Adrian Fenty

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"Fenty" redirects here. For the Barbadian singer with that last name, see Rihanna.
Adrian M. Fenty

Incumbent
Assumed office 
January 2, 2007
Preceded by Anthony A. Williams
Born December 7, 1970 (1970-12-07) (age 38)
Washington, D.C.
Political party Democratic
Spouse Michelle Cross Fenty
Children Matthew and Andrew Fenty (born 2000)
Aerin Fenty (born 2008)
Alma mater Howard University School of Law (J.D.)
Oberlin College (B.A.)
Profession Attorney
Religion Unspecified Christian
Website Mayor's official website

Adrian Malik Fenty (born December 6, 1970)[1] is the sixth and current mayor of the District of Columbia, having begun his term of office on January 2, 2007.

Fenty is the youngest person ever to hold the office of District of Columbia Mayor,[2] winning election at age 35 and entering office at 36.

Contents

[edit] Early life and education

Fenty was raised in the Washington, D.C. neighborhood of Mount Pleasant. He graduated from Woodrow Wilson Senior High School. As a teen he worked at Swensen's Ice Cream next to the Uptown Theatre.[3]

Fenty's father, Philip, is of Afro-Panamanian background; his mother, Jan, is Italian–American.[4][5] His older brother, Shawn, is a bicycle expert; Jess is his younger brother. Fenty's parents are runners and own Fleet Feet, an athletic shoe store in the D.C. neighborhood of Adams Morgan.[6]

Fenty was educated at Oberlin College, earning a B.A. in English and Economics, and earned a J.D. from the Howard University School of Law.[7] He is a member of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity.[8]

[edit] Personal life

In 1997 Fenty and lawyer Michelle Cross eloped. Cross is a global technology attorney for the Seattle-based law firm, Perkins Coie LLP. They have twin sons, Matthew and Andrew. The couple's third child, Aerin Alexandra Fenty, was born November 24, 2008.[9][10]

[edit] Political career

Fenty was an intern for Senator Howard Metzenbaum (D-OH), Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC), and Representative Joseph P. Kennedy II (D-MA) before becoming involved in local politics. In addition to serving as an aide to Councilmember Kevin P. Chavous, he was elected as an Advisory Neighborhood Commissioner in ANC 4C and was president of the 16th Street Neighborhood Civic Association.

In 2000, Fenty ran against longtime Ward 4 Councilmember Charlene Drew Jarvis. Jarvis was well-known and a heavy favorite, but Fenty campaigned relentlessly and — in what was to become his trademark — pursued an aggressive door-to-door strategy that put up countless green yard signs. It worked; Fenty was elected by a 57–43 percent margin.[11][12][13] Unopposed in both the primary and general elections in 2004, Fenty was reelected for a second term.[14][15]

As a Council member, Fenty was noted for his commitment to constituent services; his vocal opposition to public funding for a new baseball stadium; and his proposal to fund a $1 billion capital improvement program for public schools, which, in different form, the Council subsequently passed.[16] He is a member of the Mayors Against Illegal Guns Coalition,[17] an organization formed in 2006 and co-chaired by New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg and Boston mayor Thomas Menino.

One of the commonly noted symbols of his attention to constituent concerns is his frequent use of his three BlackBerry devices. One BlackBerry directly connects him to Police Chief Cathy Lanier while the latter two are for business and personal matters.[18] These, along with the black fedora he often wears, are his trademark accoutrements.

[edit] 2006 mayoral campaign

Main article: 2006 Washington, D.C. mayoral election

Adrian Fenty formally announced his campaign for DC Mayor on June 1, 2005. In the fall of 2005, then-mayor Anthony A. Williams made the widely anticipated announcement that he would not seek re-election, and then-Council Chair Linda Cropp announced she would be a candidate for Mayor. Other candidates in the field included businesswoman Marie Johns, then-Councilmember Vincent Orange, and lobbyist Michael Brown (who dropped out of the race in September 2006), though most political observers saw the race as a two-person contest between Fenty and Cropp.

Fenty ran on a platform of bringing a more energetic and hands-on approach to city government. Cropp trumpeted her 25 years of experience in city government and her desire to continue the progress made by Anthony Williams, who endorsed her candidacy. The race was widely viewed as neck-and-neck through the spring of 2006. Both candidates raised significant and nearly equal amounts of money – roughly $1.75 million through June 10, 2006[19] – and neither gained any significant advantages from the numerous candidate debates and forums.

By July 2006, however, public and private polling gave Fenty a roughly 10-point advantage.[20] Political observers have debated whether it was Fenty's unprecedented door-to-door campaign (he and his campaign visited virtually every block in the city), Cropp's lack of engagement in the campaign, or the electorate's desire for a new direction after eight years of Anthony Williams. Regardless, Cropp went on the attack during the last month of the campaign. In direct mail and television advertisements, Cropp painted Fenty as unfit for the job and a careless lawyer who had been admonished by the D.C. Bar;[21] in 2005, he received an informal admonition from the Bar for his role in a probate case in 1999. The attacks appear to have backfired. The reaction, coupled with the endorsement of the Washington Post, extended Fenty's lead in the campaign's final weeks. On September 12, 2006, Fenty won all 142 city precincts in the Democratic Primary—a feat unparalleled in the city's political history[22]—and defeated Linda Cropp by a 57–31 percent margin.[23]

Fenty received 89% of the vote in the general election[24][25] and became the capital's sixth elected mayor since the establishment of home rule.

[edit] Mayor (2007–present)

Jack Kemp, Fenty, and Eleanor Holmes Norton at DC Vote rally on Capitol Hill

Upon his inauguration as Mayor of Washington, Fenty surprised the city by announcing his plans to overhaul the city's ailing school system by bringing its administration directly under mayoral control — a policy that he had not mentioned during his mayoral campaign. However, the D.C. Council granted Fenty's request and he received new powers over the school system in June 2007.[26] His selection of education reformer Michelle Rhee to manage District schools surprised the education establishment, and underscored his determination to set D.C.'s long-troubled system on a new path.

In-school education is not the only priority with Fenty, an advocate of Marion Barry's famous DC Summer Youth Job Program, which helps teens with part-time summer employment, often in agencies of the District Government. These jobs, according to Fenty, will inspire children in secondary education to seek higher goals, and to continue further their education, be it trade schools and/or major universities.

In March 2007, Fenty suffered a significant defeat by pro-gun groups in the D.C. case for gun control.[27] The case was reviewed by the U.S. Supreme Court in June 2008, and the D.C. gun ban was struck down as a violation of the Second Amendment.

For more details on this topic, see District of Columbia v. Heller.

On July 17, 2007, Fenty publicly endorsed Senator Barack Obama of Illinois for President in the 2008 election.[28]

[edit] Controversy

Mayor Fenty and his administration came under increasing scrutiny in 2009 in local media, including the Washington Post, the Washington City Paper, and local news radio station WTOP. Of note are two "secret trips" taken by Fenty in early 2009.[29] According to WTOP, one of those trips was to Philadelphia and another was to an undisclosed location in the middle east. The same article also cites city officials who say that Fenty did not disclose to anyone where he was going.

Fenty has been embroiled in a number of additional minor controversies reported on by the Washington Post, including withholding skybox tickets to the Washington Nationals[30] and allowing personal acquaintances to drive city-owned vehicles[31].

[edit] 2010 Re-election campaign

Fenty's 2010 re-election campaign is not receiving the enthusiasm that was generated by his first run in 2006. According the The Washington Post, donors are "fatigued." [32]

[edit] Election history

2000 Council of the District of Columbia, Ward 4, Democratic Primary Election[12]

Adrian Fenty (D) 57%
Charlene Drew Jarvis (D) 43%
Write-in 0%

2000 Council of the District of Columbia, Ward 4, General Election[13]

Adrian Fenty (D) 89%
Renée Bowser (STG) 11%
Write-in 0%

2004 Council of the District of Columbia, Ward 4, Democratic Primary Election[14]

Adrian Fenty (D) 99%
Write-in 1%

2004 Council of the District of Columbia, Ward 4, General Election[15]

Adrian Fenty (D) 99%
Write-in 1%

2006 Mayor of the District of Columbia, Democratic Primary Election[23]

Adrian Fenty (D) 57%
Linda Cropp (D) 31%
Marie Johns (D) 8%
Vincent Orange (D) 3%
Michael A. Brown (D) 1%
Artee (RT) Milligan (D) 0%
Nestor Djonkam (D) 0%
Write-in 0%

2006 Mayor of the District of Columbia, General Election[25]

Adrian Fenty (D) 89%
David W. Kranich (R) 6%
Chris Otten (STG) 4%
Write-in 1%

[edit] References

  1. ^ "Voters Guide 2006 Supplement" (PDF). The Washington Informer. 2006-09-24. http://www.washingtoninformer.com/Voters%20Guide%20REVISED%2006.pdf. 
  2. ^ Libby, Lewis. "The Nation's Capital Gets a New Mayor". National Public Radio. November 13, 2006. Retrieved on May 4, 2007.
  3. ^ http://www.washingtonian.com/print/articles/6/173/9958.htmlNov 2k8 Washingtonian article
  4. ^ Fisher, Marc. "Fenty Emerges as an Action Hero". The Washington Post. August 23, 2006. page B01. Retrieved on May 4, 2007.
  5. ^ Jaffe, Harry (November 2008). "Adrian Fenty: Born to Run". The Washingtonian. http://www.washingtonian.com/print/articles/6/173/9958.html. Retrieved on 2009-02-05. 
  6. ^ "Fleet Feet D.C.". About Us. Staff. Retrieved on May 4, 2007.
  7. ^ "About Adrian". Fenty 2006 campaign website. Retrieved on May 4, 2007.
  8. ^ David Nakamura and V. Dion Haynes. "Kwame Jackson Promotes Fenty". The Washington Post. October 19, 2006. page DZ02. Retrieved on May 4, 2007.
  9. ^ Roberts, Roxanne; Argetsinger, Amy. "Mayor Fenty's Family Welcomes Baby Girl". Washington Post. November 24, 2008.
  10. ^ http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/05/29/AR2008052903894_2.html At 6 feet & 180 pounds, Fenty appears the picture of fit, but he hasn't always been that way. In 2000 -- the year his twin sons were born, he wrapped up a long campaign for a D.C. Council seat..., and he and his wife renovated their kitchen -- Fenty did not run a single day. time. He also reached about 215 pounds, Shawn said.
  11. ^ Chan, Sewell (2000-09-13). "Council Member Jarvis Ousted in D.C. Primary; Fenty Defeats Veteran Lawmaker". The Washington Post. http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P2-545904.html. Retrieved on 2007-05-19. 
  12. ^ a b "Final and Complete Election Results". District of Columbia Board of Elections and Ethics. 2000-09-22. http://www.dcboee.org/information/elec_2000/primary_elec.shtm. 
  13. ^ a b "Final and Complete Election Results". District of Columbia Board of Elections and Ethics. 2000-11-17. http://www.dcboee.org/information/elec_2000/general_elec.shtm. 
  14. ^ a b "Certified Results". District of Columbia Board of Elections and Ethics. 2004-09-14. http://www.dcboee.org/information/elec_2004/sep14cr/En_W4_Council.shtm. 
  15. ^ a b "Certified Summary Results" (PDF). District of Columbia Board of Elections and Ethics. 2004-11-18. http://www.dcboee.org/pdf_files/Summary_2.pdf. 
  16. ^ Nakamura, David (2006-08-21). "Cropp and Fenty Have Pursued Their Legislative Agendas By Opposite Means". The Washington Post. page A01. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/08/20/AR2006082000595_pf.html. Retrieved on 2007-05-19. 
  17. ^ "Mayors Against Illegal Guns: Coalition Members". http://www.mayorsagainstillegalguns.org/html/about/members.shtml. 
  18. ^ Austermuhle, Martine (2007-08-27). "Fenty Ponders Blackberry Spokesman Role". DCist.com. http://dcist.com/2007/08/27/fenty_ponders_b.php. Retrieved on 2007-08-29. 
  19. ^ Montgomery, Lori; Nikita Stewart (2006-06-13). "Vocal Critic Of Mayor Leads in Fundraising". The Washington Post. page B04. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/06/12/AR2006061201660.html. Retrieved on 2007-05-19. 
  20. ^ Barnes, Robert; Lori Montgomery (2006-07-23). "Fenty Emerges From D.C. Pack". The Washington Post. page A01. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/07/22/AR2006072200632.html. Retrieved on 2007-05-19. 
  21. ^ Silverman, Elissa; Lori Montgomery (2006-08-22). "New Cropp Fliers Attack Fenty". The Washington Post. page B02. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/08/21/AR2006082101598.html. Retrieved on 2007-05-19. 
  22. ^ Montgomery, Lori (2006-09-14). "In Sweep, Fenty Draws On Uniting To Conquer". The Washington Post. pp. page A01. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/09/13/AR2006091300695.html. Retrieved on 2007-05-19. 
  23. ^ a b "Certified Election Night Results". District of Columbia Board of Elections and Ethics. 2006-09-26. http://www.dcboee.org/nws/news_frame.asp?filename=nr_83.pdf&mid=9&yid=2006&type=News%20Releases&hl=t. 
  24. ^ "Washington, D.C. Full Ballot, Local Elections 2006". The Washington Post. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/metro/elections/2006/results/general_dc.html. Retrieved on 2007-05-19. 
  25. ^ a b "Certified Official Results Report" (PDF). District of Columbia Board of Elections and Ethics. 2006-11-21. http://www.dcboee.org/nws/news_frame.asp?filename=nr_92.pdf&mid=11&yid=2006&type=News%20Releases&hl=t. 
  26. ^ Emerling, Gary (2007-06-13). "Fenty takes control of public schools". The Washington Times. 
  27. ^ Hall, Randy (2007-03-12). "Decision to Overturn DC Gun Ban Under Fire". Cybercast News Service. http://www.cnsnews.com/ViewNation.asp?Page=/Nation/archive/200703/NAT20070312c.html. Retrieved on 2007-06-18. 
  28. ^ Nakamura, David (2007-07-18). "D.C. Mayor Endorses Obama's Campaign". The Washington Post. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/07/17/AR2007071701227.html. Retrieved on 2007-11-24. 
  29. ^ Segraves, Mark (2009-03-26). "DC mayor takes another secret trip". WTOP Radio. http://www.wtop.com/?sid=1634019&nid=25. Retrieved on 2009-05-15. 
  30. ^ Craig, Tim (2009-04-13). "Fenty-Council Ticket Spat Returns With the Spring". Washington Post. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/04/13/AR2009041302699.html. Retrieved on 2009-05-26. 
  31. ^ Stewart, Nikita (2009-05-26). "Fenty Lets Friend Drive City-Owned Car, Despite Law". Washington Post. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/05/25/AR2009052502089.html. Retrieved on 2009-05-26. 
  32. ^ http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/06/17/AR2009061703500.html

[edit] External links


Council of the District of Columbia
Preceded by
Charlene Drew Jarvis		 Council of the District of Columbia Representative from Ward 4
2001 – 2007		 Succeeded by
Muriel Bowser
Preceded by
Anthony A. Williams		 Mayor of Washington, D.C.
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