By Tom Bridge
‘IMG_4593’
courtesy of ‘dbking’
Sadly, I was not able to attend the presentation of a new design for Dunbar High School, but Intrepid Post Report Mike Debonis was there and catalogued this epic exchange between Mayor Fenty and Mayor-Elect Gray:
“The Redskins beat themselves,” Fenty added.
“That happens often. Doesn’t it, Mr. Mayor?” said Gray to Fenty
I believe the Mayor-Elect has you there, Mayor Fenty.
By Tom Bridge
‘And….’
courtesy of ‘maxedaperture’
Another week closer to the primary and DCision 2010. 46 days until the primary election and the end of the Gray/Fenty battle.
The Big Race
Gray ekes out a win in Ward 6. The Ward 6 Democrats held their straw poll on Tuesday night, and Vince Gray came away the winner, even if he didn’t win their endorsement. The organization required 60% of the vote in order to grant an endorsement, and neither candidate breached that margin. Vince Gray picked up 56%, with Adrian Fenty picking up just 40%. As usual, straw polls aren’t a great measure of anything other than the most involved partisans.
Endorsements for Gray. Three endorsements for Vince Gray this week, one from the Fraternal Order of Police, one from the Latino Caucus, and one from the Realtors. Endorsements are a mixed bag. They can come with institutional support (likely from the Latino Caucus) or money (likely from the Realtors and FOP) or votes. Enough endorsements and you’ve got a rock-steady base and a motivated group of people with a lot to lose. We won’t know how much this matters until all the cards are on the table. Still, it looks good for Gray this week. Continue reading
By Tom Bridge
‘glacial dome’
courtesy of ‘philliefan99’
Rising high above the streets of DC, seen here with a height on par with the Capitol Building, is Mount St. Fenty. The monument, in which is carved the sorrow of all District residents, was erected in the early part of 2010 by the District’s Department of Transportation on the orders of the Mayor. While the initial monument was created as part of what should have been the art installation equivalent of a flash mob, on orders of the Mayor, the monument would stand for months to come as testament to the powers of the mother nature.
The ad-hoc architectural construction of Mount St. Fenty is a bold statement in contravention to traditional artforms, favoring chaos and confusion over structure and focus. The confusing form has been the topic of much discussion over the past few days, and the Mayor himself has expressed incredulity at its reception. If the avant garde nature of Mount St. Fenty is its most obvious feature, the Kafkaesque drama that it carries with it as undercurrent is its most long-lasting. The neighborhoods are rife with frustration as the Mount is causing all manner of parking difficulty throughout the city, leaving residents with flat tires, flared tempers and a sharp increase in the alcoholism rate.
Plans to move the monument at this time are quite sketchy, as the Mayor has said that the weather will have to do the job itself, and that city funds are stretched to the limit to move the monument to its final location. The delay, though, will prove to be a campaign issue for the Mayor in this fall’s primaries. Well, should anyone decide to run against Mayor Fenty.
By Tom Bridge
‘H. Ross Perot & DC Mayor Adrian Fenty’
courtesy of ‘dbking’
The word came down late yesterday: R. Donahue Peebles will not challenge Mayor Fenty in 2010. For a while, it looked like we might have several challengers for Mayor Fenty, whose popularity is on a bit of a slide after a few scandals and miscues, but no one, it seems wants to make a serious effort to run. Kwame Brown? Staying Mum. Vincent Gray? Quiet like the Sphinx. Is it part of some grand plan to let the mayor keep screwing up by the numbers, and not to give him any competition for that part of the negative spotlight? Very possibly.
When will a real challenger emerge?
By Max
cash by TheTruthAbout…
Unless you’ve been living in a cave, or possibly in a mansion, you’ve probably heard of the economic downturn we’re in the middle of. No? Apparently our city officials are living in your dream world too.
According to a recent article by the Washington Examiner, $15 million in bonuses have been handed out to city officials since Mayor Fenty took office in January of 2007. Granted, many of these bonuses were written into contracts in the good old days when our economy was believed to be strong, but bonus money keeps flowing despite the recession.
By Tom Bridge
‘Green. Very Green.’
courtesy of ‘kimberlyfaye’
Hi there, and welcome to the first of an occasional series called Anatomy of a Scandal. There’s always something to fight about when it comes to DC politics, and that’s just the local stuff, not what happens over at the Capitol. Unlike national politics, though, not every local political adventure has a clear set of sides and players. We’re here to help figure some of this stuff out. First up? Department of Parks and Recreation. It’s been sort of a long drawn out cluster of scandals, and you should probably know some of the people involved.
Dramatis Personae
Adrian Fenty, Mayor of the District of Columbia
Peter Nickles, His Attorney General
Vincent Gray, Chairman of the City Council, rival to Fenty
Kwame Brown, At-Large Councilman
Marion Barry, Hizzoner Emeritus
Ximena Hartsock, Interim/Acting Director of the Department of Parks & Recreation, appointed by Mayor Fenty (twice…)
DC Housing Authority, a quasi-governmental entity
Omar Karim, friend of the Mayor, fraternity brother to Adrian Fenty.
By Max
2009 WTT Champions by Max Cook
To honor the 2009 World TeamTennis Champion Washington Kastles, Mayor Fenty will be presenting the team with the Key to the City next Thursday, August 27th at 11am. The ceremony will be held on the steps of the Wilson Building at 1350 Pennsylvania Ave NW. The first 300 fans will receive a free Kastles WTT Championship t-shirt so be sure to get there early if you’re in the market for free stuff. The entire Kastles team will be there including Murphy Jensen, Leander Paes, Rennae Stubbs, Scott Oudsema, and Olga Puchkova. After the ceremony there will be a fan appreciation event across the street at Freedom Plaza with food and drinks, giving you a chance to catch up with the players and to give them high fives and such. Can I get a “whooooaaaa Kastles”?!
By Karl Johnson
‘Fenty Oops’
courtesy of ‘Mike Licht, NotionsCapital.com’
It’s very rare for the mayor of a major city to be doing their own driving. Mayor Fenty is provided with a driver to get him from place to place and be able to maintain his hectic and packed schedule, but he decided as of two years ago to take the wheel himself.
WaPo talks about the dilemma here. The mayor was just recently involved in a crash, while driving his city-issued Navigator, in Chevy Chase and conflicting information surrounded the police report and the statement issued by the mayor’s office. A few months back, he collected a speeding ticket and was caught illegally allowing a friend to use his city vehicle.
By Max
Ben’s Chili Bowl by dbking
President-elect Barack Obama chowed down with Mayor Fenty at Ben’s Chili Bowl this afternoon. Since the owners recently changed their “eat for free” policy to include Bill Cosby and Obama, I’m guessing he didn’t have to pay much for that half smoke. Asked if this was his first time at Ben’s he replied, “It is, actually, and it was terrific.”
There’s no word on whether or not Obama and Fenty were out boozin’ it up prior to their trip to Ben’s – a right of passage here in DC.
By Wayan
And we have a winner for the Metroblogging DC Caption Contest! By a very close vote that I may not completely understand, here is the photo/caption combo:
“I am not saying that there would be consequences for the failure for this legislation but tell me – do you really want to risk this? I mean c’mon – she knows where you park, she knows where to find a crowbar and either way you’re still stuck with her till the district residents vote otherwise.” By Jared.
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This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs