My friend Bennie’s reaction to Mayor Vince Gray and a few council members getting cuffed last week in their protest of congressional meddling in D.C. affairs was: “That’s an audition.” “For what?” I asked.
“For when they get arrested for their ethical violations.”
“That’s harsh,” I responded. Gray, Council Chairman Kwame Brown and other council members seem to be up to their bellies in scandal, but hardly threatened with arrest. “Who else thinks they are auditioning?”
Bennie is a longtime resident of Ward 7, Gray’s home turf.
“All of my neighbors,” he said. “People are fed up with the sleazy ethics.”
If you are equally fed up with the low ethical standards among our elected leaders — from allegations that Gray paid off Sulaimon Brown to harass Adrian Fenty, to Marion Barry’s habitual unwillingness to pay taxes, to Kwame Brown’s penchant for fancy rides on the taxpayer’s dime — send the bums a message: Vote for Patrick Mara in Tuesday’s special election to fill an at-large seat.
This election stands out as a perfect opportunity for D.C. voters to say business as usual by the Democrats who have been running the city since the dawn of Home Rule is over. No more sweetheart contracts. Real consequences for shoddy ethics. True transparency.
Mara, 36, is a Republican. A political and business consultant, he’s been steeped in D.C. politics for more than a decade. His chances of getting elected citywide are slim. Registered Democrats outnumber Republican 10-1. I am one. But if half of the 30,000 Republicans join a few thousand independents and disgruntled Dems, Mara can prevail.
Here’s why you should cast a ballot for Mara:
— We deserve a clean, freshly minted political leader. The Democratic front-runner, Vincent Orange, is a captain in the old guard. He looks and sounds like a snake oil salesman; during his stint on the council he was in bed with developers. For Orange, money talks.
— We need a council member who’s not a Democrat. The Home Rule Charter calls for two council members who are not from the dominant party, yet we exist in a Soviet-style, one-party state. David Catania, an independent, is the only true voice of dissent on the 13-member council. Michael Brown’s Democratic-independent status is fraudulent.
— With the GOP running Congress, we could use a bridge to the right side. Mara has already met with 20 Republicans, including Massachusetts Sen. Scott Brown and Rep. Jason Chaffetz, of Utah. Gray and the council have no relationships on Capitol Hill. None.
— Mara has never wavered in his support of school reform. He won election to the Board of Education. He sees education as the way to drive down unemployment. He advocates more career and adult education programs like those at Carlos Rosario Public Charter.
Do any of these reasons resonate with D.C.’s bedrock black electorate? I put the question to Bennie.
“People are really frustrated and disappointed,” he said. “Mara has a shot.”
If you give him a vote.
Harry Jaffe’s column appears on Tuesday and Friday. He can be contacted at [email protected].
