Other Black Mayors Struggle With Forces That Defeated Fenty

(Washington Post) — Once welcomed as a reformist mayor, he developed a leadership style that was criticized as aloof and autocratic. Budget cuts produced clashes with public employees and alienated some of the most important constituencies in the city. Ultimately, the hope he once inspired gave way to suspicion of his “post-racial” brand of politics. That, of course, was the narrative of Adrian M. Fenty’s rise and fall as mayor of Washington. But the circumstances he faced are not unique. Most of those statements could also describe the political arc of mayors Cory Booker in Newark, Michael Nutter in Philadelphia and Dave Bing in Detroit.

Read More…