Oh my, how things can change in four years.
In the summer of 2006, upstart council member Adrian Fenty had Linda Cropp in his rearview mirror as he zoomed ahead in the mayoral campaign. When he won the Democratic primary, the book on Fenty was: “He can campaign — but he can’t govern.”
Admit it. You either uttered those words or heard them around town.
Now the opposite seems to be true.
Fenty can govern, but he can’t campaign. On the trail the mayor wears his impatience on his BlackBerry, turns up unprepared for interviews, can’t pack a room to make sure he wins the early straw polls.
Some might quibble with me about Fenty’s ability to govern, but they would be wrong. Granted, Anthony Williams laid the foundation for accountability and better technology in the government, but Fenty and his agency directors have ushered in a new era of efficiency. If anything, Fenty has governed too well, forced change too quickly, pushed agencies to produce results on Fenty time.
From permitting construction projects to building schools and playgrounds to housing the homeless, Fenty’s government has surpassed many expectations. In no way am I excusing his shortcuts and sweetheart contracts to friends. His secrecy — both in governing and in his personal life — are unacceptable and damaging. But the man has whipped the D.C. bureaucracy into shape and made the government function better, build better, serve better.
Why, then, does Fenty’s re-election campaign seem to be in such disarray?
My take: Fenty’s tyrannical methods of running a municipal government do not work in a political campaign. He can order a deputy director of transportation to build more bike lanes; he cannot force citizens to vote for him, shake his hand, accept his yard signs, applaud rather than boo him.
The frenetic pace that made him look young and energetic three years ago makes him seem dismissive and unfocused in public forums and on television. His impatience is palpable. Voters recoil.
And another thing: As mayor, Fenty is notorious for relying on the counsel of one — himself. That may have worked. Now he shares the campaign bunker with moneyman John Falciccio, for a brain trust of two. Neither is a seasoned political pro. Fenty has made limited use of Tom Lindenfeld, his veteran pollster. His spokesman, Helen Hare, is a rookie. As a freshman at Fenty’s alma mater, Oberlin, she spent a six-week seminar on his 2006 campaign. She graduated in 2009. She’s from Connecticut and knows her college profs better than D.C. reporters. Now she is Fenty’s campaign spokeswoman?
Can you say amateur hour?
So Fenty shows up on Fox 5 “Morning Show” the day news breaks that his attorney general says faulty breath testers were in use in 400 drunken-driving cases. Fenty’s reaction: “I have not been briefed on that for several months.” Huh?
What about the triple shooting the night before near Howard University? “Haven’t gotten a full briefing.” What?
Unless Fenty hires some political pros, he will need a briefing on the life of an unemployed lawyer.
Harry Jaffe’s column appears on Tuesday and Friday. He can be contacted at [email protected].
