Mark Segraves, wtop.com

WASHINGTON – When D.C. Mayor Vincent Gray takes off for the Democratic National Convention on Monday he’ll be going as Citizen Gray rather than Mayor Gray.

While the mayor will be representing the District and performing some official duties, such as lobbying for support of D.C. Voting rights and budget autonomy, Gray tells WTOP he’s paying for the trip out of his own pocket.

“I’m going to pay my own way because this is a political activity and I want to be there,” Gray says. “I want it to be clear I’m traveling on my own.”

Not only is Gray paying his own travel expenses, he’s using vacation leave for while he’s out of town and he’s not using government staff to facilitate his meetings while in Charlotte.

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