Cropp Draws Big Names, Big Spenders

"Literally," he said, "I could be anyplace."

Notably Absent

The stage last Thursday at the Disability Community Mayoral Forum was crammed with candidates, all eager to share their views on improving city services for the mentally and physically disabled. Cropp was there, as were council member Vincent B. Orange Sr . (D-Ward 5) and former Verizon executive Marie C. Johns . They were joined by Theresa Smith ; David Bloem ; Republican Dennis Moore ; and Faith , the 82-year-old bugle-blowing former actress who is making her seventh run for mayor.

But one candidate was conspicuous by his absence: Fenty. He heads the council's human-services committee and has been a leading advocate for overhauling the city's Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities Administration.

Fenty's failure to appear at the forum in Northwest Washington surprised and disappointed its sponsors, particularly since he was one of the first to agree to participate. It was all the more puzzling, one organizer said, because a Fenty campaign aide dropped by and insisted that Fenty was "minutes away."

Instead, a chair with Fenty's name sat empty for two hours while the other candidates answered questions from an audience that included more than 200 disabled D.C. residents and service providers. Reached later that night, Fenty was apologetic, saying he had trouble at the last minute fitting the forum into his busy schedule.

"There are so many different things going on," Fenty said. "I think I was at a Ward 2 event about then. We thought we'd be out in time."

While Fenty was the only no-show, Cropp and Johns cut out early to tend to other campaign matters. Orange, who worked for 11 years at the National Children's Center for disabled youngsters, stayed with the other candidates through the entire forum.

Each of those present pledged to meet with a delegation of people with disabilities before taking office in January. Meanwhile, Faith touted art, dance and music therapy as the best solution for those with physical and mental disabilities, and offered a candid account of her own experiences with the city's mental health services.

"You're going to have a mayor on Paxil," she said. "That's me."