For walkers, this week was bad luck
While crossing the street, two were struck
Sure, fate is capricious
But why not delicious?
Heck yes, I'd get hit by this truck

It sure seems that Metro's bemoaning
The change that had riders all groaning
With kiosks outmoded
Make fares auto-loaded
Not yet, though, 'cause Catoe's postponing

I'm sad to see Cephas depart
For with him, that man takes my heart
He's clearly an ass
But lovably crass
In my book, bad taste is an art

When casting your vote in the booth
Just think of Graham's bowtie (so couth!)
Whatever you ponder
Don't let your mind wander
To thoughts of cabs, bribes, or that youth

As poet, I feel obligated
To highlight things classic (or dated?)
And yet, here's my screed:
Screw biking in tweed
That whole thing seemed way overrated...

It wasn't much, really, the first candidates' face-off of the 2010 election cycle. But LL's still excited to have a campaign to cover.

The two declared Democratic at-large D.C. Council candidates, incumbent Phil Mendelson and challenger Clark Ray, took turns answering questions for a little more than an hour last night in the basement of a Southwest apartment building. They did so in front of about a dozen members of the New Capitol Park Towers Tenant Association.

Given the early date and the small crowd, LL hesitates to read too much into this candidate pairing. But there's a few points to be made here:

Read More "First Debate of DCision 2010: Ray v. Mendo in Southwest Showdown!" »

Early last Sunday---like 6 a.m. early---D.C. Council Chairman Vincent C. Gray briefly discussed a potential mayoral run in response to a question on WRC-TV's Viewpoint program. Long story short, he's not ruling it out:

Read More "Vince Gray Talks Mayoral Prospects" »

With a mere 15 months remaining until Primary Day 2010, LL thought he would run down who is thus far committed to electoral runs---committed, in the sense of actually having filed papers with the Office of Campaign Finance.

Mayor

• Incumbent Adrian M. Fenty---Duh. Dude's got at least $2 million in the bank.
• Sulaimon Brown---D.C. Wire had the scoop on this 38-year-old former Fenty volunteer's challenge. He established his committee on May 5. His Web site fronts a pic with him and Barack Obama where Barack Obama does not seem to be acknowledging his existence.
• Faith, the exotic dancer turned trumpet-tooting, horse-riding perennial candidate, filed her papers on May 1.

Read More "DCision 2010: It’s Gonna Have Faith! And Anthony Motley!" »

Those of you searching for a candidate chomping at the bit to take on Mayor Adrian M. Fenty and his $2 million-plus war chest, look out: An honest-to-God 2010 mayoral challenger has made his first nibble.

Well, his dad has, anyway.

Marshall Brown, the longtime political organizer and father of At-Large Councilmember Kwame R. Brown, sent out an e-mail on Sunday night soliciting support for a mayoral draft campaign aimed at his son.

"Would you lend your name to the Kwame Brown for Mayor Draft Committee," the short e-mail asks, telling recipients to "send this to your email list." Two sources consulted by LL also report getting calls from Marshall Brown inquiring whether they might lend support to a Kwame-for-Mayor campaign.

Read More "Kwame Brown’s Dad Collecting Names for Mayoral Run" »

Well, it's out in the open now.

A draft committee that was possibly the worst-kept secret in local politics in recent weeks has revealed itself today, in a press release and Web site urging Clark E. Ray, recently fired Department of Parks and Recreation director, to run for an at-large council seat.

"We believe that Clark Ray as a member of the DC Council will serve based on his dynamic VISION for what our City can become," the release reads. "He is someone who has proven that he is a man of ACTION and that he can get RESULTS."

The author of the release is Peter Rosenstein, the longtime gay activist who was once Mayor Adrian M. Fenty's most vocal supporter in the GLBT community. The draft committee list of more than 80 names includes a number of folks active in gay-and-lesbian politics (Darrin Glymph, Lane Hudson, Sheila Alexander Reid), some neighborhood activist types (Cary Silverman, Jack Jacobson, Laurie Collins), and a few political wild cards (Adam Clampitt, Neil Richardson, Judith Terra, Jacque Patterson, Cora Masters Barry).

Also notable: The list includes at least two of Ray's former employees at parks-and-rec---John Stokes, the agency's communications director, and Michele Molotsky, the former aide to Ward 2 Councilmember Jack Evans who runs senior programs for the agency.

Unmentioned in the release is whether they want Ray, who is gay, to run as a Democrat (i.e., against Phil Mendelson) or as an independent (i.e., against David A. Catania, or someone else should Catania decide not to run). The former possibility is widely considered to be more likely. But in either case, having a significant element of the gay political community going out on a limb against either of those sitting members---two of the council's most GLBT-friendly---is notable.

As for Ray, he's playing coy. LL first asked him about the rumors, and last week the Blade's Lou Chibbaro Jr. further pressed him. "I would think it would be foolish to rule out anything," Ray told Chibbaro. "I am flattered that there are those that think I am a viable individual to consider for Council at some point in time in the next two years or whatever. D.C. is my home. I’m going to be here forever. I think I’m young at 45. I plan on being around for a while. So I certainly wouldn’t rule anything out."

UPDATE, 9:45 A.M.: LL got Rosenstein on the horn; "Clark is a Democrat and will run when he announces as a Democrat," he confirms. So why go after Mendo? "I personally want to thank Phil Mendelson for all he has done for our city and for introducing GLBT legislation. But I personally...believe these are not lifetime positions, that you need new blood, new ideas, and need someone who is ready to re-energize the council. While I personal want to thank Phil for all he's done, it think it's time for someone new." He adds, "This is not totally about GLBT issues. I think there are a broad spectrum of issues that need to be dealt with in this city," naming "crime initiatives, education reform initiatives."

Full release after jump.

Read More "Clark Ray for D.C. Council Draft Committee Reveals Itself" »

Well, that didn't take long: Anthony Motley will be running as an independent for an at-large council seat in 2010.

As first reported by LL last month, Motley is the first non-incumbent to declare for the 2010 at-large race, but there was some question over whether he would run as a Democrat or not. Motley is an elected member of the D.C. Democratic State Committee, but rumors and a sign posted at his Web site had him running as an independent. Ahem, "Independent Democrat."

No more suspense, though: At last night's DCDSC meeting, Motley announced to the group that we was officially resigning his seat, and that by next week, he would no longer be registered as a Democrat. He received, according to a member present, "polite applause."

Read More "It’s Official: Motley Running as Independent" »

DCision 2010 begins in earnest: We have our first official D.C. Council challenger.

That would be the Rev. Anthony Motley, the Congress Heights minister and civic activist. Earlier this month, he sent a letter to a select group of friends, informing them that he has "decided to launch a campaign for an At-Large City Council seat in 2010" and inviting them to an April 4 meeting at the downtown law offices of A. Scott Bolden to discuss it.

In an interview, Motley, 59, says he simply "want[s] to explore the possibilities."

Read More "Anthony Motley Declares 2010 Council Run" »

In his column this week, LL broke down the more than $2 million raised by the Adrian M. Fenty fundraising juggernaut.

LL indulged his math and computer nerdness and pulled the Fenty 2010 data filed last week into a spreadsheet, then, with assists from CPers Will Atwood Mitchell and Ryan J. Reilly, he began coaxing whatever facts and figures he could out of the numbers. In the online column, you'll find breakdowns of the haul by ZIP code and industry, plus a look at how commercial interests pad their fundraising totals and the government employees who pitched in.

A couple of additional interesting items you can find in the print column, however, haven't made it online just yet due to technical difficulties.

Read More "Fenty 2010: Are Bigger Donations Better?" »

My, oh, my---that didn't take long.

According to documents filed late last night with the city campaign finance office, Mayor Adrian M. Fenty has already raised over $2 million for his 2010 re-election campaign.

It's an absolutely staggering sum, considering both the lousy state of the economy and that for the whole of his 2006 election campaign, he raised a total of about $3.9 million. With $2,042,225.63 already banked, Fenty's gotten more than halfway to matching that little more than three months since announcing his re-election push.

If any potential challengers are looking for signs of weakness, they're not to be found in the 440-page report. The haul comes from 2,126 different donors, with about 750 having given the maximum $2,000 donation.

Thus far, the campaign's spent about $90,000---most of that for supplies and other arrangements for Fenty's Dec. 6 birthday party/fundraiser held at the home of developer Chris Donatelli. And $20,000 of that is payment for campaign money man John Falcicchio, who LL is going to say earned every cent of that.

Nothing like gathering several hundred of your closest supporters to rekindle the fire in a candidate's belly.

Mayor Adrian M. Fenty, before a crowd packed tightly into into a tent erected outside the stately home of developer Chris Donatelli and wife Karen, delivered on Saturday night his first campaign oratory since winning all 142 precincts in the 2006 general and primary elections.

After the crowd sung "Happy Birthday" to the now 38-year-old chief executive, Fenty delivered thanks and remarks with a note of passion LL has rarely detected in Hizzoner's voice over the past year. He pumped up his accomplishments as mayor, at one point highlighting that morning's Washington Post editorial praising his work on the juvenile justice system.

"I'm so proud of that," he said, before spending the bulk of his time talking up his efforts to reform public education. "If you watch 60 Minutes or the NewsHour With Jim Lehrer or read Newsweek or the Atlantic Monthly or now Time magazine," he said, "you know that in Washington, D.C., education is our No. 1 priority."

Read More "At Birthday Bash, Fenty Returns to Campaign Mode" »

Mayor Adrian M. Fenty is throwing the first fundraiser of the 2010 election cycle tomorrow night. And whether you're with him or agin' him, you're invited.

The bash is scheduled for 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. at the home of local developer Chris Donatelli and wife Karen---aka the Owl's Nest---which is located at 3031 Gates Road NW. LL feels comfortable sharing that address because, as the Post's David Nakamura reported on Tuesday, the invite is plastered prominently on Fenty's re-election Web site.

So if you love the mayor and want to wish him a happy birthday, stop on by. He'd love it if you brought your checkbook.

Folks not quite as fond of the mayor are attending as well. A coalition of groups opposing Fenty, including Jobs for Justice, the Committee to Save Franklin Shelter, and local labor unions, have advertised plans to hold a candlelight vigil outside the Donatelli residence.

What's their beef?

The local AFL-CIO council sent an e-mail out this afternoon pushing the vigil. It reads: "Mayor Fenty is a budget-shattering, union-busting, promise-breaking political boss whose poor performance and bad management are costing DC taxpayers millions of dollars without real accountability or significant improvements....Fenty campaigned on inclusion, but he routinely excludes the city council, community groups and unions from important policy decisions affecting the City."

Full e-mail after the jump. Read More "Crash Fenty’s First Fundraiser!" »