Adrian Fenty facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Adrian Fenty
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| Mayor of the District of Columbia | |
| In office January 2, 2007 – January 2, 2011 |
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| Preceded by | Anthony Williams |
| Succeeded by | Vincent Gray |
| Member of the Council of the District of Columbia from Ward 4 |
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| In office January 3, 2001 – January 2, 2007 |
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| Preceded by | Charlene Drew Jarvis |
| Succeeded by | Muriel Bowser |
| Commissioner of the District of Columbia for District 4C03 |
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| In office 1999–2001 |
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| Preceded by | Lillian Cooper-Wiggins |
| Succeeded by | Shawn R. Fenty |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Adrian Malik Fenty
December 6, 1970 Washington, D.C., U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse | Michelle Cross (separated) |
| Children | 3 |
| Education | Oberlin College (BA) Howard University (JD) |
| Signature |  |
Adrian Fenty, born on December 6, 1970, is an American politician. He was the mayor of Washington, D.C. from 2007 to 2011.
Fenty grew up in Washington, D.C. He went to Oberlin College and Howard University Law School. Before becoming mayor, he served for six years on the D.C. Council. He was mayor for one term. He lost his re-election bid in the primary election to Vincent C. Gray. After leaving office, Fenty became an advisor for different companies and served on the boards of non-profit groups.
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Adrian Fenty's Early Life and Education
Adrian Fenty was born in Washington, D.C.. He was the middle of three sons. His mother's family came from Italy in 1920. His father, from Buffalo, New York, has roots in Barbados and Panama. Fenty's parents moved to Washington, D.C., in 1967.
He grew up in the Mount Pleasant neighborhood. His parents owned a shoe store there. Fenty went to Mackin Catholic High School, where he was on the track team. He earned a degree in English and economics from Oberlin College. He later earned a law degree from the Howard University School of Law.
Adrian Fenty's Start in Politics
Before working in D.C. politics, Fenty interned for several U.S. politicians. These included Senator Howard Metzenbaum and Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton.
He then worked as an aide for Councilmember Kevin P. Chavous. Fenty was also elected to the Advisory Neighborhood Commission (ANC). He was also president of a local neighborhood association.
Serving on the D.C. Council
In 2000, Fenty won a seat on the Council of the District of Columbia. He beat the long-time Councilmember Charlene Drew Jarvis. He did this by going door-to-door to meet voters. In 2004, he was reelected for a second term without anyone running against him.
As a Council member, Fenty was known for being independent. He was against using public money for a new baseball stadium. He believed the team owners should pay for it. He also suggested a large plan to improve public schools. The Council first disagreed but later approved it. Fenty focused on helping people in his area and taking strong positions on issues.
Adrian Fenty's 2006 Mayoral Campaign
Fenty started his campaign to become mayor in 2005. The current mayor, Anthony A. Williams, was retiring. Other candidates included Council Chair Linda W. Cropp and Councilmember Vincent Orange.
The race was very close between Fenty and Cropp for a while. Fenty promised to be an energetic and hands-on mayor. He wanted to bring new ideas and stick to them. Cropp highlighted her 25 years of experience in D.C. government. She wanted to continue the progress made by Mayor Williams.
By July 2006, Fenty had a lead in the polls. Many thought this was because of his door-to-door campaign. Cropp's campaign then ran ads criticizing Fenty. However, these ads did not work. Fenty won every precinct in the Democratic Primary. He beat Cropp by a large margin. In the general election, he won with 89 percent of the vote. He became the sixth elected mayor of D.C.
Adrian Fenty as Mayor of Washington, D.C. (2007–2011)
Improving schools was a main goal for Fenty as mayor. On his first day, he proposed a law to take control of the public schools. This control would move from the elected school board to him. Past attempts to fix the schools had not worked. At the start of Fenty's term, student test scores were very low.
In April 2007, the D.C. Council approved Fenty's plan. The U.S. Congress also approved it, and President George W. Bush signed it into law. Under this new plan, the mayor chose a new school leader called a chancellor. This chancellor reported directly to the mayor. This change allowed Fenty to make quick changes to the school system. He also changed rules for teacher qualifications. He started a process to combine schools with low numbers of students.
Fenty chose Michelle Rhee to manage the schools. This choice surprised many in education. The changes made by Fenty and Rhee helped the schools improve. They cut down on central office staff and closed 23 schools. After 2007, student test scores in reading and math went up. SAT scores also improved. Graduation rates increased each year. Fenty's team also worked on a big project to improve school buildings. They also made a deal with the teachers' union. This deal linked teacher pay to how well they performed.
Fenty's team also worked to make other D.C. agencies more efficient. He chose Cathy Lanier as the police chief. Under Fenty, more police officers were put on the streets. They also expanded community policing. For example, they made it easier for people to send anonymous text tips to police. The number of homicides (murders) in D.C. dropped by 25% in 2009. Fenty reported that homicides were at their lowest level since 1964. Both violent crimes and property crimes also went down.
Fenty supported many development projects. These included renovating libraries, parks, and recreation centers. Sixteen new playgrounds were opened. The District's largest shopping center, DC USA, was opened. Thousands of affordable homes were created or improved. A program called "Housing First" was started to help homeless people. The Fenty administration also improved emergency medical services. They expanded health care for people without insurance.
In December 2009, Fenty signed a law to make same-sex marriage legal in D.C. As mayor, Fenty was part of the Mayors Against Illegal Guns Coalition. This group works to reduce gun violence. Fenty was known for carrying three BlackBerry phones. One was for talking directly to the police chief. Another was for other city business. The third was for personal use.
2010 Re-election Campaign
Fenty officially started his re-election campaign in April 2010. He defended his way of managing the city. He promised to remind voters that he made tough decisions for real change.
The Washington Post newspaper supported Fenty for re-election. They praised his efforts to fix the public school system. However, polls showed Vincent C. Gray in the lead.
Fenty lost the Democratic primary election on September 14 to Gray. Gray won by a margin of 10 points. Fenty had said he would not accept the Republican nomination, even though he received the most write-in votes in their primary. After the results, Fenty said it was unlikely he would run for public office again.
In 2011, an investigation found that a Gray campaign official had paid another candidate to speak badly about Fenty during the 2010 primary.
Adrian Fenty's Life After Being Mayor
After his term as mayor ended, Fenty joined a speakers bureau. He also became an advisor for different companies. These included an accounting firm and a foreign-language software company called Rosetta Stone. He also became a visiting professor at Oberlin College.
In 2011, Fenty supported Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker's efforts against public employee unions. Fenty said that most mayors and governors would like to manage their teams without union interference. He believed that managers could set fair wages and hold employees accountable.
Adrian Fenty's Personal Life
In 1997, Fenty married Michelle Cross Fenty, who was a lawyer. They have three children: twin sons born in 2000 and a daughter born in 2008. In January 2013, they separated. His son Andrew is a talented tennis player.
Fenty enjoys being an amateur triathlete and runner. While he was mayor, he took part in triathlons in D.C. Fenty is Catholic.
Images for kids
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Adrian Fenty's official portrait
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Adrian Fenty's signature
