Candidate Counters Ugly Words on Web

Holder, who had been considering a run for mayor, said Tuesday that he probably won't seek to replace Williams, though he didn't slam the door.

"I still have time to decide," he said.

The busy former lawman is a litigation partner at Covington & Burling and has joined Jeffrey H. Smulyan, founder and chairman of an Indianapolis-based media conglomerate, in an effort to buy the Washington Nationals from Major League Baseball. Former Redskins Art Monk, Charles Mann and Calvin Hill are also in on that deal.

"Why couldn't the mayor also be an owner of the baseball team?" Holder said jokingly.

Holder also recently signed on as legal adviser to the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America, the association that lobbies for drug companies.

Promoting Construction

Ted Trabue , a Pepco lobbyist and former chief of staff to D.C. Council Chairman Linda W. Cropp (D) back when she was an at-large member, is leaving the utility for an upstart firm dedicated to helping D.C. residents nab lucrative construction jobs.

Trabue will become executive director of the District Economic Empowerment Coalition, a D.C.-based nonprofit group created by businessmen Brett McMahon of Miller & Long Co. Inc., a Bethesda construction firm, and Bill Dean of M.C. Dean Inc., an engineering firm in Dulles.

McMahon and Dean started talking about creating a firm to focus on job training, entrepreneurship and mentoring about eight months ago. McMahon said the coalition's goal is to do more than train a blue-collar workforce. Advising interested individuals on owning a construction company also will be key.

Trabue's background made him an ideal candidate for the coalition's top job, McMahon said.

"Ted's got a real track record with everyone from job creators to nonprofits to government officials, so he can speak with a lot of credibility," McMahon said.

Trabue will be charged with developing a pool of skilled workers for the construction industry. Trabue said he will also focus on developing mentoring programs and introducing the construction trades into high schools and vocational programs.

"It's tough getting employees, particularly skilled labor," Trabue said. "We have to start developing those talent pools."

Staff writer Eric M. Weiss contributed to this report.