In the District, the 2006 Democratic primary rocked the status quo, heralding a new mayor, council chair and three new council members. The election was unprecedented — never before had the D.C. government seen such turnover at one time.
The election season started unusually early in mid-2005. Ward 6 Council Member Sharon Ambrose announced her retirement for health reasons. Ward 3 Council Member Kathy Patterson launched a bid for council chair, as did first-term Ward 7 Council Member Vincent Gray.
In September 2005, Mayor Anthony Williams announced he would not challenge for a third term, opening the door to a wide-open race. Three council members would vie for the job: Chair Linda Cropp, Ward 4’s Adrian Fenty and Ward 5’s Vincent Orange. They were joined by outsiders Marie Johns and Michael Brown as the five leading contenders, though Cropp and Fenty were immediately declared front-runners.
Gray won the chairmanship. Fenty, the mayor’s office. Both by wide margins.
With unrivaled charisma, an aggressive door-knocking effort, a reputation as “new blood” and a commitment to improve the schools, the now 36-year-old Fenty won all 142 precincts in the primary.
In a two-person race, Gray soundly defeated Patterson for council chair, 57 percent to 42 percent. Patterson couldn’t overcome Gray’s message of “One City,” nor her own reputation — deserved or not — as cold and argumentative.
Meanwhile, the council will have three new faces come January.
Mary Cheh, a George Washington Universitylaw professor and Patterson protégé, takes the helm in Ward 3 and will chair the public services and consumer affairs committee, where she will oversee the troubled Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs.
Harry Thomas Jr., son of former Ward 5 Council Member Harry Thomas Sr., will chair the libraries, parks and recreation committee. And School Board member Tommy Wells will take over in Ward 6, chairing the human services committee.
