Thursday, September 2, 2010

Has Mary Cheh Changed Your Mind About the Mayor's Race?

With less than two weeks until the Democratic primary Ward 3 Councilmember Mary Cheh has unequivocally and enthusiastically endorsed Vincent Gray for mayor. 

Will Cheh's endorsement change the minds of Ward 3 voters who seem to be leaning toward Adrian Fenty

If you've already voted in All Life Is Local's informal poll and have changed your mind, you can change your vote.  Our poll closes on Tuesday.

You can view a video of Cheh's endorsement on Gray's website.

Why is it that New York City's mayors --Lindsay, Giuliani and Bloomberg come to mind-- become historical figures, while DC's mayors (with the not-so-good exception of Marion Barry) are forgettable?   What great or important changes did Sharon Pratt-Kelly or Anthony Williams bring about?  Does having Congress as DC's overlord mean that it doesn't make a difference who our mayor is?

Maybe who's the mayor does matter.  Maybe the choice between Fenty and Gray is an important one.  I'm still on the fence between the two.

3 comments:

  1. On balance, Vincent Gray is the right choice. He'll continue and enhance school reform, which he has always supported; he'll produce a united government; he'll eliminate corrupt practices; and he's a dedicated, honest and personable man.

    Jackie and David Marlin

    ReplyDelete
  2. I find myself frankly astonished that Vince Gray's campaign has so much momentum. It seems to me he has been campaigning for the mayor's office since he was elected chairman, and his methodology was to block or micro-manage Mayor Fenty at every turn. I was born and raised here and have never been so proud of the local government as I have been during the last 4 years. Are we really going to vote out an active, passionate mayor because of some hurt feelings? The story often revolves around Fenty's ego but it would better serve his critics to step back from their comments and examine their own perhaps selfish motivations. Is it about who's getting credit?

    ReplyDelete
  3. Although I am still in the "undecided" camp, I have to say that Mary Cheh's endorsement does matter to me. I respect her opinion, especially since she knows both candidates well and has had to work with both of them. I still worry whether Vincent Gray is tough enough to continue reforms that Fenty started that are working, and whether he'll be any better when it comes to awarding contracts to his old friends and cronies than Fenty. Gray's past record is not confidence-inspiring. Still, a vote for Gray is a vote to put AG Peter Nickles out of a job, and that is something that needs to be done. If Fenty would ditch him now, I think he would get my vote.

    ReplyDelete