Marion Barry Documentary Premieres on HBO Tonight

I'd wager that the jury has reached a verdict on Fenty. He'll be remembered as a really dumb version of Marion Barry.

I'll admit up front that I'm a Fenty partisan. But please, Williams is being viewed through a rosy rear view mirror.
To start, his reputation is built almost entirely on two things. One, unlike Barry he was never the corrupt machine-style politician who would run a city (or *ahem* a Ward) into the ground just to stay in power. And hence two, he got the city's finances in order.
On the First, neither is Fenty. That much is obvious just on the face of it- neither Fenty nor his inner circle have ever been credibly accused of anything like what Barry systematically did year after year. Not the drugs, not the whoring, not the rampant enrichment of cronies while fleecing the taxpayers. The biggest scandals seem to be that a) he drives himself around (Williams was criticized for the cost of his 12-person security detail) b) he went to Oman (or wherever) when Jewish Israeli tennis players couldn't (okay, indulgent and tone deaf, but how does that hurt DC residents if no DC money was spent?), and c) the donation of emergency equipment to some poedunk town in the DR by circuitous mechanisms (ostensibly for a good cause, relatively small potatoes regardless). All in all, Fenty scandals are tame- yawn inducing by even local DC standards.
On the second: Under the control board (and continuing later under elected Williams) DC eliminated deficit spending and, partly as a result of that and partly because congress started to reopen the till, the city's finances turned around.
This is all true and good, however Williams (DC) also greatly benefited from one of the longest economic booms in history. That boom played a major role in DC's (and everyone's) fortunes. Consider this contrast: Fenty has also not engaged in deficit spending and yet, in the current contraction, we're $660 million short, and are projected to be even more under water next year. Though not so much as Maryland or Virginia.
But taxing and spending are just part of the overall picture. Williams also famously spent little on critical city services and infrastructure, even such obviously critical things as snow removal or road maintenance/improvements. In fact, through much of Williams' tenure $0.00 LOCAL DOLLARS were spent fixing local roads, alleys, etc. And precious little was spent on such things as modernization to schools, libraries, rec centers, etc.
Fenty, on the other hand, understands that local dollars must be used to build local infrastructure and capacity. And Fenty has been largely tax averse, and entirely deficit averse. As can be seen by the further improvement of DC's bond ratings.
I could go on...

That would be awesome, we could have a drinking game, everytime they show the scene where he's in the hotel room or he says bit*# set me up we could all drink!! Nevermind, the hospitals would be inundated with alcohol poisoning victims...