By David Nakamura and Keith L. Alexander
Washington Post Staff Writers
Thursday, January 4, 2007
D.C. Mayor Adrian M. Fenty took his public oath of office before a crowd of nearly 1,000 at the Washington Convention Center yesterday, then pledged that his administration "will settle for nothing less" than a world-class school system because "it is our time to achieve greatness."
In a 10-minute inaugural address, Fenty (D) described the city as one that has emerged from the fiscal mismanagement of a decade earlier but that is eager for more improvement and has developed higher expectations. He promised to make substantial progress toward fixing schools, gaining congressional voting rights, attacking HIV/AIDS, building affordable housing and reducing violent crime.
Only then, Fenty said, can the District "fulfill our destiny."
"This government intends to be measured most for how much we do for the least," Fenty told the crowd, which included residents from all eight wards. "We will be a model for the nation on how a great city can continue to grow and prosper. We will be a beacon to the world."
Fenty's remarks, which were met with a standing ovation, set the tone for the new face of the District government's leadership. In addition to Fenty, council Chairman Vincent C. Gray (D); new council members Mary M. Cheh (D-Ward 3), Harry "Tommy" Thomas Jr. (D-Ward 5) and Tommy Wells (D-Ward 6); and reelected members David A. Catania (I-At Large), Phil Mendelson (D-At Large) and Jim Graham (D-Ward 1) repeated the oaths they had taken privately Tuesday.
Gray, who served two years as the Ward 7 member before winning the chairman's job, campaigned under the slogan "One City," a reference to a growing divide between rich and poor that has been felt most strongly east of the Anacostia River, where economic development has lagged.
Playing off that theme yesterday, Gray compared the District to a Dickensian city divided by class, with one part that "bustles with life" and the other a place where "hope and dreams are snuffed out."
"One city is possible, if each day we embrace that goal," Gray concluded. "One city, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all."
Most of the other council members cited priorities including voting rights, affordable housing and public safety. Cheh, for example, pleaded with the out-of-town guests in the audience to help the District achieve full voting representation in Congress.
"We deserve the right to vote," she said. "Tell your congressmen."
Although about 4,000 tickets had been distributed and two giant televisions were set up to broadcast the event to those seated far away, the massive ballroom was less than half-full. Among the dignitaries were Fenty's predecessor, Anthony A. Williams; Maryland Gov.-elect Martin O'Malley (D); Rep. Thomas M. Davis III (R-Va.); and Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg, who administered the oath to Cheh.
Music from a harpist greeted residents as they entered and a pair of singers capped the proceedings with a gospel-inflected song, "Pride of D.C.," that Fenty's inaugural committee had commissioned.
The mood was optimistic.
"I'm energized," said Gregory Jackson, a resident of Northeast Washington. "We're moving to another level of accountability and results. I think Mayor Fenty truly will be one who leads by example."
Sharon Baskerville, head of the D.C. Primary Care Association, was equally hopeful.
"I've heard a lot of promises -- and seen a lot of them broken," she said. "But I do believe them today."
For those who did not attend, expectations of the new administration were high, with residents reciting a list of priorities.
Dressed in a suit, Wil Taylor, 26, was at the Anacostia Metro station on his way to a job interview, résumé in hand at about the time Fenty was giving his speech.
Fenty "seems to have a genuine heart for the people," said Taylor, who lives on Good Hope Road in Southeast. "He also seems more concerned about the youth than anyone else. I am ready for him to take action. People my age and younger want him to find more jobs for us."
Also at the Metro station, Gloria Starks, 46, said she hopes Fenty "puts police on every corner that has trouble rather than having to wait and rush out each time there is a crime."
Fenty plans to move quickly to implement major initiatives, beginning today with a 10 a.m. news conference during which he will unveil his proposal to take direct control of the 58,000-student school system. Tomorrow, he and his nominee for police chief, Cathy L. Lanier, will lay out plans to increase the presence of officers in neighborhoods.
Under Fenty's school governance proposal, he would reduce the authority of the Board of Education and require that the superintendent report directly to him. The council would get line-item control of the schools budget, while the elected board would be maintained with a peripheral role.
A majority of D.C. Council members have said they support the general framework of Fenty's plan, and many are expected to join him for today's announcement. Parents and students also will be on hand at the John A. Wilson Building, Fenty aides said.
The proposal has not been well received by incoming school board President Robert C. Bobb, who was inaugurated in a separate ceremony last evening along with two other board members.
Gray, who has not endorsed Fenty's plan, said in his speech that he shared Fenty's commitment to improving the schools.
"We cannot support the status quo when failure has become the expectation of so many of our young people," Gray said. "The question of school governance will be debated. I commend you, Mayor Fenty, for having the courage to raise it."
Even as Fenty and Gray were describing a message of inclusion, however, some observers pointed to one sign at the Convention Center that seemed to contradict the unity message. Event staffers had set up a red velvet rope around the few hundred best seats and barred anyone who did not have a formal invitation from passing through. Those without tickets were relegated to the rear or the sides of the ballroom, even though many empty seats remained in the center section.
"I can't believe this," said Ward 8 activist Hannah Hawkins. "As hard as I work for this city, this is another form of discrimination between those who have and those who have not."
William Lightfoot, co-chairman of Fenty's inaugural committee, said planners wanted to ensure that there were enough seats for the invited guests and allowed people to pass after the event began.
For the most part, however, the day was one of smiles, hugs and newfound optimism. After the ceremony, Gray led his first council meeting, formally assigning committee chairmanships. Fenty played host to an open-house for residents to see his new "bullpen" office on the third floor of the Wilson Building, where he will work alongside 30 deputies.
"With the sunset of one administration, and the dawn of another, significant progress has given way to a new set of expectations," Fenty said in his address. "That is why our administration pledges not just to maintain the pace, but also to focus passionately on unrealized challenges."
Staff writers Hamil R. Harris, Elissa Silverman, Nikita Stewart and Yolanda Woodlee contributed to this report.
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