And the Winner Is ... Gray

The voters who live in the area served by Georgetown Patch voted in huge numbers for incumbent mayor, Adrian Fenty, in Tuesday's primary. As you now know, Fenty's bid for a second, four-year term was cut short by Vincent Gray. In the wee hours of the morning on Sept. 15, reporters and campaign workers alike were still scrambling to make sense of the numbers, but the results were trending strongly for Gray. What does a Mayor Gray mean for Georgetown? 

On primary day, voter after voter in Georgetown echoed the refrain that schools mattered most and that generally the District was headed in the right direction with Fenty. That said, few of the voters I spoke with had any particularly harsh or even unfavorable things to say about Gray; perhaps Georgetown can lose and still win.

As a candidate, Gray touted his work on school reform; his record on the District Council demonstrates support for the initiatives of the Fenty Administration and its schools' chancellor, Michelle Rhee. Gray, however, did not show much love for Fenty or Rhee themselves. The narrative of the Fenty campaign was that the positive changes in schools were directly linked to the work and, to an extent, the personalities of the reformers he hired.

So, with the personalities gone, can change still happen in the District? That is Gray's assertion and an answer residents are now charged with bringing to bare.

Gray received the backing of the teacher's union and other educators and educational advocates I spoke with, favored Gray. Dr. Karyne Messina said Gray was a strong supporter of pre-K for all, as a psychologist and early childhood educator, she was confident in his ability to deliver. 

Then there was Malcom "Mike" Peabody, an originator of the charter school movement in D.C. Peabody thoughtfully worked to convince neighbors at the polls that Gray was the guy to reform the whole school system, not just the public part of it.

Peabody's run-ins with the Fenty administration left a bad taste in his mouth as he described the mayor siphoning funds into new and improved public schools; funds that should have been split equally between public and charter schools. Though Gray was initially "hostile" to charter schools when he came to the Council said Peabody, he observed a noticeable change once Gray met the folks running the schools. Gray's tendency to grill his witnesses and his interest in the community rather than himself, converted Peabody into a full-blow Gray supporter.

Unions, professionals and advocates of education all throw their weight behind Gray. Perhaps there is a parallel course to follow to achieve the school results Georgetown wants; one not mired by attitude and personalities.