Washington ( CNN ) -- Sitting in an office with political memorabilia on the walls , former Washington Mayor Marion Barry reflects on the bad moments -- drug possession , jail , and tax evasion -- and notes that he has moved on . Barry is in many ways after a 40-year public career the prototype for political disgrace and political resurrection . `` I did n't run to be pope , I ran to be mayor , '' said the usually blunt Barry , who rejected any suggestion that his most notable fall from power two decades ago was a scandal . `` Everybody in life has something that they get knocked down on , '' Barry told CNN . `` The object lesson here is not that you get knocked down , it is that you get up . '' A recent poll showed that the veteran of the Civil Rights movement who was first elected to public office in the 1970s and currently holds down a City Council seat , is now the most popular local politician in the District of Columbia . Rebounding from setbacks that might have crushed others professionally , the Ward 8 representative has become an expert in political recovery . Scandals erode trust and polls show the public is wary following a string of high profile embarrassments . Last year alone in Washington , House members Chris Lee , David Wu and Anthony Weiner all left office amid scandal . Closer to home , Washington 's City Council Chairman Kwame Brown became the second embattled member of the panel to resign this year . Washington Mayor Vincent Gray 's victorious 2010 campaign also is under an investigative cloud . What would Marion do ? While it may be surprising , a politician looking to bounce back might ask : What would Marion do ? When asked what recommendation he would offer politicians in trouble , Barry allowed a chuckle . Reflecting on his experiences , Barry highlights courage , resilience and appreciation . `` When there is adversity around you , whatever kind it is , you can not let it interfere with your work , you can not let it give up your trust of the people and you ca n't let yourself look like you are just down and out , '' Barry , 76 , said . Barry added that scandal can make a politician resilient and better suited for the rough and tumble of public life . `` I think people in general in this country are distrustful of politicians , even at the presidential level , '' Barry said . But to most Washington political experts , Barry has added to that distrust . Mark Plotkin , a veteran political analyst , said some still look at Barry 's professional longevity as an example of what is wrong with American politics more than 20 years after Barry , while serving as mayor , went to jail for drug possession . `` He is the model of what is perceived as corruption and bad behavior , '' Plotkin said . `` Barry is the personification of everything that is bad government , a persona that overwhelms the political system . '' Plotkin has known Barry for decades and said his best asset is his ability to calculate who votes and how to play to that group . `` His greatest strength is his audacity , his shameless confidence in himself , '' Plotkin said . `` He once told me , 'My whole life , people told me what I ca n't do . And I never accepted that . ' I think that is an accurate exception of how he feels . That is his strength . '' D.C. credibility issues . Gray recently became the third mayor out of the last four to serve the capital to be stung by ethics questions . It surfaced this year that Gray knew in January that members of his staff had not properly reported funds raised for his 2010 campaign , according to a source close to a federal investigation of his campaign funding . Earlier this year , a public relations consultant pleaded guilty to helping orchestrate a secret campaign on Gray 's behalf , prompting three of Gray 's former colleagues on the Washington council to call for his resignation . `` The city government has a real serious credibility problem , a real serious trust problem , a real serious big picture problem and people are just disgusted to some extent , '' said Barry , who has been friends with Gray for 35 years . `` The good news is that they have not blamed individual politicians like myself for all of that . '' And that may Barry 's best -- although unspoken - advice for bouncing back from scandal . When asked about transgressions , Barry generally deflects , denies and then credits himself for moving on . To this day -- after the 1990 drug conviction , a six-month jail sentence , and a 2005 guilty plea to misdemeanor tax charges -- Barry denies that he ever had a political scandal . According to Barry , the only thing he did wrong was avoid paying income taxes . `` Million of Americans do n't file their taxes , '' Barry said . `` I am not saying it is right , but that happened and that is behind me , too . '' CNN 's Brian Todd contributed to this report .
Former D.C. Mayor Marion Barry went to jail for drug possession in 1990s . He was convicted of a felony and served time but never lost his seat on the council. For politicians caught up in scandal , Barry says : Be resilient .