There’s much to admire about Mayor Adrian M. Fenty: his sense of urgency in serving District residents; his unwillingness to accept the status quo; his sense of outrage when a worker absolutely fails at his or her job; and his political ferocity. The latter may not sit well with some people. But politics is a tough game. If you’re going to play it, you can’t be a wimp.
Lots of folks think highly of the mayor. Private polls indicate his favorability rating is over 70 percent. That’s remarkable given some of the problems that have plagued his young administration: the deaths of several children, the summer jobs program debacle, and an uptick in violent crime. Those are a sampling of the challenges he has confronted, thus far. Then, there’s the incessant feuding with the legislative branch — almost putting the battle between the Hatfields and McCoys to shame. Don’t forget the revolving personnel door; the directors of the Departments of Employment Services; Health; and Child and Family Services were pushed out by the same man who appointed them.
