Student achievement at the secondary level rose 14 points in reading and 17 points in math since 2007, gains that are unprecedented in DC history and unparalleled nationwide. Student SAT scores rose 27 points in 2010. Graduation rates rose each year since 2007, and 72 percent of district students took the Practice Scholastic Aptitude Test, a.k.a. the PSAT, which functions as a practice test for students entering college. His administration also took on a major, five-year maintenance and construction effort to dramatically improve school buildings by 2014. The Mayor and Chancellor successfully negotiated a collective bargaining agreement with the Washington Teachers Union. The contract has become a national model for other jurisdictions, especially because it establishes a system of performance-based teacher compensation.
While focusing on improving schools, the Fenty Administration changed district agencies, ensuring more efficient and effective service delivery throughout district government. Fenty's choice for police chief, Cathy Lanier, also made national headlines. Under Fenty, Lanier has added police officers to the streets and expanded community policing initiatives, for example, "beefing up" the policy of accepting anonymous text message tips from local residents to cut down on retaliation. By local news accounts, there is evidence of success. The homicide rate in the District dropped 25% in 2009. The closure rate for homicide cases rose to 70%. In his "State of the District" speech, the Mayor reported that homicides were at their "lowest level since 1964" and that "both violent crimes and property crimes" had experienced a double-digit decline.
Fenty has championed development efforts across the district. Across the district, several schools, libraries, parks and recreation centers have been renovated to offer state-of-the-art facilities for residents, youth and families. There have been many improvements made to recreational play spaces for children: Under Fenty, 16 neighborhood and school playgrounds were opened and 9 play courts and fields were completed. Under his leadership, the District's largest shopping center, the D.C. USA Shopping Center, was opened. New developments, such as the Camp Simms retail development, have infused new life into the neighborhood with a retail grocery store and a sit-down restaurant east of the Anacostia River. Renovation of affordable housing units helped provide housing during tough economic times.
The Fenty Administration also expanded health care coverage for the uninsured and established thousands of units of affordable housing, while creating the "Housing First" program to provide permanent supportive housing for the district's homeless. The administration also reduced the backlog of Child Protective Services (CPS) investigations by improving the retention of social workers, increasing recruitment of social workers to fill vacancies, and building a quality, experienced leadership. Additionally, the Fenty Administration improved the delivery of emergency medical services. It also finalized the sale of Greater Southeast Community Hospital (now United Medical Center) in a public-private partnership that kept the facility open for patients east of the Anacostia River.
In December 2009, Fenty signed the Religious Freedom and Civil Marriage Equality Act of 2009 to legalize same-sex marriage in the District of Columbia. During the signing ceremony, Mayor Fenty and other attending district officials expressed their support for the gay rights movement by expressing "they want the District to provide a road map for gay rights activists as the debate over same-sex marriage...moves across the nation..."
Mayor Fenty and his administration came under attack from political opponents. Council Chair Gray complained that Fenty did not share with the district council tickets donated by a local sports arena. Chair Gray demanded that Fenty hand the tickets over to him so Gray could have control of them.
The D.C. council also charged that Fenty circumvented them in making contracts for park improvements. Rather than treat them as district contracts, the contracts were made with the D.C. Housing Agency.
Fenty officially launched his reelection bid on April 10, 2010, at his campaign headquarters at 5929 Georgia Avenue, NW, in Washington, D.C.’s Brightwood neighborhood. The Fenty campaign's headquarters were located on the site of the old Curtis Chevrolet dealership within Ward 4, the ward in which Fenty began his political career as an Advisory Neighborhood Commissioner in ANC 4C.
Fenty faced ten candidates in the District's September 14, 2010, Democratic primary. On July 31, 2009 (13½ months before the 2010 primary), Fenty's 2010 mayoral campaign passed the 2006 primary fundraising total of $2.4 million.
On August 1, 2010, the editorial board of "The Washington Post" officially endorsed Fenty. "Washington City Paper" followed on September 9.
One primary candidate in particular, Sulaimon Brown devoted his efforts to attacking Fenty rather than establishing his own positive campaign. After the election, Brown was given a $110,000 per year job in the D.C. Department of Health Care Finance within the new administration. However, Brown was later fired because of questions about his past. In March 2011, Congress announced an investigation into the hiring of Brown.
A "Washington Post" poll released on Aug. 29 found Gray with a 17-point lead among likely voters. A Clarus poll conducted September 7 gave Gray a 7-point lead among likely voters, and a Public Policy Polling survey sponsored by WAMU-FM radio and "Washington City Paper" showed an 11 percent lead for Gray.
Fenty lost the Democratic primary election to Vincent C. Gray. Gray received 53 percent of the vote to Fenty's 46 percent. Following the reporting of the results, Fenty called it highly unlikely he would run for public office again.
While Fenty received the most write-in votes for mayor in the Republican primary election, Fenty had previously said he would not accept the Republican nomination.
Fenty signed with Greater Talent Network, a major speakers bureau, in January 2011. The same month, Fenty became an outside adviser and counsel to Heffler, Radetich & Saitta, an accounting and consulting firm based in Philadelphia. Also in January 2011, it was announced that Fenty would become a distinguished visiting professor of politics, a featured lecturer and a career adviser in the Department of African American Studies at Oberlin College. In February 2011, Fenty became an outside adviser to Rosetta Stone, which produces foreign language learning software. In March 2011, Fenty became a strategic adviser for the state and local government practice of Capgemini Government Solutions LLC, an information technology consulting firm. In May 2011, Fenty became a member of the advisory board of EverFi Inc., an online education and certification firm. In July 2011, Fenty joined the law firm Klores Perry Mitchell P.C. as special counsel.
On the "Morning Joe" broadcast on March 8, 2011, Adrian Fenty backed Wisconsin Republican Governor Scott Walker's union-busting bill and said that the Democratic state senators should be held accountable.
2000 Council of the District of Columbia, Ward 4, Democratic Primary Election
2000 Council of the District of Columbia, Ward 4, General Election
2004 Council of the District of Columbia, Ward 4, Democratic Primary Election
2004 Council of the District of Columbia, Ward 4, General Election
2006 Mayor of the District of Columbia, Democratic Primary Election
2006 Mayor of the District of Columbia, General Election
Bernadette
Bernadette is a feminine given name. It is the female version of the masculine name Bernard. Celebrities with the name "Bernadette" include the actress Bernadette Peters.
Hwang Hui