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Fenty Fills Another Key Cabinet Position
Dan Tangherlini, center, said that Adrian M. Fenty, right, gave him a chance "to make more of a difference in more people's lives."
(By Bill O'leary -- The Washington Post)
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Louise Renne, a lawyer who headed the transition team of San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom in 2003, said it is not unusual for mayoral nominees who know they probably will win to talk about potential members of their administration before the general election.
But, Renne said, this was the first time she had heard of an exchange of written promises.
"In some ways, it's actually a good thing to know who an executive is going to appoint to various positions," Renne said. "I have to say, I've never heard of formal letters being exchanged. . . . I guess you need a team of lawyers to tell you whether they are worth anything" in a legal sense.
Fenty is moving faster than Mayor Anthony A. Williams (D) did in 1998, said Gregory McCarthy, who worked for the mayor for seven years. McCarthy said Williams did not name his Cabinet until after he took office in January 1999, but he said that Fenty is smart to move quickly. Fenty also is getting help from Williams, who has agreed to include Fenty in budget discussions and to share with him weekly briefing materials about contracting and personnel issues.
James C. Dinegar, president and chief executive of the Board of Trade, said Fenty is prioritizing the most critical departments.
"His sense of urgency is appropriate in issues that matter," Dinegar said. "He seems to us to be targeting schools, public safety and accountability to run a city like a business. Time is of the essence in all of them."
Tangherlini's contract with Metro runs through Feb. 15, but Fenty said that they will try to negotiate an earlier exit and that the two will be talking daily.
"He will be involved with every agency, every decision under my direct authority," Fenty said. "Dan is an ideas man. He knows the city government, and he will challenge the bureaucracy and the old ways of doing things."
