Are you still undecided between Adrian Fenty and Vincent Gray? Between now and the election we'll 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.
For Gray:
I voted for Vince Gray and I am going to support Vince Gray and I hope the residents of my ward and around the District also support Vince Gray. I have worked with him over the past 4 years shoulder to shoulder, and I have become an admirer. He is a man of integrity, thoughtful and he will be a leader. -Councilmember Mary Cheh, after voting early for Vincent Gray
ANC 3E spent two years fighting to keep Mayor Fenty from replacing Janney Elementary School's soccer field with a condo building....I'm really tired of watching our public lands being sold off (at fire sale prices (often with additional subsidies or discount attached)) with little regard for current and future public facilities needs. And that's another reason I won't be voting for Adrian Fenty. -From a neighborhood listserv
For Fenty:
I endorse Mayor Adrian M. Fenty for re-election. This election is (or should be) a referendum, above all else, on the mayor’s record. Four years ago we elected a no-nonsense, results-oriented man as our next mayor. We got our wish. By almost any measure, the city is a better place to live and work in than it was four years ago. -Ward 6 resident
Mr. Gray's campaign for mayor seems driven more by animus toward Mr. Fenty, and his style of governing, than by any agenda of his own. Instead of a substantive program, he offers the pledge of "one city..." Mr. Gray is alarmingly vague. He promises a cradle-to-college approach to schooling but offers little hint where the money would come from; he refuses to say whether he would try to retain Schools Chancellor Michelle A. Rhee, though he spent much of his tenure as chairman criticizing her. -The Washington Post
My mother lives in an assisted living apartment complex in DC. I took her to vote early on Saturday only to find out that she had already voted absentee (which she had forgotten). After talking with the retirement home staff, I discovered that representatives of the Fenty campaign had come to her building recently to "help" residents fill out their absentee ballots. Yes, the Fenty team not just encouraged them to vote for Fenty, but actually gave them absentee ballots and helped them fill them out. I suspect that many of these residents were not quite aware of what they were doing, or for whom they were voting.
ReplyDeleteSo, Fenty can pay people to vote (in August, he vetoed a bill that would have made this illegal) and now he's taking advantage of seniors in reitrement homes. This tactic is unethical at best, and perhaps worse... Regardless, it is not how elections should be won.
Carola McGiffert
Albemarle Street
I too have heard of similar events taking place at other senior buildings. I don't believe these seniors are even aware of who they are voting for. I am indeed saddened of this ploy for votes. I believe he should run on his own merit and integrity. Shame on you Mr. Fenty.
ReplyDeleteEmily Riody