At city hall, the book on Adrian Fenty was that he had no friends on the D.C. Council. Elect him, they said, and watch the council eat him for breakfast (in a secret session, of course). The kid won’t be able to govern.
Funny how a landslide victory can turn enemies into allies. Wasn’t that Jack Evans standing with Fenty a few days after Fenty trounced his candidate, Linda Cropp?
And Carol Schwartz, whose last-minute Cropp endorsement puzzled many, says it was “not true” she trashed Fenty for months.
Political realities drive this sudden romance. And they all portend a pliant council come January.
First, there’s a mandate. Fenty won every ward, every precinct.
Then, there is the Fenty machine. It, backed by SEIU labor activists, was powered by workers who made sure supporters got to the polls Sept. 12. It could be used to stock the council with supporters.
Those of us who count votes expect Fenty’s choice for his Ward 4 seat to be Muriel Bowser.
Phil Mendelson, who was re-elected handily to his at-large seat, will not back Fenty’s takeover of the schools. But he says: “It would be easy for us to beat up on the new mayor, but people don’t want that.”
Marion Barry could cause mischief. But Fenty insider Terry Lynch said, “I look to Vince Gray to keep control over the proceedings.”
Gray said last week he and Fenty worked closely, and the Fenty-Gray tag team could prove to be a powerful pairing.
Harry Jaffe has been covering the Washington area since 1985. E-mail him at [email protected].
