Should urbanists be nervous about Vince Gray? Part 2: Getting things done

One thing that’s evident from talking to Chairman Gray is that he’s one of the smartest people in the room. He really knows most areas of DC policy inside and out. For me, who thinks about policy a lot, that’s a big plus.

But would Gray also get things done? That’s a question on my and many other people’s minds.

After speaking with Gray and his campaign manager, Adam Rubinson, I have become far less nervous about this issue than I was at the outset. There’s no way to be sure, of course. I can only tell you what he said during our discussion and how it fits with his actions in the past.

One of my first and most significant interactions with Gray was at an oversight hearing on the Office of Planning in 2009. They had just finished about 9 months of public meetings on many aspects of the zoning code. They had conducted around 60 public meetings by this time.

However, members of the Committee of 100 and the Federation of Citizens Associations testified that this process was an out of control freight train and had to be restrained. They said they weren’t happy with the process, but I argued at the time that the real complaint seemed to be one of outcomes. They simply didn’t like the decisions OP was making.

Gray listened thoughtfully to everyone, and then said in effect, it sounds like there have been plenty of public meetings and you’ve all had plenty of chances to voice your opinions. It sounds like there is not unanimity of agreement on which route to take. Therefore, we should let OP continue doing what they’re doing.

Likewise, when the Brookland Small Area Plan came up, Gray asked similar questions. Did you have ample opportunity to voice your opinions? Yes? Then let’s move forward.

Letting OP go ahead versus actually being the guy pushing OP to make progress are two different things, of course. Would he just not stand in the way of progress or actively push it forward? Would he really lean on people to accomplish things or be satisfied with a slow crawling pace? Would he keep pushing even if many people get upset?

Gray assured me that he would get them done and wants to get them done. That he’s not afraid to make a few enemies along the way.

Also, the role of a Mayor and that of a Council chair are different. The Mayor’s job is to do things. The Council’s job is to review things and set high-level policy. There will be substantial pressure on a Mayor Gray to get things done.

We do know that Fenty does get them done, but sometimes Gray’s critique is right. Sometimes the Fenty administration is so intent on getting things done that it doesn’t bother to listen to anyone along the way.

The Office of Planning doesn’t skip the public involvement. Yes, zoning is a slower process, but I believe speed doesn’t need. For all the charges that the streetcar lacks planning, Scott Kubly is actually doing a first-rate amount of communicating. The criticisms from the Committee of 100 and Phil Mendelson seem to mirror those for the OP process &mdash: people who actually just don’t like the outcome, with critiques of planning and process a red herring.

But not every DDOT project leader does as much communication as Kubly has been. DMPED doesn’t for many projects. Other agencies are very mixed. Perhaps a Mayor who believes strongly in public involvement would improve that process, but still maintain nearly all if not all of the momentum. Or maybe not. Ultimately, we have to make a judgment call.

Next: What happened with the streetcars?