It’s still early, but if the reports from the MVSA meeting reports are anything to go by people are more supportive of Fenty than Gray, or more accurately, people are less enthused by Gray. Apparently Vincent Gray failed to make an appearance at the meeting, which folks were fine with, but the staff member sent was a disaster. The staffer was unfamiliar with MVSq/Shaw and was from Tenlytown. There is no shame in being from Tenlytown. However, know your hoods. Congress Heights is not Anacostia. Brookland is not Brightwood. And Mt. Vernon Square is not some other random part of NW.
Anyway, the staffer was more familiar with Wards 3 and 7. Not so great for a meeting with residents in Ward 2. And it seems there was a fair amount of Fenty bashing from the staffer which was a turn off. One commenter mentioned that the candidate was only as good as the people he has working under him. Considering Rhee comes with Fenty, I guess I endorse Fenty.
Seriously, it doesn’t matter what I think because I’m not a registered Democrat, so I can’t vote for him the in the election that matters. Add to it that I’m even less enthused about the mayoral candidates. It’s like a contest between shyte and crap. For all the things I dislike from the Fenty camp, with the J.F. Cook school for one, I do appreciate the turn around with the school system and the making government a little bit more open and web friendly. But this is not a ringing endorsement or love-fest, Fenty is no longer a bald hot cup of cocoa. He’s just bald. And really campaigning on the fact that one is not Fenty isn’t that great. I’m not Fenty and that wouldn’t qualify me as a candidate. If you can’t stand either write in Jack Evans, just to torture the poor man. Heck write in his name for both mayor and council chair, because if the mayoral contest is bad the one for chair is a choice between unripe fruit and something too rotten to compost.
I don’t like either option. I have been looking into kenyan mcduffie for ward 5 though.
Sadly, I’ll have to stick w/ Fenty for the same reason, better the devil you know I guess
I reluctantly registered Democrat after a lifetime of being No Party/Independent because when I moved to DC I realized that the primary vote is the vote that matters. It’s frustrating, but it feels better to have a (small) voice. Have you considered switching your registration?
It would be better if DC has open primaries.
It wasn’t only that the staff member sent was a disaster – Gray’s Chief of Staff was present as well and she had nothing of substance to add and had no knowledge of Gray’s vision(s) or of his thoughts on pending legislation. When they did talk about policy, they kept saying “when he’s mayor he will do” …. why couldn’t he push for some of those same thngs while he was head of Council? Something magical happen once you have the Mayor title?
For me it seems like we can either stay with what we have – an arrogant mayor who does get things done or step back in time to someone who seems to act like previous administrations.
Which is the lesser of two evils?
don’t think you’ll see open primaries anytime soon. with anita bonds still in charge of the power-levers for the democratic party in this town, nothing will change.
Nope. I’d rather remain true to who and what I am than lie and be fake (like Michael A. Brown, Independent my butt), even at the cost of being disenfranchised. But, I still can talk to my neighbors, contribute to campaigns, and encourage folks who are Democrats to vote for a candidate. There are a lot of people who don’t like Fenty. There are plenty of reasons not to like the man, but under his watch there have been some improvements with city services, with room for more improvement.
Is he better than Barry? Hell yes.
Is he better than Williams? Maybe but Williams ain’t running.
Is he better than Gray? Dunno, maybe, who knows? Gray hasn’t done us any favors leaving the chairman seat open to two challengers, one a bit green and the other an ungodly clownish Orange.
No to open primaries. Why should somebody who has no stake in a party be able to have a voice in deciding who that party’s candidate will be?
Yep, both the Mayor and Council Chair races have some pretty unappetizing choices. To me, one of the most offensive things about Fenty is his alliance with Ron Moten and Peaceaholics. Still, I will probably vote for Fenty, but I will not put one of his signs in my yard. For council chair, I just don’t know. I would have gladly backed Evans, not least because Ward 2 would get a new council member that way.
Vincent Gray has his bud, Leroy Thorpe. Fenty has Moten & Skinner.. I’ll gladly write in anyone for mayor rather than vote for either. Jack will probably have my write in for chair, at least he is competent. that would be a hoot, he’d have to give up his day job. Mari your “endorsement” is too funny.
Thanks for dropping by the CCCA tonight. Mostly good news and open conversation doesn’t bring out the crowds that controversy and vitriol used to.
Under Gray, the DC Council web site finally got the upgrade it needed. It wa a sad joke from the 90s before Gray’s team took it seriously. They should add Twitter feeds for all who want to follow the poorly announced committee meetings and hearings, fix a few dead pages, but overall it’s headed in the right direction.
Gray should publicly account for his opinion and loyalty to one of his “dear friends” and that friend’s public actions:
VIDEO: Vince Gray: http://twitvid.com/XIAJF
via @mjneibauer, @krishammond
Other candidates who criticize Gray (and Mendelson) should clarify where their poltical alliegences lie well. Fenty at least stands up (barely well) to the heat of his partnerships.
I did not vote for Mayor Fenty when he ran for Mayor in 2006. However, I will vote for him the Democratic primary on Sept. 14 and again for Mayor in November. Why? Because he has done a good job as Mayor, even if he can appear to be somewhat shaddy at times in dealing with the Council and the press. Mayor Fenty, has a vision for moving the city forward and he clearly works hard to push forward with that vision, perhaps sometimes to aggressively. However, we all know that in politics and public life, waiting and trying to get everyone on the same page can often and most likely mean nothing gets done. Fenty moves and governs with the ugency of now; I admire this in him. The two pieces of unsolicited advice I will offer the Mayor and his campaign brain trust is one, do more to show Mayor Fenty the man, the father, the husband. He has a beautiful young family that we rarely see. Showing the Mayor as a total person might help humanize him a bit more and make more likable. Secondly, the mayor’s campaign tv spots should show the Mayor talking directly to the camera/the citizens of the District. Again, I believe this move would help people feel more of a connection with the Mayor as a person and perhaps see that he’s not a bad guy after all. The Mayor Fenty’s major problem, as I see this race isn’t that he’s been a bad Mayor but rather that many residents simply don’t seem to like the Adrian Fenty the man, therefore his accomplishments get blocked out. Not many Gray supporters can actually articulate anything substantive that Mr. Gray stands for. Mr. Gray’s support is primarily grounded in the fact that he’s the anti-Fenty. Mr. Fenty absolutely must find a way to reconnect with voters again and remind people why they liked him so much four years ago.