Following car crash, Marion Barry faces new round of scrutiny

WASHINGTON — Former District of Columbia Mayor and current Council member Marion Barry has been released from the hospital, only to face new ethics questions.

Barry, who is diabetic, suffered a hypoglycemic attack on Saturday. He became disoriented at the wheel and collided with another car.

A police report, obtained by WTOP, reveals Barry’s vehicle registration was expired and he did not have proof of insurance for the vehicle, a 2002 Jaguar.

His office didn’t comment on the report.

The two cars collided head-on in the 2900 block of Pennsylvania Avenue Southeast. Barry was treated for having low blood sugar. The other driver complained of pain in her neck and head.

Barry was cited for driving on the wrong side of the street.

But as the week begins, Barry faces new struggles. Washington City Paper columnist Will Sommer wrote about documents suggesting Barry’s council aid, LaToya Foster, spent government time working on his autobiography, “Mayor for Life.” That would appear to violate ethics rules on the Council.

Sommer writes that Foster’s calendar indicates she spent 61 hours in meetings for her boss’s book.

Reached by phone Monday morning, Foster said she had nothing to say about the column or the suggestion she used taxpayer time to work on the memoir.

On Monday, a Washington Post editorial called for the D.C. Board of Ethics and Government Accountability to investigate.

“Barry has long considered himself immune to the rules that guide the actions of public officials,” the board wrote.

Barry followed by posting some pointed tweets late Monday morning.

Barry is looking for a volunteer to drive him around town, Foster told WTOP on Monday evening. It’s unclear if the driver would be permanent or temporary.

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