A Rush to Action
The downside of Mr. Fenty's push for results

Friday, July 27, 2007

MAYOR Adrian M. Fenty (D) was swept into office by District voters largely because of his bold way of getting things done. Whether the task was filling potholes or replacing Supercans or leading a campaign for school modernization, Mr. Fenty's can-do attitude and trademark energy as a council member steamrolled any obstacles. This focus on getting results, and getting them quickly, has also marked Mr. Fenty's first months as mayor. To be sure, it's a refreshing change, and there have been triumphs. At the same time, troubling signs have emerged of Mr. Fenty's willingness to short-circuit the public's rightful role in government decision-making.

Mr. Fenty's choice of a police chief antagonized some who felt misled by the process. He thumbed his nose at a requirement to seek public comment in choosing a schools chancellor. The secrecy of that search and the imperious way he set salaries alienated allies on the D.C. Council. But the latest example of Mr. Fenty's corner-cutting is also the most egregious -- the ramming-through of a proposal to sell valuable public property to a private developer. The plan involves the sale of land in Foggy Bottom to Georgetown-based Eastbanc Inc. The land is now home to a library and to police and fire stations.

In return for the "fair market value" of the parcels, EastBanc would build a new library and fire station as part of a project that also would include retail space and affordable housing. The arrangement was pushed through the council as "emergency" legislation, with no public hearing and little chance for scrutiny. There would be no competitive bidding, and the prospective buyer is a well-connected company whose vice president is married to D.C. Attorney General Linda Singer.

Make no mistake: There are merits to the project, which would enlist one of the city's most respected developers in a public-private partnership that could well benefit the West End. The city might even be right to negotiate solely with EastBanc, since the firm owns adjoining property whose proximity could make for a more appealing development. The absence, though, of a full-throated public debate with all the scrutiny that that entails has cast a shadow over the project. Perhaps the most distressing aspect of the mayor's actions is that they have jeopardized what might well be an exciting and needed development.

Mr. Fenty's usual response to being called on a misstep is to apologize. He needs to do more. The council has authorized him to enter into negotiations, but the project and any sale need further approvals. It is vital that the public be involved at every step and that deliberations not be pro forma. Officials also would do well to provide fuller details regarding the firewall that exists between Ms. Singer and Joseph Sternlieb, her husband, who is helping to engineer the sale. Mr. Fenty, as well as the city he represents, is ill-served when good governance is compromised in the rush to achieve an end. We say this though we are sympathetic to the mayor's impatience to get things done. There is no doubt that too many projects have been allowed to languish and that too often the perennial naysayers of the city have been allowed to block needed progress. Nonetheless, there needs to be the right balance. It's Mr. Fenty's job to strike it.