Schwartz in Trouble?

Posted By Alan Greenblatt | September 3, 2008

Next Tuesday, voters here in Washington will go to the polls in primary voting for half the city council. Carol Schwartz, a rare successful Republican in D.C. politics, is the subject of a strong challenge from Patrick Mara, a former Senate aide.

Yesterday, the Post offered a portrait of the race. Mara has the support of the local business community and developers and Schwartz is having to lend her campaign money to match his treasury.

At her campaign headquarters, which overlooks U, the famous corridor in the historic Shaw neighborhood, Schwartz greeted her half-dozen volunteers. They were busy trying to salvage what they could from old campaign posters by cutting the dates off the bottoms. Strips of bright yellow poster board were on a table. "Nov. 7," they read.

"I never waste anything," Schwartz said. Also, with the election weeks away, they were still waiting for new posters. The posters being cut were from 2000, when Schwartz defeated five other candidates, capturing 29 percent of the vote in the general election.

Today, the Post endorsed Mara:

There is no questioning her love of this city, but, sadly, her service of late has been detrimental to the District. Unrelentingly negative, Ms. Schwartz opposed no-smoking laws, open-meeting reform and, most notably, the mayoral takeover of the schools. No more urgent issue faces the District than the improvement of its public schools, and as much as we salute Ms. Schwartz's past contributions to the city, we fear the consequences of her continued presence on the council. Mr. Mara, a government relations manager who was a staff member for the late U.S. Sen. John H. Chafee (R-R.I.), is an engaging candidate who says he would make school reform his priority. Mr. Mara understands the importance of regional cooperation and would bring a much-needed business sensibility to the council.

Alan Greenblatt

Alan Greenblatt is a GOVERNING correspondent.

E-mail: mailbox@governing.com
Twitter: @governing

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