Is Mayor Adrian Fenty a Jerk?

The Mayor of Washington, DC is having a rough time getting re-elected. He sure is not getting any help from the Washington City Paper. They are asking the question:

Is Adrian Fenty a Jerk?



The voters are having 2nd and 3rd thoughts about the Mayor, and now blacks in South East Washington, DC, (lead by former Mayor Marion Barry, who endorsed Fenty 4 years ago) are saying no to Adrian Fenty. Read the Washington City Paper article here.

 

As The Washington Post noted, Fenty is rattled by the strong showing of challenger Vincent C. Gray, the D.C. Council chairman, in the Democratic primary race, Fenty has turned the campaign trail into a tour of contrition -- a path supporters and advisers privately say he was not initially willing to travel. 

Mayor Fenty recently commented to the Washington Post:  "We were so focused on getting results, we . . . didn't take into account people's feelings and their desire to be heard and listened to." 

"There's a lot of people who right now may be on the fence or thinking about voting against me who we've probably done a lot [for] in their community. But because we've just been focused on doing it rather than doing it with them, they don't feel as good about it as I would have thought just by delivering the results." 

Now the Fenty's has a new approach: Humility. He says there will be differences if reelected. The Washington Post reports, acknowledging that he is in a tougher reelection campaign than he ever foresaw, Fenty is admitting failings in his bid for a second term and is modifying his pitch to D.C. residents at candidate forums, in interviews and in a TV ad released last week. Discreetly, he is also contacting voters to apologize for dismissing their views and promising to be more inclusive if reelected. Over the past few weeks, he has called at least 100 of these activists and other voters. Rattled by the strong showing of challenger Vincent C. Gray, the D.C. Council chairman, in the Democratic primary race, Fenty has turned the campaign trail into a tour of contrition -- a path supporters and advisers privately say he was not initially willing to travel.

AAP says: Yes, in many ways Mayor Adrian Fenty may be a jerk. As The Washington  City Paper article notes: In Fenty’s own office, current and former lower-level staffers call him a “moody” boss. One says he became so accustomed to Fenty’s angry side that he could see the mayor’s rage coming by watching for the throbbing of a vein in his head. “He runs his ship by fear; people are afraid of him,” says one staffer. “He’s one of the biggest assholes I’ve ever met in my life.”  

 

Several sources said Fenty has a ferocious temper. Last December, according to multiple sources, Fenty kicked a trash can, slammed a door, and screamed, “I’m the fucking mayor,” after learning that some much-hated New Jersey Avenue NW billboards were being removed without his being present for a photo-op. A Fenty campaign spokesman disputes the details of that event. The mayor also got worked up when he heard that LeBron James was in town and his staff hadn’t arranged for Fenty to meet with the basketball star, according to sources.

One former staffer likened working for Fenty to being an “abused wife,” constantly fighting a losing battle to make the mayor happy. The one time Fenty gave him a compliment, it came as such a shock that he called his significant other to tell her that maybe the mayor wasn’t such a bad guy, after all. Read More HERE

AAP: I supported Fenty 4 Years ago. I have said on a number of occasions since his election that Adrian Fenty is a disgrace. I'm not so sure how Vincent Gray will do as a Mayor. But I do know he cares about the less fortunate of Washington, DC. Something that has been missing in Washington, DC's most recent past.  All I can say is good luck Mr. Gray, here's wishing you a successful 4 years as the next Mayor of Washington, D.C. 

And for Mr. Fenty... good night and good luck as citizen Fenty.