The Story Behind Fenty's Fedora

By David Nakamura And Hamil R. Harris
Washington Post Staff Writers
Thursday, January 4, 2007

Mayor Adrian M. Fenty(D) put on a figurative new hat this week when he was sworn in as mayor. Increasingly, though, Fenty is becoming known for the black fedora he wears as a complement to his black overcoat.

Quizzed about the hat recently, Fenty said it was a Christmas present from his staff in 2004, though he added that it was a replacement for two similar ones he used to wear. The brand is Country Gentlemen, whose Web site touts the slogan: "Defining casual elegance."

The fedora generally gives the youthful Fenty, 36, a more mature look, and it seems like a throwback symbol for a guy who ran his campaign on bringing new ideas and a forward-looking outlook to the mayor's office. The hat has elicited much gossip among the city's chattering class. Some say the fit is too big, but Fenty said, "Seems like a good fit to me."

"You've got to have a hat in winter to keep your head warm, and not just because I'm bald. A lot of guys with hair wear hats, too," Fenty said. "You've got to have a hat, and this seemed like the most professional to me. It's the one that works best with a suit."

It was pointed out to Fenty that another black-fedora-wearing Washingtonian was disgraced lobbyistJack Abramoff.

"Come on!" Fenty said. "You can do better than that."

Remembering Gerald Ford

Even though it was their day to begin their new terms, several members of the D.C. Council attended PresidentGerald R. Ford's funeral Tuesday as they reflected on the life of a man who played a key role at a troubled time in political history.

"This is a man who led the country at a very difficult time," D.C. Council ChairmanVincent C. Gray(D) said as he walked into the Washington National Cathedral on Tuesday. "He was never elected to the position, but he served with distinction."

Council memberMarion Barry(D-Ward 8) was a member of the council when Ford was in office. Barry said he initially was critical of Ford's decision to pardonRichard M.Nixonin an effort to bring the Watergate scandal to a close. "I disagreed with him at the time about Nixon, but now I think he was right. [Prosecuting Nixon] would have torn the country up," Barry said.

Council membersCarol Schwartz(R-At Large),Phil Mendelson(D-At Large),David A. Catania(I-At Large) andMary M. Cheh(D-Ward 3) were seen at the funeral. Former council membersKathy Patterson,Vincent B. Orange Sr.andSandy Allenwere also there.

Schwartz remembered Ford for another reason. "He appointed me to the vice chair to the National Advisory Council for Disadvantaged Children back in 1974," she said.

Mayor, Council Members Sworn In

On the same day the council members attended the funeral, relatives and friends joined Gray, Cheh, Catania, Mendelson,Harry "Tommy" Thomas Jr.(D-Ward 5),Jim Graham(D-Ward 1) and Fenty as they were sworn in beginning at 8:25 a.m. at the U.S. Court of Appeals.

Thomas had a larger family reunion than most, with 20 relatives and friends in attendance. One tiny member of the entourage --Kai, Thomas's 2-year-old daughter -- whined and yelled out that she was "sleepy." She was quickly escorted out of the courtroom like a child removed from a Sunday church service.

"She had been up since 5 a.m.," Thomas said later. Before the swearing-in, Thomas held a memorial service at Fort Lincoln Cemetery in honor of his father, the lateHarry Thomas Sr., who was also a Ward 5 council member.

When he stood up to be sworn in, Catania said, "I don't have a person or a Bible."

Mendelson gave him his Bible, and Gray held it and served as Catania's witness.

Remaining Behind

Some council members may be out of the John A. Wilson Building, but their employees and, in one case, a son, remain.

Patterson gave up her safe Ward 3 seat for an unsuccessful run for D.C. Council chairman last fall, but she will maintain a strong influence at City Hall.

Her son,Patrick Leibach, has been hired by Cheh. Leibach will work as a staffer for Cheh's committee on consumer and regulatory affairs.

Leibach worked tirelessly for his mom during her campaign for chairman. Following Patterson's loss in the September primary, he switched over to Cheh's effort.

Donna Cooper, clerk of the government operations committee under Orange, will be director of policy under Gray. The position is a new one that Gray described as a high-profile job that will require Cooper to shepherd the council's legislative goals.

Denise Reed, a spokeswoman for former chairmanLinda W. Cropp, is staying on in the communications office for Gray.Robert Miller, legal counsel under Cropp, is also staying on with Gray as a land-use expert who will deal with zoning issues.

Staff writers Elissa Silverman and Nikita Stewart contributed to this report.