D.C. Council member Vincent Gray to retire in 2024

D.C. Council member Vincent Gray said Wednesday that he won’t seek reelection in 2024.

Mr. Gray, 81, previously served as D.C.’s mayor from 2011-15 and was the D.C. Council’s chairman from 2007-11.

“Much work remains to be done, as does the task of ensuring continued progress on many fronts. My final year in office will be no different than any other; every day I will put my shoulder to the stone and serve the people who sent me here,” Mr. Gray said in a statement.

The lifelong Democrat has been the Ward 7 representative on the council since 2017, after he defeated protegé Yvette Alexander in the 2016 Democratic primary. His current term will end in January 2025.

“It has been one of the great honors of my life to serve District of Columbia residents as Ward 7 council member, council chair and mayor. With determination and by working together, we achieved what we set out to accomplish, overcame great challenges and, most importantly, uplifted people from all walks of life,” Mr. Gray said.

Mr. Gray’s health declined after he suffered a stroke in December 2021. He told The Washington Post that the incident limited his ability to engage in council debates. 

Six people have filed paperwork to run in next fall’s election — Advisory Neighborhood Commissioner (ANC) Ebbon Allen; ANC Commissioner Earl Brown; Ward 7 Democrats Chair Wendell Felder; ANC Commissioner Ebony Payne; civic leader Veda Rasheed; and D.C. State Board of Education President Eboni-Rose Thompson.