Election!

Looks like frontrunner Adrian Fenty will be our new Mayor here in the District. Though he'd been in the lead for quite some time, Fenty was, of the two leading contenders, the candidate of change and change is in the works. I didn't vote for him. My thinking, roughly, is that his reformist zeal is indicative of an unfortunate tendency to overestimate the possibilities of urban governance. The sad truth of the matter is that the most serious problems afflicting largish American cities like Washington simply aren't things that local government can do very much about. Complacency about social justice questions is a bad thing, but it needs to be addressed at a fairly high level. Attempts to do it at the small-unit level are likely to be counterproductive.

Under the circumstances, I think the most useful thing DC government could use would be some fairly aggressive rollback of the business licensing process and various land use regulations aimed at protecting the interests of incumbent property owners. Since nobody was promising anything like that, the candidate of continuity and competence seemed like the correct choice. The District has a lot of problems, but things are getting better rather than worse, and that's not nothing once you adopt an appropriate level of fatalism vis-a-vis the issues. On the other hand, this was not a line of thought I was totally thrilled with, so I can't say I'm heartbroken Fenty won. Hopefully he'll surprise me and aggressive reform will make everything awesome.

9/13/06 12:09AM del.icio.us this incoming links

Comments

an unfortunate tendency to overestimate the possibilities of urban governance. The sad truth of the matter is that the most serious problems afflicting largish American cities like Washington simply aren't things that local government can do very much about.

All the more true in D.C., where important powers are exercised by the congress, rather than the local gov't.

Posted by: TJ on September 13, 2006 12:35 AM

Dear God no. Fenty's one of the most obnoxious demogogues I've ever had the misfortune to encounter. Makes me glad I don't live in the District any more.

Posted by: TIm Lee on September 13, 2006 01:51 AM

I live in the suburbs so didn't follow the race all that closely. Still, Linda Cropp proved herself to be a complete moron during the baseball negotiations that I was glad to see her lose.

Posted by: James Joyner on September 13, 2006 05:31 AM

Fenty promised to make the schools better. Cropp spent ten years on the school board and 16 on the counsel and didn't help the schools. People who really live in DC- unlike folks who rent apartments and will move to Montgomery or Fairfax when and if they decide to have a family- really, really care about the schools.

PS- Cropp was briliant in the baseball negotiations. When the mayor rolled over, she stood up. All the suburbanites hate her because she got in the face of organized baseball. For guys like James Joyner, this was an outrage- why shouldn't DC residents and businesses buy the team a stadium so rich guys from Maryland and Virginia can go to the games? But she showed real courage and political savvy in forcing the big swinging dicks to cut the city a better deal.

Posted by: DCBoy on September 13, 2006 09:32 AM

Matt -

The limited ability of the local governments is not restricted to "largish cities." It applies in most places with complicated problems that require additional, or at least reallocated, tax dollars or statutory changes at the state level. Smallish cities, local school districts, deteriorating inner-ring suburbs, take your pick. Your analysis is dead-on on one point: often the zealous reformer is less effective at governing because he or she has a genuine lack of understanding of this basic reality. The problem, however, is that speaking the truth about this fact is never going to get anybody elected. It doesn't sell. During a campaign, voters don't want to here about limits; they want to hear about possibilities, even if they are fantasies. This places honest candidates -- esp. incumbants wh know the score -- in a difficult spot. Be honest about the limited possiblities, and probably lose, or spout a bunch of nonsense creating false expectations and make governing that much more difficult once you're elected.

Posted by: mert7878 on September 13, 2006 09:35 AM

Hi Matt, please be prepared to be pleasantly surprised. Local government can do a lot when starts working for the citizens and providing basic services like good streets, schools, police, sanitation, etc.

Posted by: Alan on September 13, 2006 09:49 AM

Anybody know if Tom Hucker won the primary in maryland?

Posted by: lemuel pitkin on September 13, 2006 11:17 AM

He looks kinda like a younger, balder Lynn Swann.

Posted by: JP on September 13, 2006 11:57 AM

I would like for the local government to contiue to provide streets, schools, police, and sanitation, that much I can say.

Posted by: Kriston on September 13, 2006 02:06 PM

The sad truth of the matter is that the most serious problems afflicting largish American cities like Washington simply aren't things that local government can do very much about.

The best the federal government could do was doling out generous block grants to cities. Now block grants are drying up and the money is going to defense contractors, homeland security, and bloated highway outlays.

So what can any "reform" politician do at the local level except plug holes and prevent a total collapse of the exisiting--albeit shitty--system? Not much else, actually.

Your statement above is so correct, Matt, and it's the reality we face in Philly as much as you face in DC.

Posted by: Alex von Waldenberg III on September 13, 2006 02:56 PM

Agree with DCboy's comments about Cropp. She was savaged by the local news media, especially the Wash Post, for supposedly threatening the glorious return of baseball. Of course the Post has a vested interest in having something for their sports writers to write about. I don't claim to have sweated all the details, but it looked to me like her intransigence succeeded in wrining some last minute concessions out of the greedy assholes who run professional sports. Whether or not she was the best choice for mayor, she deserves some kudos for this, not put-downs from suburbanites.

Posted by: Virginia Dutch on September 13, 2006 04:31 PM

Did you listen to his acceptance speech? Oi vey, it was awful. He didn't even let Linda Cropp finish her speech before he got to the podium. Then he spoke endlessly in an utterly self-congratulatory manner. This guy's got an ego the size of Montana.

It will be interesting to watch him fight with the Council. I imagine there will be some epic battles over financing and schools.

And on a related note, did anybody see his dad get interviewed on News Channel 8 (channel 28 on cable)? He sported a very fashion forward pair of earrings that dangled to his shoulders. It was an unusual choice under any circumstance, but especially odd for a political event.

Posted by: b on September 13, 2006 07:27 PM

I know NOTHING about the candidates, but Fenty looked sleek enough to put fear into my soul; a sort of sophisticated Marion Barry.

I suspect that behind the glitter, there's an old fashioned political machine at play, with everything that entails...

Posted by: Nick Kaufman on September 13, 2006 11:20 PM

b-
Adrian's parents, Phil and Jan Fenty, are a DC institution. They are an inter-racial couple, owners of a a running shoe and sports clothing store in Adams Morgan - modest, hardworking, self-made people who know everyone and are friends with everyone. Phil is a free spirit and a lovely man. Phil and Jan have been a big asset for Adrian in his political career. He's this good-looking, somewhat arrogant lawyer with a big house and an elegant corporate lawyer wife from London- but he's got these funky, grounded, neighborhood parents who are so proud of him they could burst. They make him part of the community, they give him a context, they make people trust him.

Posted by: DCBoy on September 14, 2006 01:30 AM

DCBoy,
Thanks for the info. The Post also has an interesting article about his parents this morning. They seem like great people, but I'm still worried about their son. His arrogance and snarky charisma remind me of Barry in the 80s before the hotel bust. Our town has a soft spot for guys like this and I'm worried about backsliding to the old DC.

But on a bright note, with a new council and new mayor this town has a chance to make some positive changes. Look for a push by progressives to increase tenant rights and union power. Maybe it won't be all bad...

Posted by: b on September 14, 2006 08:45 AM

The sad truth of the matter is that the most serious problems afflicting largish American cities like Washington simply aren't things that local government can do very much about.

Which is why, in a perfect world, there would be "regional" governments that would have juristiction over large cities. In D.C.'s case a regional government would include D.C., Mont. Co., PG Co., Fairfax, Arlington, Alexandria... perhaps even farther out, too. Obviously this is a pipe-dream, but there are many advantages to a regional government.

Off the top of my head, a regional authority such as this could run transit systems like Metro and there would be less squables seeing as how there would be no cross-border disputes.

Another function of a regional government would be to set zoning laws. These regulations have such a huge effect on the growth and development of cities. Sprawl might be curtailed with a regional authority setting the rules and making decisions for the best interests of the entire metro area, as opposed to a small area.

There are obviously some negatives to such a setup, but I always thought it would be more ideal to govern an entire metro area under a single authority.

BTW... as a suburban observer residing a block from the D.C. line and Ward 4, I like what I see from Fenty. I mean the guy's a triathlete... that says alot about how determined and driven he is. That means Fenty loves a challenge and you know that he's not going to do anything half-assed. I think the comparisons that other commenters tried to make to Barry are crazy.

Posted by: TimW on September 15, 2006 12:22 AM

Posted by: youtube on September 27, 2007 07:25 AM

Off the top of my head, a regional authority such as this could run transit systems like Metro and there would be less squables seeing as how there would be no cross-border disputes.

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Posted by: www.r10.net küresel ısınmaya hayır seo yarışması on December 22, 2007 05:39 PM

note, with a new council and new mayor this town has a chance to make some positive changes. Look for a push by progressives to increase tenant rights and union power. Maybe it won't be all bad

Posted by: youtube on December 30, 2007 12:04 PM