The School Reform Triathlon
No one told Mayor Adrian Fenty that taking over the District’s troubled school system would be easy. But for a man trained in endurance sports – the triathlon, to be exact – the struggle must be all too familiar. And since he broached the idea after winning an overwhelming electoral victory last November, Fenty’s struggle to reshape the District’s school system has started resembling a political triathlon itself.

The Swim. In the standard Olympic triathlon, participants start with a mile-long swim. Though fast-paced and hectic, the triathletes are fresh, motivated and eager to get ahead. So, too, was Fenty in January, when the school takeover plan started taking shape. His plan was presented to a public that had handed him a stunning victory, and members of the DC Council were all too aware of the political capital the mayor had available in his first few months in office. Even better, Fenty surrounded himself with a strong team of big-city mayors, notably New York’s Michael Bloomberg, lending the plan additional political weight.

While a series of hearings were scheduled to fully debate the plan, all but two of the members of the council offered their full endorsement. As April came to a close, Fenty had emerged from the political swim all but unscathed – and with council approval, control of the city’s schools.

The Bike. If the swim is the sprint, the 25-mile biking section marks the start of the long-haul. Though participants are energized, the field starts to spread out, and each individual faces the potential of physical and mental obstacles – as did Fenty. After April’s close, a series of complications slowed the takeover’s momentum. Revelations that part of the takeover had been lifted from a similar plan in North Carolina – one that hadn’t fared too well, to boot – left Fenty and his senior officials looking sheepish, giving additional wind to longtime opponents of the plan. Things got even more complicated when three Democratic senators – Maryland’s Benjamin Cardin, Louisiana’s Mary Landrieu and Michigan’s Carl Levin – placed holds on the legislation, effectively stalling its move through Congress. And though the holds were quickly lifted, Fenty had to promise Landrieu that he’d negotiate with School Board President Robert Bobb over standardized testing, teacher certification and other federally-mandated programs.

The Run. By the time competitors get to the run, they’re but six miles from finishing. But it is during these finals miles that the physical and mental anguish from the miles before start to add up, forcing competitors to choose whether they’ll push through the pain and finish or stop now. And this is where Fenty finds himself today.

But like the good triathlete that he is – and good runner, seeing that he finished the District’s own National Marathon in solid time – it’s too late in the race to think about giving up. But that doesn’t mean that finishing won’t be painful. And it is.

In late May, the DC Board of Election and Ethics voted in favor of District resident Mary Spencer, who was fighting to call an August referendum on Fenty’s takeover plan. And though the board set strict conditions on putting the issue to the voters – 20,000 verifiable signatures in just one week is no easy feat in this city – the possibility of having to wait until the end of the summer, and just before the 2007-2008 school year is set to start, is a significant setback for Fenty. Maybe not one he can’t overcome, but a setback no less. Those last miles aren’t looking easy.

Strip Club NIMBYism
If there is ever a downside to a government using its powers of eminent domain to claim land for development purposes, it’s that whatever was there has to be moved, oftentimes at taxpayer expense. And such was the case for the adult entertainment district that had for years occupied the dilapidated industrial area around where the new stadium for the Washington Nationals is rising. 

The clubs – some call them strip clubs, other prefer the technical designation “Adult Entertainment Destinations,” AEDs – moved from the area after the District promised to help them find somewhere else to locate. The obvious problem that city officials left aside was that these clubs, the majority of which catered to a gay audience, wouldn’t likely be welcomed anywhere else. And they weren’t. When Councilmember Jim Graham proposed that they be relocated to another relatively industrial area, this one in Ward 5, Councilmember Harry Thomas objected. Obviously.

Strip clubs are a lose-lose proposition for any politician, given that they’re an easy target for NIMBY (Not In My Back Yard) activists. And though they can have a stable clientele, pay taxes and otherwise serve as models of small business development, few elected officials – or voters, for that matter – would openly advocate for strip clubs.

Though Graham has become their biggest champion, it goes without saying that he’s championed them in a ward other than his own, thus avoiding any political recriminations from his own constituents. It didn’t take long for Graham’s critics to note that the Ward 1 councilmember had his own NIMBY instincts – he had strongly opposed moving the Central Union Mission from 14th Street, NW, to a location on the fast-developing Georgia Avenue.

So what to do? Well, there are fewer and fewer locations to put businesses of this sort. And though Ward 5 features some vibrant residential and business areas, Graham’s proposed site isn’t within shouting – or seeing – distance of any of them. While Thomas remains stridently 0pposed to the move, he’s not stupid. In a May 15 vote, the council, at Thomas’ request, earmarked $3.6 million for road improvements in Ward 5. Though the money for Bladensburg Road, New York Avenue, West Virginia Avenue and Mount Olivet Road might be sorely needed, it seemed like a badly-concealed payoff for handing Ward 5 the clubs. Spare Ward 6 Councilmember Tommy Wells, the council voted overwhelming for the earmark. Wells expressed concern with the precedent it might set.