Maybe it’s an addiction. It’s hard to understand why Mayor Vincent C. Gray persists in bringing into the government his political cronies. He recently brought on Suzanne Peck, a chief fundraiser from his 2010 campaign. He said Peck would serve as a “pro bono senior advisor” to the city administrator, helping implement “One City Performance Review.” Undoubtedly, Gray’s betting Peck’s being unpaid will inoculate him against criticism.

I learned years ago the freebees can kill you.