Barras: The people's power

It’s easy to understand how some people listening to Phil Mendelson’s speech during last week’s swearing-in ceremony for newly elected and re-elected legislators believed the D.C. Council chairman was attempting to tamp down expectations for his leadership of the legislative branch.

He told the audience inside the Walter Washington Convention Center he does not wield “mythical powers” as some may think; he is only “one of 13.”