D.C. Council member Vincent C. Gray (D-Ward 7) experienced another stroke in late April and has since remained in inpatient physical therapy, according to his office. The council member and former mayor is not seeking reelection after a previous stroke in December 2021 led to ongoing health challenges.
Gray had not publicly disclosed the stroke in April, though his social media account had said in a May 7 post that he could not attend a council meeting that day because he was undergoing inpatient physical therapy.
“I have never sought to hide anything from the public, but at the same time my health is a private matter provided that it doesn’t interfere with my public duties,” Gray, who has said his health challenges have not impeded his work as a council member, told The Washington Post in an email provided by Thies.
In an email, Thies described the health episode as a “recent, minor stroke” and said his recovery is proceeding.
“He is undergoing daily physical therapy and, at the same time, working on Ward 7 and Council business,” Thies said. He said Gray’s cognitive abilities “are unaffected by this stroke or the one he experienced in 2021.” “For many months, Councilmember Gray has been working to improve his mobility,” Thies said. “His stroke is a setback in that regard, but there are no additional effects for which he is receiving treatment or physical therapy.”
Gray has been open about attending physical and speech therapy related to the 2021 stroke, and he has periodically had to miss some council business for his recovery regimen. But a post on X on Friday morning from D.C. Council Chairman Phil Mendelson (D) prompted more questions about Gray’s health.
“I’ve heard that Councilmember @VinceGrayWard7 has had another health setback in recent days,” Mendelson wrote, an unusual post considering Gray had not said more about his health since the May 7 post. “I wish him a speedy recovery as he works his way back to important work with the Council and representing Ward 7.”
Gray was displeased. “He didn’t make any effort to reach out to me before tweeting,” Gray said in the email to The Post. “I appreciate his well-wishes, but they would have been best delivered on a more personal level.”
Mendelson did not immediately respond to requests for comment Friday; his staff noted he was in consecutive meetings.
After Mendelson’s tweet, The Post learned from a person close to Gray about the April stroke and sent questions to Gray, who insisted he had been transparent by publicly noting his inpatient therapy on May 7.
“When in-patient physical therapy prevented me from participating in a meeting of the whole Council, my office issued a public statement. As well, we directly notified the Chairman in advance of the meeting,” Gray said, noting he has been “frank and forthright about the stroke I experienced in late 2021.”
Thies said Gray is expected to be discharged from inpatient therapy in time for a Sunday commencement ceremony at his alma mater, George Washington University, where he will receive an honorary doctorate in public service.
Gray announced last December that he would not seek reelection but intended to finish the remainder of his term through January 2025. Ten candidates are vying for the Democratic nomination to replace Gray in the upcoming June 4 primary. On Friday, Gray endorsed Wendell Felder, chairman of his local Advisory Neighborhood Commission and former Ward 7 Democrats chairman, in the election.
Gray, known for serving as Ward 7 council member, chairman of the council and one term as mayor, began a robust recovery plan after his 2021 stroke. But he experienced a setback in August 2022 when he ruptured his Achilles’ tendon, and another setback after a fall at home in October.
Since those health episodes, Gray has generally been less visible in the ward, though his office has said it hired extra staff to ensure attendance at more community events. While his staff has said it is not indicative of a cognitive issue, the stroke also created difficulties for Gray’s speech, and he is usually heard at council meetings voting yes or no on bills though not vocally debating. But he has said he remains engaged and continues to respond to colleagues and constituents in writing, and insisted when asked by The Post late last year how the health challenges have impacted his work, that they have not.
Mendelson drew Gray’s ire, however, when he removed Gray as chairman of the health committee in January 2023 and instead made him chairman of a new committee on hospitals and health equity. Gray filed an equal-opportunity complaint against the council, arguing that Mendelson was blatantly discriminating against him based on his health — an episode Gray alluded to in his statement to The Post, arguing his abilities had been “mispresented.”
Thies said the case is ongoing and that there has not been a resolution.
