Georgetown University’s Newspaper of Record since 1920

The Hoya

Georgetown University’s Newspaper of Record since 1920

The Hoya

Georgetown University’s Newspaper of Record since 1920

The Hoya

Professors Join Gray’s Team

Just days after handily winning the D.C. mayoral election, Vincent Gray named a group of advisers to help him through the transition period before his inauguration. And at least four members of the team have ties to Georgetown.

Gray won the general mayoral election on Nov. 2, after defeating incumbent mayor Adrian Fenty in the Democratic Primary in September. Gray will be inaugurated on Jan. 2.

Two of the advisers will come from the Law Center, according to the Georgetown Dish, a neighborhood blog. Robert Spagnoletti (LAW ’87), a former adjunct professor and D.C. lawyer, will concentrate on law and public safety, and Peter Edelman, a Georgetown law professor, will advise Gray on health and human services.

Individuals from the main campus also have a hand in the transition process. Alice Rivlin, a fiscal policy expert and visiting professor at the Georgetown Public Policy Institute, will work on budgetary issues. Maria Gomez (NHS ’77), who runs a citywide network of nonprofit health clinics, will partner with Edelman on health and human service issues.

Not all of Gray’s first week has been smooth, however. On election night, he lost almost a quarter of the mayoral vote to Fenty in a write-in campaign. Fenty did not actually support the write-in campaign, but members of his staff aided volunteers.

Gray has also drawn controversy because of his seeming support of organizations and people who owe back taxes. He held his election-night victory party at Love, a nightclub in northeast D.C. that owes the city around $860,000 in taxes, and selected Reuben Charles, a fundraiser for Gray who owes the state of Illinois more than $200,000, to head his transition team.

Over the weekend, Gray was also heavily criticized for missing the funeral of Paul Dittamo, a police officer killed in an on-duty car crash, and instead breaking bread with Kwame Brown, the new chair of the D.C. Council. Gray said that his staff had forgotten the event.

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