By Lori Montgomery
Washington Post Staff Writer
Tuesday, July 11, 2006; B01

The political action committee of the Greater Washington Board of Trade endorsed Linda W. Cropp yesterday in the race for D.C. mayor, praising Cropp for her long and "collaborative" relationship with business leaders.

The vote by PAC members marks the second major endorsement that Cropp (D), the D.C. Council chairman, has obtained from the city's business community in recent weeks. She is widely expected to pick up a third tomorrow, sealing her status as the candidate of the city's business establishment.

Michael C. Rogers, an executive vice president at MedStar Health and co-chairman of the Board of Trade PAC, said the group interviewed all five major mayoral candidates for the Democratic nomination in the Sept. 12 primary and was swayed by Cropp's strong support for better public schools, more affordable housing and sustained economic growth.

Rogers said the group was particularly impressed by Cropp's skeptical approach to Mayor Anthony A. Williams's original proposal to build a new baseball stadium to lure a Major League Baseball franchise. The Board of Trade strongly supports the stadium, which is under construction along the Anacostia River. Williams (D) endorsed Cropp to succeed him in May.

Cropp "stood up for the citizens of the District of Columbia in trying to seek a better deal for the citizens of the District of Columbia. But, at the same time, she didn't turn away baseball, which has tremendous economic benefits for the city," Rogers said. "It would have been easy to say no, no, no, no. But she stood in front of a moving train and said, 'Hold up.' And I think as a result of that closer scrutiny, the District is better off."

Although Cropp's initial efforts to find private financing for the stadium failed, Rogers said she eventually persuaded her colleagues and Williams to place a cap on public spending.

"The main thing is she stood up. Brought people to the table," Rogers said.

Cropp's position on baseball stands in contrast to that of her chief rival in the mayor's race, council member Adrian M. Fenty (D-Ward 4), who voted against the stadium plan.

Yesterday, the Board of Trade PAC recognized Fenty for his "positive contributions" to the city's political dialogue. They also praised mayoral contender and council member Vincent B. Orange Sr. (D-Ward 5) for his long devotion to "economic opportunity to all D.C. wards."

The group made no mention, however, of Marie C. Johns, a former Verizon executive who was selected in 2004 as the Board of Trade's business leader of the year.

Rogers said that the PAC will contribute $2,000 to Cropp's campaign but that it has not decided whether to raise additional funds to influence the race.

Cropp has won the endorsement of the D.C. Building Industry Association and is expected to win the nod of the D.C. Chamber of Commerce this week. She released a statement thanking the Board of Trade PAC for its support.

"It is extremely important that there is a partnership between the citizens and the business community in order to ensure prosperity in every community in our city," Cropp said. "We've worked together to create a solid foundation so we can now build on our progress and address our challenges in every neighborhood."

Fenty declined to comment directly on the group's decision, saying "the race will be decided on Election Day."

Johns said she was not surprised that the Board of Trade "would do what they consider the safe thing by supporting an incumbent."

But, she said, "not everyone thinks wealthy businesspeople from the suburbs ought to decide the mayor's race anyway."