LL was so busy with Jeff Thompson‘s plea deal yesterday that he didn’t get a chance to mention the return of the man who started it all: Vince Gray campaign stalking horse-turned-whistleblower Sulaimon Brown. The enigmatic Brown issued an emailed endorsement list yesterday, backing Councilmember Anita Bonds in the at-large race and Muriel Bowser for mayor.

Ditching Gray for Adrian Fenty protege Bowser is a surprise move for Brown, who passed the 2010 election haranguing Fenty and praising Gray during debates (a strategy that made a lot more sense once it was revealed that Gray supporters were paying him to do it). But Brown writes that both Bowser and Bonds will bring “a woman’s touch” to the Wilson Building.

“Most of the corruption in the city has been a result of the actions of men and all have served under Mayor Vincent Gray,” Brown writes. You can read the rest of Brown’s endorsement at the end of the post.

Bowser campaign manager Bo Shuff seemed all right with the endorsement. “We’re happy to have people who are going to vote for us,” Shuff tells LL.

But does Brown have a vote to give his new favorite candidate? Even in 2010, Brown’s residency status was up for debate, after a records search revealed him receiving a Maryland driver’s license, a claim that Brown rejects. Brown declined to comment to LL Tuesday about whether he currently lives in the District.

Sulaimon Brown’s endorsement:

On this historical day, I am endorsing Anita Bonds for At-Large City Council and Muriel Bowser forMayor. As reported by the associated press, I have given my endorsement to Muriel Bowser for Mayor of The District of Columbia because the city needs “a woman’s touch” to move the city past this corrupt administration. Most of the corruption in the city has been a result of the actions of men and all have served under Mayor Vincent Gray. He was chairman of the city council and mayor when Harry Thomas Jr., Michael A. Brown, and Kwame R. Brown misused the peoples trust and stole their money. Many of the contracting scams, from the controversial lottery contract to the 8.5 million dollar Health Care Finance contract awarded to Jeffrey E. Thompson was also under Mayor Vincent gray’s tenure as Council Chairman and Mayor. Even the homeless children in our city have been given the short end of the stick by Mayor Gray.I believe Muriel Bowser and Anita Bonds, two strong brilliant women,will provide the proper role model and woman’s touch the city needs to move foreward.

Today, Jeffrey E. Thompson will plea in federal court.
Today, respect for the rule of law will prevail and the wheels of justice will turn.

Today two brilliant women will take the lead.regards,Sulaimon Brown

Photo by Darrow Montgomery/Graphic by Brooke Hatfield