From the Bullpen to Judiciary Square

By David Nakamura
Washington Post Staff Writer
Thursday, October 18, 2007

As one of Adrian M. Fenty's top campaign aides, Neil Richardson often walked door-to-door with the candidate who would sweep all 142 precincts on his way to becoming mayor.

During the transition period before Fenty formally took office, Richardson accompanied him on a tour of cities to learn "best practices" from mayors, including Baltimore's Martin O'Malley (D), New York's Michael R. Bloomberg (R) and San Francisco's Gavin Newsom (D).

When Fenty (D) took office, he rewarded Richardson with a prized seat in the mayor's "bullpen" office on the third floor of the John A. Wilson Building -- and the lofty title of deputy chief of staff.

Now, however, Richardson has been bumped from the bullpen, reassigned to an office called Serve D.C., based in Judiciary Square.

Richardson has been assigned with creating a volunteer and partnership office to recruit parents and others in the community to help D.C. public schools. He will work in conjunction with D.C. State Superintendent of Education Deborah A. Gist.

"Creating a capacity in [public schools] to recruit, train and track volunteers in schools is a priority for the administration," Richardson said in a statement. "I am building an organization structure based on best practices from around the region and nation."

Richardson might be taking an upbeat approach to his new assignment, but the move from the bullpen represents a bit of a comedown. Sources inside the John A. Wilson Building say there has been growing tension between Richardson and Fenty over the mayor's insular decision-making style.

Richardson has had his moments of pique. He joined Fenty's team several years ago after resigning from a community organizing post in the administration of then-Mayor Anthony A. Williams (D). In an opinion piece in The Washington Post in May 2005, Richardson wrote that he was disappointed with Williams's initiative to engage residents.

But if Richardson was removed from the mayor's office over his disagreements with Fenty, he would not be the first Fenty aide to feel his boss's distemper. Alec Evans, Fenty's longtime campaign spokesman, was fired last October shortly before the general election.

In his statement, Richardson declined to address his future with the mayor. "Right now, my focus is on this project. Regarding my place in the bullpen, the future will take care of itself," he said.

Mangia!

The list of honorees at the National Italian American Foundation's annual gala read like a who's who of figures from the worlds of politics, sports and entertainment: House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), presidential candidate Rudolph W. Giuliani (R), Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia, baseball legend Yogi Berra, football coach Dick Vermeil, television hotties Ellen Pompeo and Susan Lucci, actress Gina Lollobrigid a. . . and, of course, Mayor Adrian M. Fenty.

Lest anyone forget, Fenty's mother, Jan, is of Italian descent -- her maiden name is Perno -- so the mayor and his parents were on hand to mingle among the celebrities. Jan and Phil Fenty even got their picture taken with director Martin Scorsese.

During a pre-banquet reception, the Fentys were greeted warmly by well-wishers, including James D'Orta, a physician who had hosted a reception honoring the mayor and his mother at his Georgetown home last spring.

Marco Mancini, first counselor at the Italian Embassy, confided that he recently had lunch with Jan Fenty.

"She likes a traditional Italian meal called gnocchi," Mancini said of the small dumplings. "You know, the little potatoes?"

The mayor, who does not drink alcohol, sipped cranberry juice and sat at the head table during the banquet. He also brought along a couple of high-ranking deputies who happen to be Italian-American: City Administrator Dan Tangherlini and senior advisor John Falcicchio.

For the Record

The Notebook would like to amend the record to clarify a sloppy passage in our Sept. 27 edition in which we wrote about Deputy Mayor Neil O. Albert buying property near a parcel where his office recently awarded a controversial no-bid contract to a developer.

In the item, about the West End library, we wrote that Albert in January had bought "a $741,940 condominium a quarter-mile from the controversial" project. But activist David J. Mallof, who first raised the possible conflict of interest with the D.C. Council, wrote in to note that the condo is actually much closer, across the street.

Albert has said that he initially put a contract on the condo before Fenty was elected, not to mention before Fenty appointed Albert as deputy mayor. Council members have said they might undo the no-bid contract.