I have been a staunch defender of the DC region and their response following the massive snow fall that we have had this Winter. I understand how difficult it has been for the region to cope with the weather without the necessary resources or equipment.
However, this morning, I was appalled to see the DC Mayor's behavior on NBC4. Mayor Fenty was asked by the anchor when we could expect the snow to be removed and he laughed. He laughed at her and basically told her that the snow would not be gone until there was warm weather. It is obvious that this woman was not asking about the melting of the snow but instead the removal of the snow from the roads. Where I was patient immediately following the snowfall, I do think a week later it is not unreasonable for people to expect that the roads would be clear of snow - especially the roads that are most travelled by commuters.
Her next question was about trash pick-up and again Mayor Fenty laughed at her. It's clear from the trash I saw piled up in front of people's homes today that the lack of information on trash pick-up is widespread in the district.
To be fair, Maryland and Virginia are experiencing many of the same problems as DC in terms of road clearing, pedestrians walking in the streets, interrupted mail delivery and trash pick-up. However, the leaders of the communities in MD and VA are not on the television acting pompous and condescending.
Mayor Fenty showed complete disdain for the residents of DC, his constituents and for the residents of MD and VA that must use DC streets daily to get to and from work.
I would hope that Mayor Fenty would watch this interview and be embarrassed by his behavior. He should apologize publicly to Eun Yang and the residents of the region. Mayor Fenty needs to be able to answer and respond to criticisms and questions in a mature manner, and stop acting like a spoiled brat. After all, this was the job he wanted and was elected to do!
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