D.C. Council member and former Mayor Vincent Gray said Thursday that he has early-stage dementia and will no longer vote “on legislation or other matters” as his term winds down.
“This is not an easy decision, but it is the right decision,” Mr. Gray, Ward 7 Democrat, said in a statement, adding that his mind “is at ease.”
The 81-year-old, who has battled health issues in recent years, announced in December that he would not seek reelection.
In June, local Advisory Neighborhood Commission Chair Wendell Felder won the Democratic primary for the council seat, making him a favorite in next month’s election against Republican candidate Noah Montgomery.
While he pledged to fulfill all other duties before leaving office in January, Mr. Gray said Thursday he did not wish to vote on issues that he “may not be able to fully consider.”
He was first elected to represent Ward 7 in 2004, serving from 2005 to 2007 and as council chair from 2007 to 2011. He served as mayor from 2011 to 2015, losing the Democratic primary to current Mayor Muriel Bowser. He had faced a nearly five-year federal corruption investigation of his 2010 mayoral campaign that ended in late 2016 with several convictions of his former associates but no charges against him.
Mr. Gray returned to the council in 2017 after he defeated his protegé, Yvette Alexander, in the 2016 primary.
In April, he was hospitalized for two days after experiencing a stroke.
• Sean Salai can be reached at ssalai@washingtontimes.com.
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