What's Your View? Marion Barry addressed the Saturday prayer breakfast before turning city over to Anthony A. Williams. (Reginald A. Pearman Jr. – washingtonpost.com) Read What Others Say The Washington Post asked readers to submit letters of advice for Williams. You can see what suggestions they offered. Share Your Opinion Pick out what you see as the top issue for the new mayor from among the suggestions offered by those letter writers.

Saturday, January 2, 1999; Page B01

Mayor Marion Barry leaves office today after holding the District's top job for 16 of the last 20 years. His tenure in office was marked by dramatic turns of fortune for himself and for the city.

For a last look back at the Barry years, Washington Post reporter Vanessa Williams asked four Washingtonians, both advocates and adversaries of Barry's, to take stock of their experiences.

Courtland Cox , a former student activist, led Barry's effort to open contracting opportunities to minority-owned businesses, a major success of the early years.

Maudine Cooper left her job at the National Urban League to work for Barry and later served as his chief of staff during his third term.

Joseph DiGenova was the U.S. attorney who clashed with Barry and his supporters over aggressive investigation of corruption in the mayor's administration.

Anne Mohnkern Renshaw is one of the voters whose changing opinions mirrored the shift in Barry's political base from his first election to his last.