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.
Two years into his first term, there’s the feeling that the Fenty administration hasn’t quite settled in. Yet, he’s already announced he will seek reelection, short-circuiting his current term.
During the recent presidential campaign, then-candidate Barack Obama, sitting with British Prime Minister Gordon Brown, talked about how important it is to allow time for reflection — time to just think about what has been done; what the next steps should be; and how best to provide leadership.
The Fenty administration could use some reflection time. It may have assessed highly publicized mistakes, but it hasn’t shared with the public if changes have been incorporated throughout the government. And, if a macro vision has evolved in the past two years, it hasn’t shared that either.
Multiple press conferences are held each day. Often these events deal with the minutiae of governing. It’s good to know how many roads have been paved; how many school buildings are being renovated; how many homeless persons are now in apartments; and the number of beds that now are available at a once bankrupt hospital. But what does it all mean — really?
Even allies can rebel if they don’t understand where they are being taken. If Fenty wants to be perceived as more than a technician, he may want to articulate his vision for the city.
I understand his reasons for the early announcement: lock in campaign donors, build a huge war chest and scare the bejeezus out of potential opponents. Most people knew he’d seek reelection, anyway. But before Fenty jumps boldly into the future — traveling farther, faster — he may want to help residents understand how his actions over the past two years fit into his unarticulated vision and how the next two years will be better, if he expects to get the next four after those.
