Patrick Mara for Dc City Council At-Large

I'll be voting for Patrick Mara for the DC City Council At Large seat.

The primary reason is that he will be an unabashed supporter of marriage equality in the District. His opponent, Carol Schwartz, a long time Council member and otherwise supportive of the gay community here, has until recently opposed it. I remember the HRC marriage rights rally where she proclaimed her support for civil unions but said marriage is between a man and a woman; so I wonder now how solid her support for the issue really is. When she states her support for gay marriage now it's with much hemming and hawing. I doubt we'd get much bold action from her should the DC Council take it up, which it is expected to in 09.

No such wishy-washyness from Republican Patrick Mara. He unequivocally states his support for gay marriage in the District. Further, he has stated his support for the Mayor's education plan. Although I don't have any children in the DC public school system, my tax dollars pay for it and any adult in the District should be ashamed of it. We're letting the kids down. Mayor Fenty's Administration has made progress in turning it around. Mara is behind the Mayor. I'm not sure Shwartz is.

In fact, after perusing her Web site, I'm not sure about anything about her. Yes, she posts past legislation she has supported. But in a change election year running on your record isn't the best tactic. I want to know what you want to do. I want to know your vision for DC.

It's not clear Schwartz has one. I believe Mara does. For those reasons I'll be voting for him this Tuesday.

(yes, I know there are other candidates running for this seat, but in my mind the only real choice was between Mara and Schwartz).

Carol Schwartz Doesn't Get It

Carol Schwartz, a long-time member of the DC City Council who was defeated by a challenger in the GOP primary here, is running a write-in campaign. In an op-ed in today's WaPo she tried to explain why she's running and demonstrates instead she is tone deaf to current political times.

The victories of Adrian Fenty over Linda Cropp and Barack Obama over Hillary Clinton, plus her own primary defeat at the hands of an unknown newcomer have taught her nothing. And she's still running on the past.

And her column includes this paragraph:

While I have never been mayor (though I tried to be four times), as a council member I have always been a sharp-eyed watchdog. I have used my legislative, oversight and budgetary roles to make government more accountable and efficient -- not in an "unrelentingly negative" way, as characterized by The Post in another recent "unrelentingly negative" editorial about me, but in a way that has helped bring about positive results.

In other words, let me use my own editorial space to remind you how you rejected me for mayor four times. I'm a four-time loser. Remember? And let me repeat something negative the Washington Post has said about me.

It makes her "oldie but a goodie' campaign signs from the primary seem wise.

She ends her little article with this:

So when The Post says "Mrs. Schwartz admits to offering more of the same," indeed I do.

And therein is the problem, Ms. Schwartz. Voters don't want to know where we've been. In these uncertain times, we want to know where we're going.

Log Cabin Shows its Pride

This was one of two pictures in an email sent out by DC Log Cabin inviting people to drop by to say hello or march with them in the Pride Parade.

I'm waiting to see what the Gertrude Stein Club sends out to see who's got the better looking bare chested party bois Pride Enthusiasts. Who knows, maybe I'll cancel my mountain plans.

The other picture in the email, btw, was Carol Schwartz. That will make MattyDale happy.