Barry Will Undergo Treatment, Aide Says : Drugs: After his cocaine arrest, the mayor ‘knows that he needs help.’ His top advisers report that he has tentatively agreed not to seek reelection.

Mayor Marion Barry, his political career jeopardized by his arrest on a cocaine possession charge, plans to enter a substance abuse treatment program, a close adviser said Saturday.

“He knows that he needs help, and that he can’t deal with it under the pressure that he now has,” said the adviser, who spoke on condition of anonymity. “There’s political wisdom to it, but also there is his personal condition to think of here.”

Barry spokeswoman Lurma Rackley said the mayor will make a statement on his personal life today, but she declined to elaborate.

The Washington Post reported in today’s editions that one source said Barry may seek treatment at the Betty Ford Clinic in Rancho Mirage, Calif. The paper also said that Barry has authorized his attorney to discuss a possible plea bargain with prosecutors.

WRC-TV reported on Saturday that the mayor will postpone making any public statements about his political future for at least 30 days.

Barry, 53, relinquished day-to-day administration of the government Friday to his top aide just hours after he appeared before a federal magistrate to answer charges stemming from his arrest in a downtown hotel Thursday.

During a stormy two-hour meeting Friday between Barry and his top political advisers, Barry tentatively agreed not to run for reelection, the advisers said.

Barry’s decision to enter a treatment program came after further discussions late Friday and on Saturday, aides said.

One adviser said Barry has been convinced of the futility of running for reelection in a city plagued by drug abuse and drug-related homicides.

The adviser said he was uncertain when Barry’s decision would be made public.

Barry’s reelection announcement, which had been scheduled for today, “was postponed, obviously,” the aide said. “Maybe that postponement will just go and go and go indefinitely.”

The Barry adviser, who spoke only on condition that he not be named, said he is confident that the mayor will honor his pledge to drop plans for a fourth four-year term in November.

However, Barry has frequently changed his mind on city issues without informing his aides.

Jeff Gildenhorn, a fund-raiser for the mayor who participated in Friday’s meeting, stopped short of saying Barry had agreed not to seek reelection.

However, Gildenhorn said he was confident the mayor “will do what is best for him, mentally and physically, and for the city.”

WRC-TV, citing law enforcement sources, reported that the cocaine possession charge Barry faces will not be dropped unless the mayor resigns.

In an interview on WUSA-TV, U.S. Atty. Jay B. Stephens said it was not appropriate for him to comment on whether charges would be dropped if the mayor resigns.

But he said: “There are a broad range of considerations as United States attorney that I would consider beyond the simple issue of holding Mr. Barry accountable for his criminal conduct.”

The Post said Barry later authorized his attorney, R. Kenneth Mundy, to begin discussing with Stephens the terms of a possible agreement, according to sources.

Even if Barry does not run for reelection, he has not yet indicated any willingness to resign, the sources contacted by the Associated Press said. “We haven’t talked about whether he will resign yet,” said one adviser.

Meanwhile, a Post survey said a majority of District of Columbia residents polled Friday said Barry should resign immediately, while three in four said the mayor should not run again.

But nearly half of the 661 randomly selected district residents questioned also said they believe that federal law enforcement officials were “out to get Marion Barry any way they could.”