Will Vince Gray be the second coming of Marion Barry, or will he continue the progress started under the District’s two most recent mayors? Will he allow the city to be run by the good ole boys clubs of the past, or follow through with his promises for One City? These questions have a lot of Washingtonians nervous and looking for signs regarding what sort of mayor Gray will become.

Now he has a chance to put campaign rhetoric aside and stake out a meaningful position.

The Committee of 100, one of the old school groups that gathered neighborhood power decades ago and has become generally dedicated to opposing change, has sent a letter to Gray demanding that he fire the two strongest proponents of progressive urbanism from Fenty’s administration: DDOT director Gabe Klein and Planning director Harriet Tregoning. If Gray follows through, it will be a strong signal that he intends to move backwards on transportation and planning issues, and that urbanist’s fears from the election were correct. If Gray keeps Klein and Tregoning, it will be an equally strong signal that he will continue the sort of reforms that made Fenty initially popular, and which most District residents still favor.

Greater Greater Washington has prepared a letter calling for Gray to keep Klein and Tregoning, which you can sign on to as a petition. If you care about the future of the District of Columbia, please do so.