The tension between the D.C. Council chairman and the mayor may dissolve when Mayor Adrian Fenty’s term is over, but that doesn’t mean the next mayor and council chairman will agree on big political issues such as school reform.
The city’s presumptive next mayor, D.C. Council Chairman Vince Gray, and the likely next council chairman, at-large Councilman Kwame Brown, have a long and strong history together. The two were sworn in at the same time in 2005, they both live in Ward 7 and council outsiders say they’ve watched the two men work well together over the years.
But Gray received the endorsement of the Washington Teachers’ Union while Brown was disinterested in receiving that support. Both councilmen say they want to continue the city’s aggressive school reform, yet they might have different ideas on what that means.
Gray gets to take the first shot at that, as his long-anticipated meeting with D.C. schools Chancellor Michelle Rhee in scheduled for noon Thursday.
Both Gray and Brown agree that even when they hit sticking points, they’ll find ways to work through them. That’s a big departure from the broken relationship Fenty had with Gray and the rest of the council.
“We have a natural respect for each other,” Gray told The Washington Examiner.
Brown said: “Will we agree all of the time? No. We don’t expect that, but we will work together to produce results. That’s what residents want.”
But Brown also won’t back away from what he sees as his ultimate responsibility.
“I will ensure that the legislative branch remains independent,” he said. “I’ll collaborate with the [Gray] administration, but also hold it accountable.”
D.C. Chamber of Commerce President Barbara Lang has worked with both councilmen on legislation that affects small businesses and economic issues. The chamber endorsed both Gray and Brown, and Lang said she looks forward to the coming year and the results she hopes will come from the relationship between the future mayor and chairman.
“Everything is possible,” Lang said, ” we have not had this kind of relationship [between council chairman and mayor] for years.”
Lang agreed that Gray and Brown won’t always agree, but “that difference of opinion is really good for the city,” she said. “It makes for a diverse conversation around the issues.”
