Fenty Versus Gray Thoughts of the Day

Are you still undecided between Adrian Fenty and Vincent Gray? Between now and the election we present occasional Fenty versus Gray thoughts to help you decide whom to vote for to be the next Mayor of the District of Columbia. These quotations come from various sources, including Twitter, neighborhood listservs, endorsements, articles, and the campaigns themselves. As with all political pronouncements, how you evaluate these statements is up to you. You're welcome to add your thoughts in the comments section below.  And if you still can't figure out whom to vote for, use our handy Fenty-Gray decider.



For Gray:

If Fenty wins, he'll be beholden to five million dollars worth of donors. Gray has one million dollars worth of donors. Fenty is a despot. Despots usually don't rule in Democratic societies. Gray is an intelligent, thoughtful, well-versed, experienced community leader. I've never heard anyone call Fenty intelligent -- not even his supporters. I find this disturbing. -Neighborhood listserv

In terms of cronyism and dysfunction Fenty is the throwback to Barry rather than the successor to Tony Williams. -Neighborhood listserv


For Fenty:

If Gray wins, there will need to be political payoffs to those who have supported him -- the teachers' union (which will effectively run the schools), other unions, and various special interest groups.  The city payroll will grow.  "Consultants" will be hired to advise city task forces.  Whereas Fenty has balanced resources and results across all wards, under Gray, there is going to be a re-allocation, and it is going to tip against NW DC.  Gray has been very clear about this, falsely alleging that Fenty has favored NW DC and promising to "fix" that.  At the same time, expect Gray to seek to raise taxes on higher income levels. -Neighborhood listserv

If you believe like I do that despite rising test scores, lower crime, better services and revitalized neighborhoods, the city’s best days are still to come; if you believe that we can never go back to the dark days of the past, then I ask you to believe in me again. Believe in DC and believe in this campaign. -Fenty campaign