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Ripping Down Barriers
Glenis Gillis, Mayor Adrian M. Fenty's executive assistant, checks out a homemade sign that was given to the mayor during a recent appearance.
(Photos By Sarah L. Voisin -- The Washington Post)
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Who's Blogging  |
The question is: Must speed and efficiency ever give way to patience, deliberation and caution?
Jumping on the Story
It's shortly after 6 p.m. when a problem hits the bullpen: A teacher at Wilson High School has been jumped by students. Fenty and his deputies are huddled in his cubicle, getting the details on one of the two 60-inch plasma TVs.
"Has a statement gone out about this?" Fenty asks. Spokeswoman Mafara Hobson rushes over to assure him it has. Fenty turns to Deputy Mayor for Education Victor Reinoso. "Maybe you should call the principal," he suggests. Reinoso whips out a cellphone.
City Administrator Dan Tangherlini begins to brief Fenty on the budget, but the mayor is still riveted to the TV like a kid in front of Saturday morning cartoons. The news anchor teases to a story about Fenty and schools chief Clifford B. Janey coming after a commercial break.
Reinoso closes his cell to report that the assaulted teacher is okay, but Fenty cuts him off: "Call Janey and tell him we had nothing to do with that story."
Reinoso begins to open his phone again, then pauses.
"Shouldn't we wait to hear what the story says first?" he asks.
The Experts' View
Meddling.
Micromanaging.
Burning out.
There are risks to creating such a fast-paced environment, and Fenty, a competitive triathlete whose staff is used to 12-hour days, needs to know when to slow down, management experts say.
Janet Crenshaw Smith, president of the Ivy Planning Group in Rockville, thinks the bullpen is a good idea because it "breaks down silos" among government agencies. On the flip side, she said, Fenty must be careful not to micromanage his staff.
