"You don't do that to people who have helped you," said Collins, who is also backing Fenty. "The mayor is the most brilliant man I know, and he's done a great service for the city. But it's time to gear up again."
Not everyone is ready to abandon Williams. Of the original seven members of the draft-Williams movement, five said they are inclined to stick with him, though he has yet to call and ask for their support. One, Drissel, is going with Fenty, and the other did not return phone calls.
Peter Rosenstein says he supported Williams twice, "but after eight years, it's time for new creativity."
(Susan Biddle -- The Washington Post)
|
|
"I'm hoping that he will run again," said Vincent Spaulding, president of the Hillcrest Community Civic Association. "I think he's one of the hardest-working mayors this city has ever had. He's had a vision and a dream for this city, and he's worked hard to accomplish it."
Spaulding and Ward 7 activist Barbara Savage criticized those flocking to Fenty, saying they tend to be political gadflies looking to get in on the ground floor of the next big thing. Savage said some have been swayed by charm and flattery, attributes that have never been Williams's strength.
"Some people are happy with a kiss on the cheek and a pat on the butt. I'm not asking for that," Savage said. "I want good government."
Even some people whose names have shown up on the voluminous lists of sponsors Fenty prints on invitations to his exploratory events said they are keeping their options open. For example, Tersh Boasberg, chairman of the city's Historic Preservation Review Board, raised eyebrows in the mayor's office when he agreed to serve on the host committee for a Jan. 30 Fenty fundraiser.
But Boasberg said in an interview that he supports the mayor and "would urge him to run again."
"He's done more for the city than anybody I can remember. And I've told Adrian that," Boasberg said, adding that he felt free to assist Fenty's exploratory effort because the mayor is not currently a candidate.
In the end, such loyalty will mean little if Williams chooses to retire. For now, the mayor isn't talking. And if he decides not to run, it might be a long time before he makes that decision public.
"You have to decide what you're going to decide, and you have to decide whether you're going to tell people that you have decided," Williams said in an interview. "There's a big argument for not telling anybody anything."
•