Friday, April 27, 2007

How Many "First Priorities" Does the Mayor Have?

From DC Mayor Fenty's testimony to the DC City Council, 2/27/07:

I have proposed, as my first initiative and first priority as Mayor, a radical, yet deliberate proposal to deliver on a promise we make to our children as a society. Education is that promise; quality public education is a civil right, and I firmly believe we have a moral obligation to deliver. (Emphasis added)

And from a WashBlade story a few weeks back:

Washington Mayor Adrian Fenty said last week that fighting HIV and AIDS in the nation’s capital will be the “number one priority” of his administration. (Emphasis added)


Okay, so which is it -- AIDS or Education? That both should be high priorities is clear, but can you have two "first" priorities?

I'm not nit-picking -- the Achilles heel of the Fenty administration is that it is prone to gadflyism. The Mayor flits from one event and group to another, and, seemingly, tells it what it wants to hear.

The great leaders pick a few big ideas and pursue them relentlessly. The smaller leaders pursue a thousand leads. DC needs a great leader. I hope Fenty will rise to the occasion. But statements like these raise doubts.


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