Fenty Insists On Call From Cropp Before He'll Debate

D.C. mayoral candidate Adrian M. Fenty rebuffed yet another request yesterday to meet his chief rival for a one-on-one debate, saying council Chairman Linda W. Cropp must contact him personally, by phone, before he will accept her challenge.

With 27 days left until the Sept. 12 Democratic primary, Fenty aides signaled that the Ward 4 D.C. Council member does plan to battle Cropp mano a mano before the election. But yesterday's theatrics made clear that Fenty intends to dictate the terms of that meeting and that he is reveling in his status as the campaign's front-runner.

Over much of the past year, Fenty has run an energetic and focused campaign, spending his time knocking on doors, talking to voters and trying to avoid the usual sparring among political contenders. But since a Washington Post poll last month found him leading Cropp by 10 points among likely Democratic voters, Fenty has appeared more relaxed and confident in public settings and sought to exert more control over the political debate.

Last weekend, for example, Fenty chose the time and the place for a matchup with retired telecommunications executive Marie C. Johns, who was the first candidate to demand a one-on-one meeting. Although Johns is an eloquent speaker, the sometimes tongue-tied Fenty skewered her for trying to move the event "downtown" to an "air-conditioned building" and away from the low-income residents of Woodland Terrace, a neglected Ward 8 public housing complex.

Fenty has begun taking rare breaks from his grueling campaign schedule. Before knocking on doors Sunday, he participated in a Maryland triathlon. And several times in recent weeks, he has left town to meet with education officials and big-city mayors such as New York's Michael R. Bloomberg (R) and Baltimore's Martin O'Malley (D).

Fenty said the trips are intended to glean information about cutting edge urban strategies, but his critics say the sophomore council member is trying to add gravitas to his image. On a recent trip to Baltimore, Fenty was particularly eager to be photographed with O'Malley.

But Fenty's feud with Cropp might be his most willful display of political chutzpah.

Over the past week, Cropp has launched a full-on attack against her council colleague, accusing him of "abandoning" D.C. schoolchildren in two recent council votes, irresponsibly opposing legislation aimed at quelling a crime emergency and neglecting two elderly legal clients entrusted to his care when he was working as a young lawyer before his election to the council in 2000.

At the same time, Cropp has pressed her demand for a debate, writing a letter last week that urged Fenty to accept an invitation for an Aug. 29 forum issued by the D.C. Federation of Civic Associations.

Initially, Fenty quietly brushed off the request, claiming a scheduling conflict. On Monday, Cropp pressed the point at a news conference. Fenty urged her to contact his campaign instead of sending messages through reporters.

Yesterday, Cropp dashed off an e-mail, with her personal signature, addressed "Dear Council member Fenty."

On Monday, "I challenged you to a series of debates. There are unanswered questions about your record and District residents deserve the opportunity to see the two of us debate head-to-head," Cropp wrote. "I believe you owe it to the voters to give them the opportunity to hear straight answers about your record. . . .

"I have accepted the invitation to debate you one on one from the D.C. Federation of Civic Associations on August 29th. I call on you today to accept their invitation and to meet me for at least one other debate," she wrote, directing Fenty to "Please call my campaign . . . to schedule those debates."

Two hours later, the Fenty campaign delivered an imperious reply to Cropp campaign spokesman Ron Eckstein.

"We are in receipt of your August 15th e-mail. We have informed the D.C. Federation of Civic Associations that we will be unable to accept their invitation because of a conflict," the missive said. "If you would like to challenge Councilmember Adrian Fenty to a debate, please have Council Chair Linda Cropp call him directly on his cell phone."

The e-mail was signed: "Team Fenty."

Last night, Eckstein said: "We've had enough of these games from Adrian Fenty. This is not about phone calls. It's about him being accountable to the voters."