Councilwoman hopes for an end to corrupt elections

Councilwoman Mary Cheh encourages those who have received aide from “shadow campaigns” to come forward.

A former aide to Mayor Vincent Gray’s campaign is accused of allegedly paying a witness to get out of town and then lying about it to investigators. Vernon Hawkins is expected on Tuesday to become the latest aide of Gray to be tied to his campaign and plead guilty.

The many allegations have Cheh calling for sharper actions against former candidates, current Councilmembers, and even the mayor.

“If somebody comes into office as the beneficiary of the biggest election fraud in the history of the District of Columbia government, then holding that office is untenable. In other words, you should submit yourself to the voters again in a fair, honest election,” she says.

Cheh is one of several Councilmembers who have called for Gray to resign because of the ongoing investigation into his mayoral campaign.