Photo by Kyle Gustafson

Councilmember Marion Barry (D-Ward 8) could be in violation of the D.C. Council’s ethics rules over his acceptance last year of gifts from two city contractors. The Washington Post reports that on the financial disclosure statement he filed last month, Barry listed gifts worth $2,800 from Forney Enterprises Inc. and $4,800 from F&L Construction, though he did not elaborate on the nature of the gifts.

Both firms have received multiple contracts from the District government on a variety of projects, including schools, parks, and Nationals Park. Members of the D.C. Council are prohibited from accepting gifts worth more than $20 from companies with business ties to the city government.

According to the Post, at least one of the gifts Barry received was of a personal nature:

Keith Forney, the owner of Forney Enterprises, said he did not remember the precise nature of the gift but recalled it pertained to a personal expense.

“I think I paid something for him, might have been a bill or something for him at the time,” he said. “He was running a little low on something, and he supported me a long time ago. Nothing more than that.”

Both companies also donated to Barry’s most recent re-election effort. F&L Construction gave Barry’s 2012 campaign $1,000, while Forney Enterprises donated $500. Keith Forney gave another $500 as an individual contributor.

Barry told the Post that the gifts listed on his disclosure form were “loans,” but declined to comment on them any further. Still, Forney Enterprises was awarded more public money just Tuesday, when the Council approved payments of $4.6 million on two Ward 8 school projects.