Ward 7 Incumbent Holds On to Tough Image, Message

D.C. Council member Yvette M. Alexander rubs some people the wrong way.

She knows it.

"What you see is what you get with me," said Alexander (D). "I have an open door. My mouth is open, too. . . . Sometimes, political correctness doesn't get it done. Honesty and candor is the way to get it done."

The native Washingtonian has represented Ward 7 for a little more than a year, after handily winning a special election against 16 opponents. Buoyed by an endorsement from popular council Chairman Vincent C. Gray (D), who vacated the Ward 7 seat for the chairman's post, Alexander scooped up 35 percent of the vote.

For the Sept. 9 Democratic primary, she has racked up endorsements from labor unions and even a few former opponents. But as she hits the campaign trail to pursue a four-year term, she is an incumbent with mixed reviews -- so mixed that Robin Hammond Marlin, who worked on her campaign last year, is running against her and has a core following.

Alexander, 45, a former insurance regulator, has a say-anything, -anywhere attitude that she delivers in a jovial package. Her style differs from the polished presentation of predecessors such as Gray, former director of the city's Department of Human Services, and Kevin P. Chavous, a lawyer.

Her critics, however, say their complaints go beyond her style: Alexander is not moving fast enough to draw economic development to the ward, has failed to hire its residents to work in key positions in her council office and does not consult community leaders in establishing her position on issues.

Alexander fires back: Three of her five staff members are ward residents, and millions of development dollars are planned for the area, which is east of the Anacostia River. As far as lawmaking goes, she proudly points to having introduced citywide legislation that forced the D.C. Fire and Emergency Medical Services Department and the Water and Sewer Authority to quickly repair the city's broken fire hydrants. It was a move that became critical when poor water pressure was cited for the destruction of buildings in high-profile blazes last year.

But in the ward, it's a lack of consultation that has folks in a tizzy, critics say. For example, Alexander voted to table a noise bill aimed at quieting protesters in residential areas, despite a resolution by the Hillcrest Community Civic Association to back the legislation.

Alexander later voted for an amended bill after it was returned to the agenda.

Such actions have stirred a whisper campaign against her. "I get a warm reception in public," Alexander said. "What people say behind my back is another thing."

To understand Ward 7, with its mixture of some of the city's poorest residents and some of its wealthiest, it's important to understand Hillcrest, a community of middle- and upper-class African Americans. It is one of the most powerful voting bases in the city and is known as a kingmaker. Or queenmaker. Residents there can boast of drafting Anthony A. Williams into his first mayoral bid. It is a community that values decorum and an image of effectiveness. In a ward race, winning Hillcrest means winning the ward.