“Schools, school, schools,” Mayor Adrian M. Fenty answered when asked for the top three issues of his re-election platform. His response came as he and D.C. Public Schools Chancellor Michelle Rhee were being publicly excoriated for firing hundreds of employees.

“[People] are looking at what is happening and saying, ‘If [the mayor and Rhee] are willing to take this type of criticism — if they really want to put decisions affecting children ahead of decisions affecting adults — this is a city that has its priorities straight,’ ” Fenty continued.