A Return Engagement at City Hall

By David Nakamura and V. Dion Haynes
Washington Post Staff Writers
Thursday, November 16, 2006

The new deputy mayor looks a lot like the old deputy mayor.

Neil O. Albert, once a deputy to Mayor Anthony A. Williams (D), will return to D.C. government after a year in the private sector to head up mayor-elect Adrian M. Fenty's economic development effort.

Fenty and Dan Tangherlini, who will be city administrator in the Fenty administration, introduced Albert -- or "reintroduced" him, as Fenty put it -- to reporters Monday at the Frank D. Reeves Municipal Center.

He is familiar to many as the former head of the city's Department of Parks and Recreation and later as a deputy mayor. For the past year, Albert has worked as founder and chief executive of EdBuild, which provides services to D.C. schools.

Albert has no background in development. But Fenty, currently the Ward 4 D.C. Council member, said Albert turned the Parks and Recreation Department into a more engaged and creative agency than it was when Albert took over. Fenty added that he talked with four colleagues on the council who were effusive in their praise of Albert.

"We have a very strong personal relationship and working relationship," Fenty said. "Neil is thoughtful, deliberative and takes into account all sides of an issue. And he is strong on making a decision at the end of the day."

Fenty said Albert will focus on sustaining the kind of large-scale projects that thrived under the Williams administration but also ramp up smaller development in more neglected areas of the city, such as east of Anacostia River, where development has lagged.

"We will look out for that segment of the community that has been left behind," said Albert, citing his work providing shelter for the District's homeless in his role as deputy mayor under Williams.

Fenty is eliminating three of the four deputy mayor positions under Williams, keeping the congressionally chartered deputy mayor for economic development and creating a deputy for education. Gone will be the deputy positions that oversaw government operations, public safety and children, youth, families and elders, Albert's old job. That will save about $2 million and improve government efficiency by eliminating bureaucracy, Fenty said.

He said he intends to empower city agency directors, giving them more authority but also more responsibility by reporting directly to Tangherlini and himself. Fenty also plans to name a deputy mayor for education as soon as today.

Fenty's New Spokeswoman

Carrie Brooks used to work in federal politics on Capitol Hill. Now, she'll try her hand on the local government scene.

Fenty named Brooks, once the spokeswoman for Rep. Loretta Sanchez (D-Calif.), as his communications director, responsible for the message of his administration. Fenty has been looking for a new spokesman since he fired top aide Alec Evans last month.

Brooks got off to kind of a slow start Monday, when Fenty had to push Brooks toward the lectern at the Reeves Center, after introducing her to reporters. She appeared almost shy when answering the question put to her from uber-activist Dorothy Brizill, who asked whether Brooks was a resident of the District.

When Brooks said yes, Brizill, who operates the watchdog Web site http://www.dcwatch.com, followed up by asking whether Brooks voted in the District.

No, Brooks acknowledged, she has voted in California, where she used to work for two city governments.

"So you're not a resident, then?" Brizill said.

Brooks agreed that Brizill had a point and promised to change her voter registration in the future. Life in D.C. politics must have suddenly appeared as rough-and-tumble to Brooks as life on the Hill.

Speaking for the Schools

Speaking of new spokespeople, D.C. School Superintendent Clifford B. Janey has hired John C. White as his new chief communications officer to replace Alexis Moore, who departed in January after less than one year on the job.

The office has been short staffed in recent months, with the simultaneous resignations during the summer of Roxanne Evans and Leonie Campbell.

White is a familiar face in D.C. political circles. He was press secretary for council member Marion Barry (D-Ward 8) from 1987 to 1989 when Barry was mayor. A native of Baltimore, White served as director of communications for the NAACP's national office for the last 7 1/2 years.

White comes at a critical time, with Fenty considering a bid to take direct control of the schools away from the Board of Education. White said he did not anticipate having any input in Janey's response to the Fenty proposal.

"My mission is to help the public understand how well the schools and superintendent carry out their tasks," he said.