A dangerous spiral for Fenty and the District
But Fenty's personality seems to be getting in the way of his record.
Equally ironic, the two team members whom Fenty prizes most -- Schools Chancellor Michelle Rhee and Attorney General Peter Nickles -- are regarded as political liabilities in communities he must win over. Rhee and Nickles, in Fenty's eyes, are competent and tough; their detractors see them as disrespectful, heavy-handed officials who have thinly disguised contempt for the people in government with whom they must work.
But in politics, goes the saying, overnight is a lifetime. Fenty may still turn this around, provided he's willing to open up, better explain his style of governing and share his views on how the city should cope with the inevitable demographic and social changes taking place.
There's yet a more serious problem.
Fenty, as mayor, needs to speak candidly about the city's financial future. On this score, both he and the current council deserve a sound beating at the polls.
May 26, 2010, will go down as the most politically craven day in modern D.C. government history. I wouldn't have believed it if I hadn't seen it with my own eyes.
So what did the council do?
Equally ironic, the two team members whom Fenty prizes most -- Schools Chancellor Michelle Rhee and Attorney General Peter Nickles -- are regarded as political liabilities in communities he must win over. Rhee and Nickles, in Fenty's eyes, are competent and tough; their detractors see them as disrespectful, heavy-handed officials who have thinly disguised contempt for the people in government with whom they must work.
But in politics, goes the saying, overnight is a lifetime. Fenty may still turn this around, provided he's willing to open up, better explain his style of governing and share his views on how the city should cope with the inevitable demographic and social changes taking place.
There's yet a more serious problem.
Fenty, as mayor, needs to speak candidly about the city's financial future. On this score, both he and the current council deserve a sound beating at the polls.
May 26, 2010, will go down as the most politically craven day in modern D.C. government history. I wouldn't have believed it if I hadn't seen it with my own eyes.
In a council meeting, Chairman Gray and his colleagues acknowledged that Fenty's budgeting, spending and borrowing are following the same path that led the District to financial disaster and congressional intervention. Gray and finance committee Chairman Jack Evans (D-Ward 2) told the rest of the council that the city's reserve funds were being rapidly depleted and that we are on a deadly downward trajectory.
So what did the council do?
