Fenty made the announcement, never much of a surprise, this morning, surrounded by friends and family at his childhood home in Mount Pleasant. Fenty has been twice-elected to the City Council, and currently serves as a the chairman of the Committee on Human Services, which has oversight over the Department of Youth Rehabilitation Services, Child and Family Services Administration, Department of Human Services, and Office on Aging. Fenty has been applauded for his attention to constituent services, while D.C. Mayor Anthony Williams recently doubted whether Fenty would be the best man for the city’s top job:

Accomplishment and substance and political ability, they’re not mutually exclusive. But they don’t always come together in the same package. Someone can be a great candidate. They can be a nice person. But they may actually not be the best person to actually run this city.

The rest of the mayoral field is still the subject of city-wide speculation, though a variety of D.C. politicians and insiders have indicated interest in taking the helm of city government or established exploratory committees of their own.

DCist will continue reporting on the 2006 race for mayor.

The image above comes from Fenty’s newly established campaign site.