Some parts of the city of Washington, D.C., have changed greatly in the past four years. The streets are cleaner. The crime rate is lower.
Downtown is experiencing a new period of economic growth and development. Much of the transforming image of our nation's capital has been credited to the stewardship of Mayor Anthony Williams, and he will be returning as mayor for another term.
Despite the fact Williams' campaign opponents contended that the incumbent mayoral candidate has not connected with the communities or the people of D.C., Williams still won his second election to the office of mayor handily. In the course of this year's campaign season, Williams' main opponent, Republican Carol Schwartz, criticized the incumbent for running an ethically unsound campaign, and not upholding his end of the bargain to improve social services and school services in Washington.
Williams' campaign also was met with controversy when the D.C. elections board fined him a record $277,700 for his campaign submission of thousands of forged and fraudulent nominations on
petitions earlier this year, and pulled him from the general primary ballot. In response to the fine, the Williams camp sought a write-in vote for the incumbent candidate on the Democratic party ballot -- a bid that was ultimately successful, and garnered Williams the chance to run for re-election.
Still, Williams had to weather the September primary and November elections with this ethical cloud of shame. The cloud, however, did not deter Williams from pursuing a second term and winning re-election to an office that, over the years, has come under much media scrutiny and public criticism -- and rightfully so.
Forthe past four years, Williams has sought to establish himself as a persona and politician out from the shadows of Marion Barry, whose mayor-ship preceded Williams'. Although Barry found much success in areas of civil service and employment during his second term in office in the mid 1990s, the office of mayor for the city of Washington, D.C., has always been marred by Barry's previous exploits after being caught on tape cavorting with prostitutes and snorting cocaine in 1988.
Since then, the office of the mayor of the nation's capital has seemed laughable in the eyes of big government and the federal politicos who work day in and day out, in the D.C. mayor's backyard. D.C.'s lack of statehood, fiscal woes and poor minority population make the election for the mayor low on the radar as far as national politics goes, however, the city often credits, or discredits the mayor of the District with the upkeep and image of our nation's central seat, a concept that has been impacted greatly in the past few years.
Under Barry, Williams worked as the city chief financial officer in Washington, and respectfully began to take outstanding opposition to Barry on issues regarding the city's budget, physical upkeep and trash collection, presenting himself as a more serious politician than Barry -- and leading him to take charge of the city government after Barry's departure. Downtown has seen a marked improvement, trash services and police patrol have been revamped and increased visibly -- but all in the areas of Washington's business district, emerging social quarters and revitalized residential neighborhoods.
Due to Williams' focus over the past four years many opponents have criticized him for kowtowing to the big wigs of the federal government and to Congressional officials, claiming that he has paid little attention to the concerns of D.C.'s poorer citizenry and real population. Even Williams himself has called his focus on education, or lack thereof during the first four years, his "biggest disappointment" as mayor. His approach to the community has been unimpressive and less than endearing. And although as mayor Williams has attempted to alleviate some of the city's most pressing problems, the city's waning health care system, under-funded social services departments and ever-populated dilapidating neighborhoods are signs of the city's stagnation.
With all of these outstanding issues lingering after his first term, and with the controversy swirling around this year's campaign nominations, the key question regarding the re-election of Tony Williams as the District's mayor is simply: why?
The answer is truly that Mayor Tony Williams has had no competition. Neither his Democratic primary challenger nor his principal mayoral opponent Republican candidate Carol Schwartz, put up much of a fight -- nor did they present D.C. with a fundamental plan of action for change. Regardless of what unethical practices the Tony Williams' campaign engaged in at the outset, the majority of the people of D.C. are looking for a Democratic mayor who can represent them -- which means the mayor will most likely be an African-American, as well.
In a town where the population is looking for someone with solid leadership skills and at least a trail of ambition -- the citizens vote for experience, rather than for innovation -- hence the previous re-election of someone even as unseemly as Marion Barry. Though Williams may not be as affectionate or as personable as other major city mayors, he has effected some change in D.C., and that's what is keeping him in office. And now with the mainstream political arena paying attention to the clean streets and crime watch units, the people of Washington voted for Williams in the hopes that these effects soon will reach their neighborhoods in Southeast and Anacostia as they have in Georgetown and Adams Morgan.
With a long list of unfinished business rearing it's head as Williams opens his second term, he has again pledged to focus on public school education, cleaning up the Anacostia River, making major city housing renovations and improvements, and Williams hopes his positive reforms in the privatization of health care in D.C. will make a turn for the better. Though D.C.'s voting public turned out to support Williams' campaign, the vast majority of them most likely believe Williams' list is unfinished business, too, and they voted to see to it that he follows through with them.
(Kazz Alexander Pinkard's column usually appears
Tuesdays in The Cavalier Daily. He can be reached at kpinkard@cavalierdaily.com.)
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