Gay activists jumping to Fenty’s campaign - Washington Blade: Gay and Lesbian News, Entertainment, Politics and Opinion

NOVEMBER 22, 2009


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Washington Blade - D.C. Councilmember Adrian Fenty (D-Ward 4) has attracted a number of gay activists to the preliminary stages of his campaign for mayor. (File photo Manuel Balce Ceneta/AP)

D.C. Councilmember Adrian Fenty (D-Ward 4) has attracted a number of gay activists to the preliminary stages of his campaign for mayor. (File photo Manuel Balce Ceneta/AP)

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Potential candidates for D.C. mayor

DEMOCRATS: D.C. Boxing & Wrestling Commission Chair Michael Brown; Attorney A. Scott Bolden; Council Chair Linda Cropp (At-large); Councilmember Adrian Fenty (Ward 4); Councilmember Vincent Orange (Ward 5). (Mayor Anthony Williams has not announced his plans but recent reports suggest that he will not seek another term).

REPUBLICANS: Bob Kabel, the gay leader of the D.C. Republican Party, said the GOP plans to run a candidate but no one has stepped forward to date. D.C. Councilmember Carol Schwartz was the party’s candidate in the three previous elections.

STATEHOOD GREENS: The Statehood Green Party plans to run a candidate but has not identified one yet.

INDEPENDENT: Gay Councilmember David Catania — a former Republican — is reportedly considering a run only if Williams seeks another term.

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Feb 25, 2005 | By: LOU CHIBBARO JR. | COMMENTS

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Brown, Bolden, and Orange have also expressed support for gay civil rights, but the three have not been as outspoken on the issue as Williams and Fenty. Last Sunday, Brown and Bolden attended a meeting of the D.C. Coalition, which represents black gays. The two urged the group to get involved in the 2006 mayoral race.

‘A great mayor’
Nearly all of the gay activists who have switched support from Williams to Fenty say they believe Williams won’t seek a third term. While saying Fenty would be best suited for the job of mayor, they continue to praise Williams.

“I think Tony Williams has been a great mayor,” Ray said. “I was a deputy campaign manager in his last campaign. Now, I believe Adrian Fenty will be able to take the city to the next level.”

Rosenstein credits Williams with “bringing the city back” from a state of financial ruin to a state of solid economic growth.

“I have the utmost respect for the mayor,” he said. “I told Adrian that if the mayor doesn’t run, he should base his campaign on the mayor’s legacy.”

Fenty has been a strong opponent of Williams’ plan for a city-financed baseball stadium to serve as home for the Washington Nationals. But like nearly all of his colleagues on the Council, Fenty has been slow to respond to calls by gay activists and gay business owners to change the city’s zoning laws to allow six gay bars and clubs slated to be displaced by the new stadium to move to a new location.

Most of the adult-oriented gay clubs on the unit block of O Street, SE, where the stadium is to be built, would be prohibited from relocating under current zoning laws.

Lou Chibbaro Jr. can be reached at lchibbaro@washblade.com.

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