Current Helps Gray Win the Afternoon
The Current Newspapers, the unofficial read of rich, white D.C. residents, have endorsed D.C. Council Chairman Vincent Gray over Mayor Adrian Fenty in the race for mayor. That's a nice feather in the cap for Gray, who doesn't need to win the majority of the Current's 52,874 readers' votes, but probably can't afford to get shut out by them either.
And if you're keeping score at home, the endorsement comes out the same day that Team Gray scores a win at the Board of Elections and Ethics. Wednesday Winner: Gray, by a lot.
Current Publisher Davis Kennedy and Managing Editor Chris Kain write (sorry, no link available) that it was a a tough choice deciding between the two candidates, but in the end it was the "distasteful elements of Mayor Fenty’s record," namely the unseemly smell coming from the parks and rec contracts that enriched Fenty's fraternity brothers, that helped them make up their minds.
What the Current (which includes the Northwest Current, the Dupont Current, the Foggy Bottom Current and The Georgetown Current) editors really want, though, is the Gray/Rhee ticket:
We, like many others, hope Michelle Rhee remains as D.C. Public Schools chancellor. Throughout the campaign, Mr. Gray has been unwilling to say whether he would ask Ms.Rhee, an admittedly polarizing figure, to be a part of his administration. We hope that, if elected, he will make every effort to get her to stay so that the school system can avoid the chronic administrative turnover that has stalled past efforts at reform.
Even if Mr. Fenty should win, there is no guarantee Ms. Rhee will stay, particularly given her upcoming marriage to the mayor of Sacramento, Calif.
Some voters see this election as solely about Michelle Rhee. Though education is a major concern, this is not an election for chancellor, but for mayor. And both candidates have shown a commitment to the issue: Mayoral control of the school system might not exist but for Mr. Gray’s success in winning approval of the reform legislation.
9:04 pm
This has become a game of chess for the king fenty green team. Many of the team members will never be able to find another job or contract with the benefits that they have now--no accountability to anyone except king fenty. The first move in his game was today before the Board of Elections & Ethics, he lost the first battle. Next, the green team will be coming up with techniques to attempt to surpress and harass voters in wards 4, 5, 7, and 8 during early voting.
The move will also fail. On election day the king's green team will throw everything, including the kitchen sink at voters in the aforementioned wards, knowing the outcome of their votes. This move will also fail. The king will be in check following his defeat at the hands of democratic voters.
But wait, after being defeated in the primary, he will make one more move--to run as a write in for november's general election with the support of the WP editorial board, since they both have so much to lose. The WP needs help with its kaplan university enrollment/grants, and are depending on fenty/rhee to help them out with students.
The university owned by the WP has been their only profitable entity since their advertisement slump. The decision by the department of education to punish universities with high rates of non-payments of student loans will impact kaplan university's profits from the federal government (loans to students who attend kaplan). Efforts are now underway to get a reprieve for the WP with officials in the federal government.
Now, the final move by king fenty's green team will fail, even with the support of republican voters, some independent voters and a few democrats, he will finally be checkmated by the gray team and the majority of voters.
9:28 pm
This is a huge win for Vince Gray in vote rich Wards 2 and 3.
While Gray is obviously not expected to win these Wards, holding serve there will be huge for the balance of votes across the city.
10:47 pm
Yeah, not really, DC Guy
Speaking as someone who's had the current delivered to his house for the last god knows how many years, I can say I rarely read their editorials or their endorsements.
The Current is good on liquor license and zoning matters- the sorts of things no one else covers- and for seeing the real estate ads (with photos!). But not for much else. Even with the inserts.
Sorry, Mr Kennedy.
12:10 am
Why the hell is Michelle Rhee so popular? She is a disaster.
1:13 am
downtown rez, what is the significance of you downplaying the Current's endorsement of Gray over Fenty. You say that you rarely read their editorials or endorsements,which is fine. However, the Current says they have over 52,000 readership and you are just 1 of the 52,000. So are you implying that all 52,000 readers rarely read the Current's editorials or endorsements? If the Current had endorsed Mayor Fenty would you have been happy and then lauded the importance of the endorsement? Please help me understand your position.
6:53 am
The Current also endorsed KWame Brown last week, in large part, because he had the support of almost all his Council colleagues. So that showed he'd be a good Chairman, even though the editorial also pointed out Kwame couldn't manage his own money and was not very bright.
7:14 am
Gray is not popular in Ward 2 and 3 and that will not change because of the Northwest Current endorsement. Fenty has made big changes with positive results in this city for the first time in many years. Gray has yet to say what he would do differently if elected. People are not voting for Gray but against Fenty. Gray would be a disaster waiting for the divided city council to tell him what to do and in what direction to go.
7:20 am
@Carol
I live in Ward 3.
I know very few people voting for Fenty.
Not scientific, I know, but perhaps, as the Current points out, the voters are smart enough to engage in research about the state of city finances and understand that millions of dollars in simple graft to friends through the illegal by-passing of Council approval for certain contracts is unethical.
While Gray might be ambiguous about certain policies, we know what we would be getting with Fenty, and this is not a second term the city can afford.
9:25 am
@Carol & DREZ While it may not change the minds of the Disciples of Fenty, it will make those leaning Fenty take a second look. While things have changed in the city, you must look at the financial state of the city, and the morale of the citizens. Maybe up in Wards 2 & 3 you all feel great about life, but many other people are suffering with no jobs and no money for food. Do you think Fenty gets booed at Rallys and graduations.. etc for no reason. These people are hurt. These are the people he promised the world to and theres nothing to show for it except for a bike lane or two. You praise Rhee and call her a miracle yet this is the woman who uses the same logic she used to fire teachers as a reasoning to cover her butt (The test scores were low so we fired teachers…But Im not upset that test scores fell, that is to be expected..huh?) How do you know for sure that the teachers fired were all bad. We take everything the administration says as truth, yet we have no proof. FOIA requests have been denied and very few people truly have read the IMPACT criteria used to judge the teachers. But because Fenty and Rhee say it’s good, then it must be good. This is the same man who took money that was needed to take needy families off the streets and moved it so some kids could buy I-Pods. But of course those things don’t matter to you upper class folks. As long as your dogs can run amuck, All is well. If Barry was mayor and told someone from Ward 3, “yeah I gave an organization, who my friend is a active member of, 4 million dollars but I don’t care what they do with it” you all would be at the Wilson building chanting “We Shall Overcome” But because it’s Fenty its okay? No! Question him just as you would any other leader. If the contracts to his frat brothers were bid correctly then all he has to do show the paper work. But he runs away when that is brought up. He holds everyone else accountable, but is not demonstrating that quality himself. Do me a favor, picture all this controversy, all the bad contracts, all the unilateral decisions, all the allegations, and imagine that Barry was in Fenty’s place. Would you vote for Barry?
9:36 am
Amen, THEForce.
9:41 am
I don't understand why people are making Michelle Rhee even part of the their reason for voting Fenty when the woman clearly stated that her decision to remain will be based on whether Fenty wins. This really baffles me.
Also, since she is very popular in Wards 2, 3, I honestly wonder how many kids in these areas have or currently attend DCPS? I'll admit to having the misperception, but don't a good number of them attend private schools? If so, are they going to forego the benefits of a private school education in favor of DCPS anytime soon?
11:12 am
I truly can not understand the fallacy that only Michelle Rhee can turn DC Schools around. Do people think she is the only person in the country that can do this? I find it seriously troubling that people think the lose of one person will ruin something that has showed progress since before her tenure. If she leaves I'm sure Chairman Gray is smart enough to find a top notch replacement
1:02 pm
PREACH-theforce!!!
3:59 pm
Michelle Rhee can be replaced with a competent, experienced, qualified, certified and fiscally responsible Superintendent.
Rhee definitely is the highest paid DC Government administrator in the Fenty Administration. Clearly, Rhee's salary is higher than the Mayor. It appears that some people may believe that Rhee is managing the DC Government instead of Fenty.
Suggestion: Dr. Weast will be available in 2011. However, there are other certified/qualified Superintendents who are capable of moving DCPS forward after the 2010 election.
Enough is Enough!!
7:58 pm
The Current is thrown on the front porch of 52,000. It's read by maybe 2000.
Being one of those who reads it (I've served multiple terms on an ANC...), I can tell you their editorials mean nothing to almost anyone.
9:38 pm
First- this endorsement is an affirmation of what the Washington Post doesn't want to admit and has tried to convince us isn't true: there are a LOT of ward 3 democratic voters who do not plan to vote for Fenty. Why do you think he LOST the straw poll in ward 3? That wasn't the african-American contingency that the Post would like you to believe is the only pro-Gray group! That room was full of white, ward 3 voters who want Fenty out.
Second, I agree with Ms Gill and I hate the Post trying to define me and my political issues. This race is NOT and should not be about a chancellor. This is a mayoral race. How long do we continue to tolerate an attorney general who doesn't represent the best interest of the people and gives attornies a bad name? How long do we tolerate a mayor who has been santioned by the courts for contempt for failing to implement human service requirements put in place decades ago; court decrees that Mr Gray helped put in place and oversee in the 70s/80s (prior to his government service) for services Mr Gray greatly improved during his tenure at HHS in the 90s? How long do we tolerate 80s style cronyism, giving our tax dollars to frat brothers for more than questionable contracts? How long do we continue to watch the hefty funding surplus left in place by Mayor Williams dwendle while our bond rating is endangered? And how long do we
tolerate disrespect from our mayor when we try to excercise our rights and our voice to help
shape the future of our city?
Let's wait 2 weeks 'till the 14th and we will see if ward 3 is the landslide fenty die-hards (Aka the Post) would like us to believe. The Post, like Fenty, is out of touch with the REAL issues concerning DC citizens!
9:38 pm
@dr
Again, you throw around numbers that simply aren't true. You have no idea what you are talking about. Please stop. At least try to base what you're saying in some kind of reality. It is fine to say that you don't care what the Current says. But please don't pretend like the current newspapers are meaningless to everyone when you really don't know.
9:50 pm
Actually, Indeed, I know exactly what I'm talking about.
I don't know who you think your audience is, but pretty much every person in The Current's delivery area knows that what I write is true.
10:33 am
I can't believe the Current endorsed Gray. He is a disaster waiting to happen to the city. Don't people remember what he did -- or didn't do -- as head of DHS? And the class action lawsuits that were brought to help this city's youth (Jerry M and LaShawn A) because of his failure to provide even minimal help? I worked in the arena of childrne's advocacy, and the social workers at DHS under his "leadership" were lazy, at best, and corrupt, at worst. He provided no guidance, nothing. It was a corrupt system under then-Mayor Berry, and Gray was a crony who benefitted. We will once again prove how stupid we are as a city if he is elected.
10:50 am
@dr
Again, pretending that you know what you're talking about when it comes to reading newspapers is completely absurd. You repeatedly do yourself disservice by making assertions that aren't based in fact. Just saying that you know what you're talking about doesn't mean that you do.
Really, it's fine to express an opinion, I expect that. But it's just plain silly to assert something as fact that you can't prove.
I happen to live in the Current distribution zone, and I read it pretty regularly. I won't speak for anyone else because I don't know what other people's habits are.
1:39 pm
@Indeed
What's absurd is taking the publisher's claim that it's read by 52,000 at face value. I'll stick with:
The Current is thrown on the front porch of 52,000. It’s read by maybe 2000.
Being one of those who reads it (I’ve served multiple terms on an ANC…), I can tell you their editorials mean nothing to almost anyone.
Which is a fair and accurate summation of The Current.
4:49 pm
@dr
Last one for me on this.
The current is not making claims about who reads it. They say what their circulation is. You, on the other hand, seem to know the number of readers.
I'm pretty sure that having been on an ANC has nothing to do with knowing who reads the current or not. I understand that you believe what you say. But I do not.