Two foolish issues, two very public flops for Mayor Adrian Fenty. The City Paper’s Mike DeBonis reports that a number of journalists showed up to a Columbia Heights groundbreaking ceremony today to ask Fenty about the most recent dust-up between him and the D.C. Council over tickets to sporting events. It’s a childish little scuffle that could be put to rest with a number of well-phrased and reassuring talking points from the mayor’s office. Instead, Fenty alternates between acting like he has no idea what the reporters are talking about and clumsily trying to shift attention away from the dispute. DeBonis has both audio and a transript; it’s painful to listen to and read. Much the same happened a few weeks back when WTOP’s Mark Segraves hunted Fenty down as he was setting off to New York for an education summit. Instead of just telling Segraves what he was up to and putting the longstanding controversy over his secretive travel habits to rest, Fenty awkwardly passed on every question Segraves lobbed his way. Mayor Fenty, if your communications staff won’t tell you, we will — the press feeds off of denials, no matter how petty the issue. You’re not doing yourself any good by giving them more and more to work with.