Unlike most public officials who seek privacy, Mayor Adrian M. Fenty prefers venues like Mocha Grind on 14th Street NW, where ordinary residents often interrupt his meetings. While most executives seek to avoid rejection by the legislature of their appointees, he pushes forward without regard for potentially negative political outcomes. Consider his insistence that the D.C. Council hold hearings on his nominees to the Board of Trustees of the University of the District of Columbia.
“For everybody’s benefit, there should be hearings. I don’t believe [nominees] should be summarily dismissed,” he says, days after the council passed emergency legislation extending the terms of current members; six should have gone off the board in May. By law, they could serve an additional 180 days; that holdover period ends Nov. 11.
The council essentially refused to vote on the mayor’s replacements for those outgoing members. Fenty had sent the names of Marcus T. Ellis, Sean N. Gough, George T. Simpson, Marvin Lee, Clarence Labor Jr. and William Keating III; Keating’s name was withdrawn.
Before the council’s tacit rejection, I raised questions about the nominees’ qualifications. None seemed to have the gravitas to lead a multimillion-dollar university. UDC needs trustees with expertise that complements its president. Board members should have sufficient knowledge to help guide the administration as it reforms the troubled school.
But Fenty believes in a board that sets the agenda and then gets out of the way: “I don’t think the board should be exerting its own ideas, philosophies and management practices,” he says. “The board should say to the CEO this is what needs to be done. Now, go do it.”
He says he wants to create a new tier of dynamic leaders who care about the city. His nominees are part of that effort. He says Gough and Simpson, as UDC graduates, certainly will know what the problems are; they also are invested in its success. He calls Ellis “a rising star in management.”
The desire to build greater capacity in the District, tapping into a fresh pool of talent or grooming individuals with potential, is admirable — and important to the city’s future. (It’s one reason I’m supporting Republican Patrick Mara and independent Mark Long for the at-large council seats in Tuesday’s election.)
But the university is in dire straits. It suffers from crumbling infrastructure, antiquated course offerings and insufficient resources. Under such circumstances, what does Ellis, a government “recreation services manager,” bring to the table?
“One thing that should definitely disqualify you from being on the board — not living in the city,” Fenty says. He’s right. Several current members, including Chairman James Dyke, don’t live in the District.
Hopefully, the mayor and council will quickly resolve their differences. The university has been ill served by the current crew. And, there are myriad decisions facing President Allen Sessoms — not the least of which is creating a new community college.
