Adrian Fenty

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6^th Mayor of Washington, D.C.
Adrian M. Fenty

Incumbent
Assumed office January 2, 2007
Preceded by	Anthony A. Williams

Born	December 7, 1970 (1970-12-07) (age 37) Washington, D.C.
Political party	Democratic
Spouse	Michelle Cross Fenty
Children	Matthew Fenty (born 2000) Andrew Fenty (born 2000)
Profession	Attorney
Website	dc.gov/mayor/index.shtm?portal_link=h

Adrian Malik Fenty (b. December 6, 1970^[1]) is the sixth and current Mayor of Washington, D.C., United States, having begun his term of office on January 2, 2007.

Fenty is the youngest person ever to hold the office^[2] of District of Columbia Mayor, winning election at age 35 and entering office at 36. He is the second youngest mayor of a major American city, after Luke Ravenstahl.

1 Early life, education, and family
2 Political career
3 2006 mayoral campaign
4 Mayor (2007–present)
5 Election history
6 References
7 External links

[edit] Early life, education, and family

Fenty was raised in a rowhouse in the Washington, D.C. neighborhood of Mount Pleasant. He and his wife Michelle have twin sons, Matthew and Andrew. He 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.^[3] Fenty is a member of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity.^[4] Fenty's parents own Fleet Feet, an athletic shoe store in the D.C. neighborhood of Adams Morgan.^[5] Fenty's father is African American and his mother is white.^[6]

[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 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.^[7]^[8]^[9] Unopposed in both the primary and general elections in 2004, Fenty was reelected for a second term.^[10]^[11]

As a Councilmember, Fenty was noted for his tireless 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.^[12] He is a member of the Mayors Against Illegal Guns Coalition,^[13] 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.^[14] 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^[15] – and neither gained any significant advantages from the numerous candidate debates and forums.

By July of 2006, however, public and private polling gave Fenty a roughly 10-point advantage.^[16] 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;^[17] 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^[18]—and defeated Linda Cropp by a 57–31 percent margin.^[19]

Fenty received 89% of the vote in the general election^[20]^[21] and became the capital's sixth elected mayor since the establishment of home rule.

[edit] Mayor (2007–present)

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.^[22] 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. The 37-year-old Rhee rose to prominence as an advocate for higher standards and less-conventional recruitment and training of teachers.^{[citation needed]}.

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.^[23] The case will be reviewed by the U.S. Supreme Court in early 2008.

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

In July 2007, Fenty endorsed Senator Barack Obama of Illinois for president in the 2008 election.^[24]

[edit] Election history

2000 Council of the District of Columbia, Ward 4, Democratic Primary Election^[8]

Adrian Fenty (D) 57%

Charlene Drew Jarvis (D) 43%

Write-in 0%

2000 Council of the District of Columbia, Ward 4, General Election^[9]

Adrian Fenty (D) 89%

Renée Bowser (STG) 11%

Write-in 0%

2004 Council of the District of Columbia, Ward 4, Democratic Primary Election^[10]

Adrian Fenty (D) 99%

Write-in 1%

2004 Council of the District of Columbia, Ward 4, General Election^[11]

Adrian Fenty (D) 99%

Write-in 1%

2006 Mayor of the District of Columbia, Democratic Primary Election^[19]

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^[21]

Adrian Fenty (D) 89%

David W. Kranich (R) 6%

Chris Otten (STG) 4%

Write-in 1%

[edit] References

^ Voters Guide 2006 Supplement (PDF). The Washington Informer (2006-09-24).
^ Libby, Lewis. "The Nation's Capital Gets a New Mayor". National Public Radio. November 13, 2006. Retrieved on May 4, 2007.
^ "About Adrian". Fenty 2006 campaign website. Retrieved on May 4, 2007.
^ David Nakamura and V. Dion Haynes. "Kwame Jackson Promotes Fenty". The Washington Post. October 19, 2006. page DZ02. Retrieved on May 4, 2007.
^ "Fleet Feet D.C.". About Us. Staff. Retrieved on May 4, 2007.
^ Fisher, Marc. "Fenty Emerges as an Action Hero". The Washington Post. August 23, 2006. page B01. Retrieved on May 4, 2007.
^ Chan, Sewell. "Council Member Jarvis Ousted in D.C. Primary; Fenty Defeats Veteran Lawmaker", The Washington Post, 2000-09-13. Retrieved on 2007-05-19.
^ ^a ^b Final and Complete Election Results. District of Columbia Board of Elections and Ethics (2000-09-22).
^ ^a ^b Final and Complete Election Results. District of Columbia Board of Elections and Ethics (2000-11-17).
^ ^a ^b Certified Results. District of Columbia Board of Elections and Ethics (2004-09-14).
^ ^a ^b Certified Summary Results (PDF). District of Columbia Board of Elections and Ethics (2004-11-18).
^ Nakamura, David (2006-08-21). Cropp and Fenty Have Pursued Their Legislative Agendas By Opposite Means page A01. The Washington Post. Retrieved on 2007-05-19.
^ Mayors Against Illegal Guns: Coalition Members.
^ Austermuhle, Martine (2007-08-27). Fenty Ponders Blackberry Spokesman Role. DCist.com. Retrieved on 2007-08-29.
^ Montgomery, Lori; Nikita Stewart (2006-06-13). Vocal Critic Of Mayor Leads in Fundraising page B04. The Washington Post. Retrieved on 2007-05-19.
^ Barnes, Robert; Lori Montgomery (2006-07-23). Fenty Emerges From D.C. Pack page A01. The Washington Post. Retrieved on 2007-05-19.
^ Silverman, Elissa; Lori Montgomery (2006-08-22). New Cropp Fliers Attack Fenty page B02. The Washington Post. Retrieved on 2007-05-19.
^ Montgomery, Lori. "In Sweep, Fenty Draws On Uniting To Conquer", The Washington Post, 2006-09-14, pp. page A01. Retrieved on 2007-05-19.
^ ^a ^b Certified Election Night Results. District of Columbia Board of Elections and Ethics (2006-09-26).
^ "Washington, D.C. Full Ballot, Local Elections 2006", The Washington Post. Retrieved on 2007-05-19.
^ ^a ^b Certified Official Results Report (PDF). District of Columbia Board of Elections and Ethics (2006-11-21).
^ Emerling, Gary. "Fenty takes control of public schools", The Washington Times, 2007-06-13. Retrieved on 2007-06-18.
^ Hall, Randy (2007-03-12). Decision to Overturn DC Gun Ban Under Fire. Cybercast News Service. Retrieved on 2007-06-18.
^ Nakamura, David. "D.C. Mayor Endorses Obama's Campaign", The Washington Post, 2007-07-18. Retrieved on 2007-11-24.

[edit] External links

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