It’s a fabulous fall morning in the District — the kind that invites hope. Mark Long, an independent candidate bidding for one of two at-large seats on the D.C. Council, is waxing optimistically about his aspirations and changing the city’s political and bureaucratic cultures.
“I’m running to be a legislator. I’m not running to be junior mayor,” the 41-year-old native Washingtonian tells me.
That’s important.
The not-so-secret political imaginings of incumbent At-Large Council member Kwame Brown and so-called “independent Democrat” Michael Brown revolve around the mayoral suite. Their council bids are preludes to their run to lead the executive branch. Still, they are considered leading contenders in the November General Election. Republican nominee Patrick Mara, Statehood Green candidate David Schwartzman and “independent Democrat” Dee Hunter also are on the ballot; incumbent Council member Carol Schwartz is running a write-in campaign.
Truth told, the two Browns are refried politicians: They cling to antiquated polices. Worse, they practice a discredited governance style.
Long, who praises the current council, argues that legislators should reach across branches, cooperatively engaging the executive and judiciary to ensure residents receive the best their government has to offer. He learned specifics about the legislative branch shadowing his mother, who as the first secretary-treasurer of the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation worked closely with representatives on Capitol Hill.
“I always looked forward to serving [the city],“ he says during a breakfast of grits and sausage at the Diner in Adams Morgan.
A finance expert by profession, Long is concerned about the city’s fiscal health. He predicts that more spending cuts, using a “scalpel,” likely will have to be made for this fiscal 2009.
“We’ve done a great job managing with surpluses, but the rules are about to change,” he says. “We have to be a little careful about what we can undertake in a post-baseball [stadium] era.
However, “we can’t be a jurisdiction that’s afraid of taking on large municipal projects,” the Ward 7 resident adds. A strong supporter of education reform, Long has invested many years working in the interest of youth in the District and other cities around the country.
Editors at the Northwest Current newspaper were “exceptionally impressed” with Long. Talking with him about politics and the District’s future, it’s easy to understand why.
Some thought Mayor Adrian M. Fenty’s political machine might get behind Long’s candidacy. Thus far, it hasn’t. So his fight to reach the council dais is all uphill. He crisscrosses the city each day, knocking on doors and introducing himself to residents.
“Some folks who are going to come to the polls next month may have never voted. They are coming for [Barack] Obama,” Long says. “Then, they’re going to work their way through the council candidates and the school board.
“I need them to come into the polls with my name on their minds,” he adds.
This column is my contribution to that goal.
