Former Mayor Marion Barry, released from prison in April after serving a six-month sentence for cocaine possession, is preparing to run for the Washington City Council, according to a published report.

The Washington Post reported in Wednesday's editions that Barry will seek a council seat from Ward 8 in southeast Washington, the District of Columbia's poorest area.In letter to the ward's 8,500 voters, Barry pledged a "visionary, high energy, solution-oriented, spiritual crusade" for the council seat, the newspaper said.

Barry, 56, is expected to challenge incumbent Democrat Wilhelmina Rolark, who has received endorsements from Mayor Sharon Pratt Kelly, Council Chairman John A. Wilson and D.C. Police Chief Isaac Fulwood Jr.

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To get on the ballot, Barry must collect 212 signatures from registered voters by July 8.

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