MEMO
TO: Mayor Anthony Williams
FROM: DCist
RE: Waffling on Third Term

It's still more than a year away, but the 2006 mayoral race is shaping up nicely. Three candidates are official -- Adrian Fenty, Vincent Orange, and Marie Johns -- and at least two more are set to announce their own candidacies in September. And like it or not, Mayor Williams, you are the trump card, the great unknown in this political spectacle. Polls have shown that your decision could well re-shape the dynamics of the race -- who runs for what seats, what issues they choose to highlight, what level of popular support they may enjoy over the course of the campaign. We realize that the decision to run for a third term is not one to be taken lightly, but just the same it is not one that you should mull and explore so obviously in the public eye. In short, keep your waffling to yourself.

In what came to be seen as a test run for possible 2006 campaign themes, your 2005 State of the District Address left little to the imagination as to your plans for the future: "We should all be proud of the District of Columbia. We are strong. We are only getting better. But we are not done. And no, I am not done." Then in April, you questioned whether to not you had the "the energy, the tenacity, the discipline, the focus" to take on another four years in public office, while in May you similarly expressed concerns over the financial burdens of so many years in public service. That same month, you seemingly changed your tune when you publicly criticized Council-member Fenty, who at the time was dropping unsubtle hints as to his own plans, and expressed to the media that a potential motivating factor in your decision would be the prospects of debating Fenty. Just last week you proclaimed that the dismal state of city schools may well stop you from running again, only to turn around and coyly hint that you might still be considering the option: "Some days I'm leaning one way, some days I'm leaning another. That's part of being in an undeterminate state."

We recognize how difficult this decision must be for you, especially considering the number of years of your life you have dedicated to the city, the amount of criticism you have weathered, and just how far the District has come from the days of rampant crime, financial ruin, and ineffective governance. We can only sympathize with your desire to leave the reigns of the District's highest office in capable hands. That being said, your months-long "maybe I will, maybe I won't" game could well serve to diminish the public's tolerance for your legacy and any decision for the future. While the concerns you have this far expressed may be well understood in District political circles, they may well seem like petty complaints among voters that demand and expect a lively, vibrant, and headstrong candidate to lead the city. You also have to consider the practical effect of waiting so long to make up your mind -- while foregoing the possibility early on would make you a lame duck mayor, extending the announcement of your intentions for so long allows other candidates to frame the debates and court the voters. If this were a 100-meter dash, Fenty would be somewhere near the half-way mark while you'd still be warming up.

Your best course of action would be to proceed quietly from this point on. Continue in the daily toil of running the city like next year isn't an election year -- your job is done most justice when not tainted by political ambitions. Let your closest friends and advisors know of your conflicted sentiments, and use them, not the media, to decide on a course of action. Council-member Jack Evans (D-Ward 2) hinted earlier in the year that he would like to run, but chose a path similar to that we are proposing for you -- he took the summer to make up his mind, weighing family, energy, and finances. We can only encourage the same.