More Trouble For Marion Barry—What’s New?

It’s not surprising that the politician best known for appearing in an FBI surveillance video smoking crack, is once again in legal trouble. Marion Barry, a four-term District of Columbia mayor, appeared in that tape 15 years ago and later got convicted on drug charges and served jail time.

Now a city councilman in the district, Barry just pleaded guilty in federal court for failing to pay his city and federal taxes (AP article in Washington Post). He denies knowing how much money he earned between 1999 and 2004, but the government says it was around $534,000. Barry earns $92,605 a year in his council post and makes a lot more from New York-based investment firms.

Barry has a long and well-documented history of problems. His drug addiction surfaced around 1981 and his vice; crack cocaine. Around that time, he also admitted to an extramarital affair with a drug dealer and was battling a questionable emergency room incident where doctors treated him for a drug overdose.

Regardless, Barry was elected as mayor for two more terms. Makes you wonder about the folks who vote for him. The Middle America Chronicle says Barry is a joke, and so are the District voters who have put him back in public office (including another term as mayor) three times since his release from jail.