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:

Fenty supporters obviously care about the District too, but what I've noticed is they provide few specifics to back up claims that the administration has been hugely successful. Rather, they seem to just 'believe' it -- personally I think because the Post has drummed into so many of us "test scores are up, test scores are up, test scores are up, test scores are up, test scores are up, test scores are up."
-Neighborhood listserv

Four years ago I was a great supporter of Adrian Fenty. I believed that the young politician who knocked on my door would help bring our city together, and I worked hard to get him elected. But then I watched as the mayor changed, nearly overnight. He sacrificed opportunities for long-term success in favor of short-term political gains. At the same time, I was fortunate to get to know Vince Gray and see what a leader could accomplish when he puts the community ahead of his own ambitions. Like so many other DC voters, I am now "Formerly Fenty. -Posted on the Gray for Mayor website

For Fenty:

While Gray inherited an acknowledged mess as Director of the Department of Human Services under Sharon Pratt, he did little to fix the situation. Nice guy, pleasant at press conferences, but contracts, personnel, and services continued to be dysfunctional and millions in federal grant money remained unspent at the end of each fiscal year. My concern is Gray spends his time painting Fenty as beholden to Ward 3 interests rather than convincing me he has the ability to make hard budget choices and decisions. This he failed to demonstrate when I worked under him in his leadership role as head of the department. 
-Neighborhood listserv

Yesterday, I was honored to accept the enthusiastic endorsement of New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg. When I was first elected Mayor, I looked to the Bloomberg administration as a model of a government being run like a private-sector business and getting things done for the people. From our 24-hour 311 line to finally putting accountability into our schools, we’ve applied best practices from the Bloomberg administration to improve the lives of DC residents. I am committed to continue making the tough decisions necessary to move our school system forward, drive down crime, and improve city services as we have over the last four years. -Adrian Fenty