Where's Tony? Missing His Last 4th of July Parade
The Palisades parade is the political showcase of the summer, an annual rite in which the District's officeholders and political wannabes press the flesh, toss candies to the kiddies and present themselves to residents of what we in the news biz like to call voter-rich Ward 3.
Yesterday's parade was no exception; it was an election year bonanza of sweaty, smiley, sweet-talking mayoral candidates. Here was Linda Cropp in a t-shirt that pronounced her victor already: "Linda Cropp Mayor," it said. Here was indefatigable Adrian Fenty, walking up the parade route and doubling back to do it all over again. Here was Vincent Orange, on a Segway, his staff handing out actual, real oranges to a hot and thirsty electorate. Here was Marie Johns, the only mayoral candidate who rode in a car rather than walk the route; this did not go over well with the crunchy Palisades types, who otherwise would be her prime audience. Here was Michael Brown, somehow separated from his campaign crew, the smallest and least organized of the bunch.
And where was the mayor himself on the day of the last Palisades parade of his eight years in office?
Paris.
France.
Where he was supposedly helping to install a statue of Thomas Jefferson on a pedestrian bridge near the Musee d'Orsay. I guess they have a labor shortage over there.
Williams had to travel all the way from Turkey to do his statue duties in Paris. He had spent the weekend in Ankara attending the fifth annual Glocalization Conference, which was billed as a "Meeting of Civilizations" and featured our very own mayor speaking to the conference's Youth Parliament on the quality of urban life and the building of "a more peaceful and balanced world."
Williams came to Turkey from London, where he spoke at a forum on sustainable cities. Apparently, he is conducting a worldwide experiment to prove that a city is sustainable without a mayor who actually lives or works in the city he manages.
Once upon a time, the mayor made at least a pretense of explaining the necessity of his global gallivanting. Not anymore. The lame duck mayor simply racks up the frequent flyer points, vanishing for days and days, week after week. We are witnessing mayor-free governance.
Before his current world tour, Williams actually spent a few days in the District; prior to that, he had visited Seoul, South Korea for several days in June. Today, according to his official schedule, Williams is in Johannesburg, South Africa for the Urban Age conference, an examination of whether Johannesburg is a "world class African city."
Back in the Palisades, the five men and women who want to succeed Williams were busy trying to make the case that Washington needs a mayor who can work across the city's many divides and find a productive path that expands the city without hurting those who already live here. The candidates have a hard enough task without the current holder of the office busily spending public money to prove that we can get along without any mayor at all.
By Marc Fisher |
July 5, 2006; 7:42 AM ET
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Posted by: Dude | July 5, 2006 8:45 AM
Mayor Williams' travels raise Washington DC's profile internationally and reflect Washington's transition from a provincial town whose sole industry was politics into a world-class, cosmopolitan metropolis. Williams has turned the city around after the Marion Barry era of bad governance. Having done so, he frankly does not to be here every day -- or even most days, now that he's retiring -- to manage the city in a hands-on way. Tony Williams has begun Washington's urban renewal, and is now solidifying it by building awareness of DC abroad. Most foreigners and foreign elites (read: potential investors with money and influence) think of DC -- if they think of it at all -- as the murder capital of America. Williams is showing the new face of DC: a multifaceted city that is not just the capital of the free world, but also a high tech center, a city filled with talented people of all professions, and a city where people and families increasingly want to live. Yes he's spending taxpayer money -- gosh, who knows, maybe tens of thousands of dollars -- on travel. But these efforts will reap financial rewards far beyond that in this globalized world of mobile capital. In his final days in office, the Mayor is doing more substantive work for the city by advertising Washington DC to the world than by marching in some parade.
Posted by: David | July 5, 2006 10:30 AM
Marc you are wrong. The mayor is not using any taxpayer money on these visits. I wish you had called me - the Washington Post runs enough corrections in the print version that you guys ought to be slightly more careful online.
He's attending as a guest, and the city and all residents gain by having our city showcased. Do you relalize how much the city's economy depends on tourism and outside investment?
As you and anyone who has traveled outside Washington DC knows, our city is still living down a decade-old reputation as mismanged and bankrupt. To have our mayor chip away at that cliche is priceless and something the hometown paper should cheer, not constantly mock.
Also, because the mayor has placed good managers in place throughout the government, the city runs well even when the mayor is not sitting at his desk.
Finally, I agree it was great to see so many candidates strolling the parade route yesterday. Mayor Williams has enjoyed walking the parade route in the past. But for me, and for most District voters, the key question is not who knows how to find Pallisades but which one of them can actually lead us forward with ideas and passion.
Posted by: Vince Morris | July 5, 2006 11:30 AM
Mayor Williams and the words 'ideas' and 'passion' in the same sentence. Now that's a hoot!
The fact of the matter is, is that there are NO competent managers at place in the city. Witness the insane amounts of trouble I have had getting my garbage picked up regularly, getting bulk trash picked up, even getting my street plowed on those rare occassions when it snows here.
The only thing Williams has managed effectively in this city is how to sell huge tracts of land to developers. I'm not saying this is 100% a bad thing. I think the city is far better off than it was under Barry. But with that said, Williams has been great for business develoment while basic city services have gone to pot.
But passion? Ideas? HAH!
Posted by: Glover Park | July 5, 2006 2:58 PM
Interesting to read Vince Morris's comments about the Mayor putting in place good managers. Actually with the Fire Chief under attack and everyone but the Mayor thinking he should go- the Mental Retardation agency about to go into receivership, the lack of our police and others to deal with the traffic caused by the recent rains- one can only laugh and feel sorry for Vince Morris who ends up being the Mayor's apologist.
With all the Mayor's travels out of the Country over the past seven years we have not seen one tangible result from any of the trips. I sure hope that at least it helps him get a great job when he leaves office. But I would think that potential employers would be worried that he would do the same to them as he has done to the City and go on a travel binge with no real rusults.
And Mr. Morris though we may not be paying all his travel expenses we are still paying his salary.
Don't get me wrong I think that overall Tony Williams did a good job for the District of Columbia. But I guess he is bored and just is marking time until his term is over.
In any event I hope he brings Mr. Morris and Sharon Gang nice gifts on his return to thank them for running the City by press release and maybe he will even find his way into the City Adminstrators' Office and bring a gift and remember to thank Robert Bobb who was the only one to give him some credibility in the neighborhoods in his second term while he was traveling the world.
Posted by: concerned citizen | July 5, 2006 3:41 PM
THANK YOU MARC!!! The Post is too silent on Tony Williams' fleecing the District residents.
Even if lobbyists are paying for his travel (that's what these organizations are, mind you), Williams' trips ARE at public expense b/c he's being paid while he is on permanent vacation.
Vince Morris and the like can claim this or that about Williams' travels, but if they read Tom Sherwood's Notebook and the Post Op-Ed page, they'd see that D.C. has come to see Williams' absences for what they are: A slap in the face to the residents who pay his salary.
Posted by: D.C. Gov't Emp'ee | July 5, 2006 4:29 PM
Marc, You failed to mention Scott Bolden, candidate for At-Large DC Council.
Bolden and his parade entourage were a crowd favorite: they handed out ice cream treats to everyone!!!
Posted by: Palisading | July 5, 2006 6:08 PM
Okay...the Mayor loves to travel and avoid his local mayoral duties. Let's start the guessing game now:
When he leaves office on January 1,will he:
1-Become an Ambassador to some nice country?
2-Continue to live in DC and even buy a house?
3-Move to Wall Street and makes lots of money?
Also....I would like to propose that IF Linda Cropp wins the September race, that the Mayor immediately resign and let her start her term of office the next day!!
Posted by: John | July 5, 2006 7:07 PM
As far back as I can remember EVERY mayor of DC has taken advantage--full advantage--of these types of boondoggles.
The question that begs to be asked is: Is the city running more efficiently when the Mayor is in town? As a long-time citizen of the District of Columbia I can honestly say I can't see any difference when the Mayor is here or not.
Given the gifts of technology (blackberries, portable computers, satellite phones, etc.), an office is just bricks and mortar. Yet a hands-on official is much more effective when visible, and our city screams for more effectiveness.
Once the new Mayor of DC is in office, prepare yourself for the next season of "Who Wants To Be A Globetrotter?".
Posted by: Liz | July 5, 2006 7:50 PM
Petty. You can do better. At least he's not at the World Cup. Do you really think it would make any difference in the world if he were at the parade instead of in Paris?
Posted by: Kalorama Kat | July 6, 2006 6:50 AM
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YAWN!!! Hey Fisher, your rants about the mayor are getting tiresome. Time for you to get a life.