Declining to Debate Mano a Mano

By Nikita Stewart and Lori Montgomery
Washington Post Staff Writers
Thursday, August 31, 2006

Mary Cheh is a wanted woman.

It seems lots of folks want to debate her one-on-one. Or two-on-one. Or in some other combination.

That's because Cheh is ahead in a nine-way race for the Democratic nomination for the Ward 3 council seat. With less than two weeks to go until the Sept. 12 primary, Cheh has the support of council member Kathy Patterson (D-Ward 3), who is stepping down to run for chairman, and the endorsements of The Washington Post and the Northwest Current.

Among her prospective debating partners are Erik S. Gaull , who challenged her to go mano a mano on issues of public safety. Gaull is endorsed by the Fraternal Order of Police, District EMT and paramedic unions and the Medical Society of the District of Columbia.

Then there's D.C. shadow Sen. Paul Strauss , who is leaving federal office to run for the council seat. He challenged every candidate, including Cheh, to a one-on-one debate.

Bill Rice , another Ward 3 candidate, wrote to Cheh and suggested that she take Strauss up on his offer and face Rice as well, making it a three-way debate.

Cheh's response to all this attention? She is declining all invitations.

To Rice, she sent this e-mail: "We can have as many debates as you would like but let's respect the fact that there are, to my count, eight viable candidates in the race all of whom have views on the matters we would be discussing. Out of fairness to ward 3 voters and the other candidates -- with whom I disagree on issues but respect for the effort I know they have put into this campaign -- we should have fully open and fully inclusive debates."

Eight viable candidates? Wonder whom Cheh is leaving off the list?

A Craigslist Campaign Come-on

Ward 3 candidate and Advisory Neighborhood Commission member Robert Gordon has stayed out of the debate about debates. But Gordon is still reaching out through the magic of Craigslist.

Yes, Craigslist, the Internet marketplace that more typically features ads about apartments, nannies and lonely single guys.

Gordon's ad reads: "DC Democratic Campaign Work -- 2 Weeks/$10hr."

"We are hiring smart, hard-working people to help with the final stages of a DC political campaign. No experience necessary. Work will include phone calls, meeting Ward 3 constituents, and generally backing the candidate. We need you to begin work on this Wednesday, August 30th to Tuesday, September 12th . . . election day."

No word yet on the response from potential applicants.

Examining Campaign's Support

Lawyer A. Scott Bolden , who is challenging two-term incumbent Phil Mendelson (D) for his at-large council seat, has already flooded D.C. mailboxes with six pieces of campaign literature in a desperate bid to gain name recognition.

Now, Bolden is getting a little help.

Voters recently received yet another mailing, this one paid for by the Citizens for Empowerment Political Action Committee, a $200,000 operation funded by Dulles-based electrical contractor M.C. Dean Inc. and Bethesda-based Miller & Long, one of the largest concrete contractors in the nation.

The four crisp photos in the action committee's literature are identical to shots in material produced by Bolden, a former president of the D.C. Chamber of Commerce who has had an adversarial relationship with local labor unions.

Bolden denies any coordination between his campaign and the committee, which would be a violation of campaign finance laws. Bolden said the organization must have taken the photos from his Web site or gotten them from "the public domain."

"We haven't communicated or coordinated with the group," Bolden said in an interview. "It would be inappropriate."

Leaving for Another Candidate

It's been a rough summer for the three trailing candidates in the D.C. mayor's race. Low on funds and even lower on the public's radar, lobbyist Michael A. Brown was dumped by his chief spokesman. Council member Vincent B. Orange Sr. (D-Ward 5) economized by cutting payments to his campaign manager and communications director. And former Verizon Washington president Marie C. Johns watched her finance committee chairman defect to another candidate: Adrian M. Fenty , the Ward 4 council member and mayoral front-runner.

The defection of Deborah Royster and her husband, D.C. Hospital Association President Robert Malson , was particularly painful, since Royster and Johns are friends.

Royster declined to comment publicly on the decision. Malson said the switch was not personal but based on a clear-eyed assessment of the polls.

"As you get closer to the election, some people lose traction and others gain. It seems to me this race revolves around candidates who are seeking change and candidates perceived as a continuation of the status quo," he said. "Marie, Adrian and Michael are change agents. [Council chairman] Linda [W. Cropp] and Vincent are more the status quo candidates. It seemed to us to make sense to solidify around the one who has the greatest chance of winning. And that's what we chose to do."

Malson, who was among the earliest and most enthusiastic boosters of Johns's campaign, said: "Marie did not generate the kind of support from the business community or even in Ward 3 that I believe she was entitled to expect, given her position" with Verizon.

"Without that kind of support, it doesn't seem to me she has a likelihood of winning," Malson said. "Even though I started with her, I can't ignore the fact that he's generated the kind of support he has."

New Schools Officer

The D.C. school system has hired a new chief accountability officer. Cleopatra Figgures , who started Monday, previously served in that position in the St. Louis district. Before that, she spent more than 25 years in the Philadelphia public schools working in various regional and central office positions.

Figgures replaces Meria J. Carstarphen, who left in June to become superintendent of St. Paul public schools, in Minnesota.

Staff writer V. Dion Haynes contributed to this report.