they could probably be better. During a Valentine’s Day retreat, Councilmember David Catania (I-At Large) and Barry had it out, with Catania calling the mayor-for-life a “despicable human” and “full of shit.” The incident provoked the council into passing an anti-cussing rule, but it hasn’t eased long-standing tensions between Catania and Barry: earlier this month, Catania called Barry a “long bankrupt servant.”

10. The Lottery Contract That Keeps on Giving: It’s been five years since the D.C. Lottery contract was awarded, but scandal still swirls around how exactly it was awarded. Federal investigators are looking into the messy procurement process, and an ongoing lawsuit filed by a former D.C. official involved with awarding the lottery contract has hinted at misdeeds by everyone from Councilmember Jim Graham (D-Ward 1) to CFO Natwar Gandhi. How bad could it get next year? The Post’s Colby King predicted this weekend that Gandhi and a councilmember from east of Rock Creek Park would go in 2013.

11. Mayoral Maybes: As Gray floundered earlier this year, the chatter as to who could run to succeed him—whether in a special election or in 2014—was quite loud. So far, three members of the D.C. Council are cited as possible contenders: Jack Evans (D-Ward 2), Muriel Bowser (D-Ward 4) and Tommy Wells (D-Ward 6). With the primary set for April 2014, expect some concrete announcements soon. (In Ward 1, Graham already has a challenger for 2014.)

12. Another Election: With Mendelson having risen to top dog in the council, a special election has been set for April 23 to fill his empty At-Large seat. So far, some 13 hopefuls have picked up nominating petitions, from former At-Large contender Pat Mara to ex-journalist Elissa Silverman. Also to be voted on come April 23: a referendum on expanded budget autonomy.

And So Much More: Pete Ross spends $200,000 of his own money in campaign for unpaid position, and loses … Libertarian Party loses election, but wins status … Uber proves to be a lobbying force … Wells and Cheh wowed by Google’s self-driving car … Ken Cuccinelli claims that D.C. looking to relocate rats to Virginia.