Today’s Event: Send me your tired, your poor… your fired government employees? A Vincent Gray campaign consultant tries to orchestrate a mass e-mail soliciting for terminated bureaucrats to share their stories with the campaign. E-mail confirms worst fear among electorate—that Gray will turn the city into one long series of arbitration hearings for fired teachers and every other agency worker who received an Adrian Fenty-authorized pink slip. He will also go light on workers who screw up in his administration.

Influence: Moderate. The nightmare scenario of Gray reaching back and rehiring that DMV worker with terrible people skills is nonsense. But serious legislators don’t step into the murky swamp of trial-board hearings and EEOC filings. Gray’s alleged interest suggests he’s willing to misuse his wonky powers to reinstate every worker who claims they weren’t fired in accordance with intricate union bylaws. Gray should focus on the bigger issues like the homeless family crisis, the unemployment rate, and Metro safety. There are also enough agency heads currently working that should be fired. What about them?

Net impact: Still leaning Fenty.

But: I know of one case involving two firefighters turned whistleblowers that demands attention.