Mayor Adrian M. Fenty was elected Washington's youngest-ever mayor in November 2006, carrying every precinct in the city in both the primary and the general elections. He assumes office with a resounding mandate, having won the general election with 89% of the vote.
Fenty began his electoral career on the Washington, DC Council in 2001, winning a hard-fought battle against four-term incumbent Charlene Drew Jarvis. Councilmember Fenty brought a new standard of constituent service to Ward 4, attracting new jobs and homes, fighting against nuisance properties that generated crime and decay, heightening police responsiveness and expanding community policing. Since first taking office in 2001, the District has initiated the construction or modernization of more than a dozen schools and recreation centers in Ward 4. In the same time, new sit-down restaurants and other local businesses have opened and new housing has been built.
In his second Council term, Adrian waged a vigorous campaign in which he emphasized that government must serve the priorities of its people. He served as Chairperson of the Committee on Human Services, overseeing the Department of Youth Rehabilitation Services, the Child and Family Services Agency, the Department of Human Services, and the Office on Aging.
Fenty led his colleagues in introducing and adopting the School Modernization Act. The bill dedicates stable, long-term funding to finance a comprehensive effort to rebuild and renovate school facilities citywide. The bill directs the Board of Education and Superintendent to develop a Facilities Master Plan to guide modernization efforts, and a nine-member Advisory Committee to provide advice and oversight for the construction effort.
In 2003, Fenty was one of two original sponsors of legislation to ban smoking in nearly all indoor workplaces, including bars and restaurants. The legislation would protect employees and patrons from the harmful effects of secondhand smoke, an environmental health hazard known to cause cancer. In January 2006, the Council ultimately adopted similar legislation that takes full effect in January 2007.
Prior to assuming his Council seat, Fenty served as the lead attorney and counsel for the Council's Committee on Education, Libraries and Recreation.
Adrian was born in the District and raised in the Mount Pleasant neighborhood. He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Oberlin College and holds a Juris Doctorate from Howard University School of Law.
He lives with his wife Michelle, a corporate attorney, and their twin sons, Matthew and Andrew, in the Crestwood neighborhood of Northwest Washington, DC.
