When Councilmember Marion Barry (D-Ward 8) arrived at a discussion on gentrification yesterday, his hobbled gait gave away his 75 years. But a lively speech about displacement and his ability to handily defeat all comers on election day show that he’s certainly not down, nor is he out.

Let’s face it — a local election in an off year and in the midst of a heated presidential campaign won’t attract much attention, much less lots of voters. And tomorrow’s District primary likely isn’t much of an exception. While in 2006 the mayoral battle between Linda Cropp and Adrian Fenty and the contest for the chairmanship of the D.C. Council gave that year’s electoral season a certain buzz, tomorrow’s choices haven’t provoked the same…