Jim Gibson, the former head of the D.C. Agenda, and others predicted in 1994 that Marion Barry could be elected mayor but would be unable to govern. Barry’s tainted past, the city’s fiscal woes, and a Congress with no patience for the executive’s infamous shenanigans collaborated to deny him a full political resurrection.
D.C. Council Member Adrian Fenty, who defeated Council Chairman LindaCropp to win the Democratic mayoral nomination, doesn’t carry Barry’s burdens. Still, there are questions about whether he will be able to govern.
He faces forces similar to those Anthony Williams confronted when he was elected mayor in 1998: Legislators who are openly hostile, criticizing his style, intellect and experience. Further, Vincent Gray, who won the Democratic nomination for council chairman with 57 percent of the vote, brings equal political weight. The legislature is likely to test Fenty early and often.
“I welcome the challenge,” Fenty says during an interview Wednesday at his campaign headquarters, quickly adding some of the criticism was “just election heat.”
Still, he’s already building relationships with new members — Democratic nominees in Ward 6, Tommy Wells, and in Ward 5, Harry Thomas Jr. He’s identifying his successor to run in next year’s special election. He plans to speak with Gray about his Ward 7 replacement.
“There’s an opportunity for a whole new dynamic,” Fenty says. “As mayor, I will put council members out front and give them the accolades as along as at the end of the day we’re getting things done; that’s what I am going to be judged by.”
The 35-year-old pol also will encounter an obstinate government bureaucracy that believes it can wait out any elected leader and/or sabotage any and all reform efforts.
Then, there is the fickle electorate, salivating for change, but when fed, trashes the chef. These forces are expected to surface when Fenty announces his Cabinet in November and lobbies for control of D.C. Public Schools.
“There were a lot of mandates in this election. [Fixing the schools] was definitely at the top,” he says, acknowledging Williams’ two failed attempts.
He wants to invite New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg and School Chancellor Joel Klein to speak with council members. He thinks it will be tough for lawmakers to ignore that city’s achievements.
“You can’t fix [the school system] unless you take it over,” he says. “You can barely fix a bathroom unless you take it over.”
True. Still, Fenty may want to heed Williams’ advice when meeting the council as brick wall: “Galvanize and harness that electoral win to bring out an army in pursuit of the change you’re seeking.”
Translation: Keep a well-oiled political machine on the ready.
Jonetta Rose Barras is the political analyst for WAMU radio’s D.C. “Politics Hour with Kojo and Jonetta.”
