DC Mayor Adrian Fenty, center, and two guests at the LGBT Pride Month party at Mova Wednesday night. (C. Dyer)
Approximately 150 people turned out for DC Mayor Adrian Fenty’s LGBT Pride Month celebration Wednesday night at Mova on P Street NW.
The meet-and-greet on the last night of Pride Month was to celebrate the accomplishments of the lesbian and gay community, including the passage of same sex marriage rights earlier this year in DC.
Mike DeBonis at The Washington Post has a good write up of the event, which was billed as a non-campaign event for Fenty. But, Congressman Jared Polis (D-Colorado) spoke at the event–and he endorsed Fenty for re-election. Polis is one of three openly gay members of Congress.
In his column, Debonis (he moved to the Post from the City Paper a few months ago) talks about Fenty’s tough re-election campaign against Council Chairman Vincent Gray. He gives a good overview of some of the recent criticism by some in the gay community. DeBonis’ column is a good read; check it out.
In addition, DeBonis has a story in Friday’s Post about Fenty, his campaign, his governing style–and why the polls show him in trouble in his re-election bid.
Wednesday
Mayor Adrian Fenty is holding a LGBT Pride Month celebration and meet-and-greet tonight from 7 to 9 pm at Mova (formerly Halo) at 1435 P Street NW. The mayor’s office says it is not a fundraiser or campaign event: “This event is not a fundraiser but an opportunity to celebrate our many accomplishments and to hear the Mayor’s vision for the future.”
Thursday
Advisory Neighborhood Commission (ANC) 1B holds its July meeting at 7 pm at the Reeves Municipal Center at 14th and U Streets NW. On the agenda is a 10-minute slot for Councilmember David Catania (I-At Large).
Now there is video from NBC-4. Photos of Mayor Adrian Fenty and Councilmember Jack Evans and DDoT Director Gabe Klein taking a ceremonial bike ride in Borderstan’s 15th Street NW bike lane were the subject of numerous bl0g postings and tweets yesterday around town.
Being seen on or near a bike or bike lane seems to be the photo op these days for DC politicians in the Dupont Circle–Logan Circle area. Will it replace kissing babies?
This morning at 15th & Caroline NW: Mayor Adrian Fenty and Councilmember Jack Evans go for a quick ceremonial ride.
This thing has practically become a tourist attraction for the Dupont Circle-Logan Circle area.
Here is one more story about the 15th Street bike lane. This one started with a flurry of activity outside our house this morning: numerous trucks, mini street sweepers and DDoT workers were cleaning 15th Street. (The sweeping is nice since the city has already stopped with regular sweeping for the winter.)
Then, around 11:15 came the event. DC Mayor Adrian Fenty, Ward 2 Councilmember Jack Evans and DDoT Director Gabe Klein arrived for a [Fenty] press conference about 15th Street, bicycles and the new bike lane.
Clark Ray, former director of Parks and Recreation–and now candidate for DC Council–was recognized by his former boss at the opening of the dog park on 17th Street NW. (Photo: Luis Gomez)
I wasn’t able to attend the 17th Street dog park opening yesterday, but Luis covered it and got some good photos.
A couple of people told me that Clark Ray–candidate for DC Council and former head of DC Parks and Recreation until his dismissal by Mayor Adrian Fenty in April–was at the ribbon cutting for the park. Some of his supporters were on hand, too, wearing Ray stickers.
Nothing unusual there… but Fenty, Councilmember Jack Evans (Ward 2) and Ximena Hartsock (Ray’s replacement) all recognized Ray from the podium at the ribbon-cutting ceremonies today, giving him credit for his role in creation of both the Shaw Dog Park and the 17th Street park.
Ironic that Fenty fires Ray, but then gives Ray credit for his good work. I guess I do have to give Fenty credit for recognizing Ray, but some days it is tough to figure out our mayor.
(Full disclosure: I know Ray and am supporting him in his bid against incumbent Phil Mendelson in the 2010 Democratic Primary for an At-Large Council seat.)
dcist has a nice summary of a story The Washington Times did on Mayor Fenty’s propsoal to extend a program that allows some prisoners to earn early release from jail.
It’s a little difficult to cut through the Washington Times’ scare-story, but here goes: as part of his budget proposal, Mayor Fenty has proposed extending an already-existing program in fiscal 2010, which would allow more of D.C.’s prisoners to earn nominal sentence reductions (think days, not months) in exchange for volunteering for work details, exhibiting good behavior, and completing various educational and vocational programs.
DC At-Large Councilmember Phil Mendelson is an important player when it comes to crime and public safety in D.C. The reason is simple: he is chair of the Council Committee on Public Safety & the Judiciary.
Mayor Fenty’s Omnibus Crime Bill has to make it out of his committee. Our own Ward 2 Councilmember Jack Evans is on this committee and supports the Omnibus Crime Bill (councilmember for Borderstan).
Mendelson’s office has announced that he will hold three community meetings to talk about crime-related concerns. The closest meeting, and the only one in Northwest, is at 6:30 p.m. on Monday, April 13 in Shaw at the Kennedy Recreation Center, 1401 7th Street NW.
Note: See earlier Borderstan postings on the Omnibus Crime Bill: “Gang Stats from Crime Bill Hearing”; “March 18: Public Hearing on DC Omnibus Crime Bill”; “Omnibus Crime Bill Roundtable Recap”; and “Friday, Dec. 5: D.C. Council Hearing on Mayor’s Crime Bill”.
You can also read Mayor Fenty’s Oct. 3, 2008, news release with his reasons on why he believes the bill is needed.
For more details, see this news release from Mendelson’s office via the MPD 2D listserv on Yahoo! Groups:
From the Dupont Forum listserv on Yahoo! Groups…
The Dupont Circle Citizens Association (DCCA) is proud to offer an evening, open to all, with Mayor Adrian Fenty:
With a little luck, Borderstan dog owners will have a second enclosed dog park nearby this spring. (The enclosed Shaw Dog Park at 11th and R NW has been open for several months.) The city broke ground on Tuesday to turn the triangle park at 17th-S-New Hampshire NW into an official park for dogs. In attendance were D.C. Mayor Adrian Fenty, Ward 2 Councilmember Jack Evans and ANC Commissioner Jack Jacobson (ANC 2B04). Jack Jacobson/Friends of Jack has the story. Dcist also has the story.
A column by Harry Jaffe in the Feb. 5 issue of the DC Examiner:
Fenty’s tough new crime laws could make city safe
By Harry Jaffe
Examiner Columnist 2/5/09 7:46 PMThe first six weeks of 2009 have been bloody for the folks who live in the other Washington, the one east of the Anacostia River. Very bloody. According to city stats, there have been 10 homicides already in the badlands covered by the 7th Police District. In the 2nd District, which covers Georgetown north to Friendship Heights and Chevy Chase, there have been no murders. That district racks up perhaps one a year.
