Why Is Marion Barry’s Car Registered to His Crony?
Anyone who carries on personal and political dealings with Ward 8 Councilmember Marion Barry lives under something of a cloud: Sooner or later, you’re going to be interrogated or investigated by authorities. Ex-girlfriend Donna Watts-Brighthaupt, key aide Brenda Richardson, other staffers—they all come in for some prime-time analysis in the report issued last week by attorney Bob Bennett. The light of scrutiny shines hard on the Rev. Anthony Motley, one of Barry’s closest confidants and a 2010 independent candidate for an at-large D.C. Council seat. Motley’s name surfaces in Bennett’s report in connection with those various Ward 8 “councils,” shorthand for the nonprofits that Barry helped create and to which he steered city funds. Motley told investigators that he launched the groups in order to be Barry’s “eyes and ears and legs on the ground.” Besides eyes and ears and legs, Motley’s also had a key role regarding Barry’s wheels. Unlike most other councilmembers, Barry’s ride doesn’t
