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KLMNO POSTLOCAL Talk to us. Talk to newsmakers. Talk to each other. Join the conversation at
postlocal.com “ 6 6 Hot topic: District primary
Readers responded after D.C. Council Chairman Vincent C. Gray won the Democratic nomination for mayor, defeating incumbent Adrian M. Fenty. Gray will face nominees from the Statehood Green and Socialist Workers parties in November; no Republican filed to run for the office.
“First order of business, the council doubles all pay raises for union members. Second, raises property taxes to afford said raises, and closes more facilities. They are burning down the house to stay warm in the blizzard.”
— reader llawrence9, commenting on the at-large County Council race in Montgomery; Duchy Trachtenberg conceded defeat yesterday after three other incumbents and challenger Hans Riemer took the top four Democratic spots. Voters will choose four from the Democrats and four Republicans in November.
Get more Montgomery County news, events and information at
washingtonpost.com/montgomery.
JOHN KELLY’S WASHINGTON
Neighborhood battle for hearts & stomachs
C Maryland
Tuesday’s voting sets the stage for a high-profile race for governor between Gov. Martin O’Malley (D) and the man he defeated for the job, Robert L. Ehrlich Jr. Ehrlich defeated Brian Murphy, a largely unknown Republican primary challenger backed by Sarah Palin, while O’Mally overcame token opposition.
Ehrlich, O’Malley to duel again
caroldijk1: “Well, well. Palin lost this time.” flonzy1: “Ehrlich was a fine governor and lost because of backlash against [President George W.] Bush. Now we have a backlash against Obama and O’Malley has been a poor governor.” llawrence9: “If Democratic rule makes all things right, why isn’t Baltimore heaven?” bradj60: “I find the fact that Ehrlich won the
primary in Maryland to be a disappointment. I had high hopes for Brian Murphy. Ehrlich has become a ‘go along to get along’ politician. I no longer trust his ability to lead Maryland as strongly as I used to.”
rinny_1983: “O’Malley will be keeping his job!” scrim1: “Congratulations to the primary voters
of Maryland for nominating two candidates for governor who are both sane, rational people. These days, that’s a big accomplishment.”
For more coverage of the Maryland governors’ race, visit the Maryland Politics blog at
voices.washingtonpost.com/annapolis. KATHERINE FREY/THE WASHINGTON POST Vincent C. Gray says he will listen to all District citizens, not just those who voted for him.
A ‘great day for D.C.’ and for Gray voters
PepperDr: “A great day for D.C.!! Congratu-
lations Mayor-Elect Gray.” Silly_Willy_Bulldog: “I can’t stand Fenty since the news of his cronyism and biking hab- its hit the fan. He can’t blame anyone but him- self and what he needs to learn is humility, but I doubt he will.” LargoMatron: “People who live on the other side of town or who are new in town and live in newly developed (gentrified) areas have a dif- ferent perspective from those who struggle ev- ery day just to keep a roof over their heads and food on the table.” dccavalier: “I don’t think many of those who voted for Gray tonight expect to keep the status quo.” DCteacher: “Yes, [Schools Chancellor and
Prince George’s
The third time that Rushern L. Baker III ran for the Democratic nomination for Prince George’s county executive, he won. No one sought the Republican nomination, but Baker would be expected to win a general election because the county is so heavily Democratic. Readers responded after the five-candidate race to replace Jack B. Johnson ended.
Baker looking forward to change
msmarples:“Mr. Baker, now is the time for you to shine and show this county why they made a huge mistake last time when they elected Jack Johnson.” msruby26: “Boy, we in P.G. County really had nothing to choose from for the executive race. I wasn’t really feeling any of them. But Mr. Baker doesn’t impress me at all.” michael49: “A P.G. Democrat seeking to end a cul- ture of cronyism? What a joke.” ralphgrutzmacher: “With early voting available and highly contested races in several categories, where were the voters?” commonsense1010: “Things in P.G. are going to improve.”
6
More news from Prince George’s County can be found at
washingtonpost.com/princegeorges.
Fenty appointee] Michelle Rhee did some good things, mostly in the central office, but the schools are still a mess. Any of you who voted at schools probably saw security guards curs- ing at kids, kids with no backpacks or uni- forms, principals who are more interested in their outfits and BlackBerrys than on what is going on in the building.” dbgirlmd: “If Mr. Gray follows the Fenty course, the voters will have the same com- plaints about him as they did about Fenty in four years.” dctim1906: “Why transition when things
are going well for the city. Gray’s record speaks for itself. He has no experience running a city of this magnitude. When are people going to look at the big picture?” LovemyPrivacy70gmailcom: “Folks east of the river don’t want special consideration. They just want consideration. PERIOD.”
nkwari: “I just hope that Vincent Gray’s
easygoing style is a PLUS for the city and that things don’t start going backward.” khathu: “Voters chose a candidate who would listen to all of the residents of D.C., not just a select few.” sdiaz4: “So, it looks like we will have a May-
or Gray for the next 4 years. He will bring re- spect to the people that have been slighted by Mayor Fenty. I sure hope that same respect brings in businesses.” rankcon: “Mr. Gray is mature and experi- enced. He is a tough politician and a native of D.C. who understands the people. I don’t buy all the lies and fearmongering about D.C. re- turning to the Marion Barry years. We are well past that.” GoldCoast: “Bye, bye Fenty. Bye, Bye!”
Take our poll Surprised by Gray’s win? Check in by taking our user poll and leaving a comment at
washingtonpost.com/user-polls.
More from the District Among other D.C. races, council member
Kwame R. Brown defeated Vincent Orange for the Democratic nomination for council chair- man, setting up a special election for Brown’s seat. And incumbent Democratic at-large council member Phil Mendelson held off a challenge from shadow senator Michael D. Brown.
6 Back talk
The future of the District’s schools chancellor remains up in the air after Vincent C. Gray’s defeat of Mayor Adrian M. Fenty in the Democratic mayoral primary. In a column that ran online, Robert McCartney urged Gray to try to keep Michelle Rhee. Reader Joseph Figaro of Northwest responded in an e-mail:
Whither Michelle Rhee?
I am sure you have the best intentions, wanting what is best for the city’s children. What is always baffling to me is that time after time, well-intentioned people such as you want to convince people that elections have no consequences. In your article, you acknowledged that
Today on
POSTLOCAL.com 6
Election HQ
We’ve got full results and more from Tuesday’s elections.
washingtonpost.com/localelections.
Talk to us 1
What do you think of this page and our local coverage? E-mail us at
metro@washpost.com.
THE DAILY QUIZ
How was George Washington related to Charles Washington?
(Hint: check today’s Home section.)
EARN 5 POINTS: Find the answer, then go to
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Chancellor Rhee’s approach, style, and actions have turned a lot of people away from Mayor Fenty and toward Mr. Gray — yet you want Gray to retain Chancellor Rhee, albeit with compromises from both of them. Essentially, you want Gray to slap the people who have just voted for him in the face. Why do you think that Gray can’t find his own school chancellor, a person who would be able to get the support of most people in the city, black, white, and brown? The Chancellor-Rhee-is-irreplaceable argument you have pushed is exactly what sets the foundation for division in the city. A person just won the mayorship, and a couple of hours later, you set out to compromise it. I don’t have kids in the city’s schools but, like you, as an American, I want to see our children get the best education in the world. I know the D.C. schools have not been up to par in many areas over the years, but there is no reason for you to come right
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out of the proverbial gate with who-white-people-will-support and who-black-people-won’t-support conjectures.
McCartney replied: I take your points, but I think you leave out one important matter: Gray did not campaign on a platform of getting rid of Rhee. He repeatedly said he’d make that decision after the election was over, and after talking to Rhee.
So Gray could tell his supporters: “You might
have voted for me because you wanted to see Rhee go, but I never promised you that. Now I have to do what’s best for the city. And having another chancellor who stays barely more than three years is not what this city’s schools need. Stability is important in any school system, and Rhee needs more time to finish the work she’s started.”
Another way to put it: The consequences of this election need not be that Rhee leaves altogether. The consequences could be that Rhee adopts a more inclusive, responsive leadership style — i.e., Gray’s style rather than Fenty’s.
6
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Read more of McCartney’s columns and send him your thoughts at
washingtonpost.com/mccartney.
POINTS & REWARDS
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hipotle Mexican Grill was founded in 1993, in Denver. Continental Pizza was founded in 1967, in Kensington.
There are now 1,000 Chipotle locations across the country. There is still one Continental Pizza. Chipotle has two board members who used to
be executives at McDonald’s. Continental Pizza has no ex-McDonald’s executive on its board of directors, or, in fact, a board of directors. So, Chipotle and Continental Pizza do not have much in common. But the two eateries will soon be fighting for stomachs in the Kensington Shopping Center, at Connecticut and Knowles avenues. In the next couple of weeks, the nationwide fast-food burrito chain will open a new location a few doors down from the venerable neighborhood pizza joint. “We don’t know what’s going to happen,” an aproned Lou Manos told me the other day in the lull between lunch and dinner at Continental. “About half my customers who come in ask me how it’s going to affect us. I tell them the same thing I’m telling you: I don’t know.” Lou’s dad, Mike, opened the pizza and sub shop 43 years ago. Mike, 81, still comes in most days.
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 16, 2010
Mike Manos, left, and son Lou at Continental Pizza in Kensington, which opened in 1967.
“I’ve got two small children and they come in on the weekends and they help out also,” Lou said of daughters Georgette, 8, and Natalie, 6. “They always ask me if they’re on the schedule for Fridays.” That’s how Lou got his start: folding pizza boxes in grade school. “It’s a classic mom and pop shop,” he said. Chipotle’s stock trades on the New York Stock
Exchange. Chipotle has plenty of fans, especially among
teenagers who can wolf down its zeppelin-sized burritos in seconds. We Americans crave what places like Chipotle offer: ubiquity and uniformity. And to be fair, the food is pretty good. So’s the food at Continental said a guy in a white Duron paint T-shirt who came up to ask Lou for a refill of his Coke. “It’s one of the best places,” the house painter
said. “Good prices. Good food.” Continental’s offerings haven’t changed much in four decades: cold-cut subs, burgers, pizza, chicken souvlaki. . . . It’s a place that fills with blue-collar workers, harried parents and cleated kids’ soccer teams, still sweaty and grass-stained from their games. Lou recommends the steak and cheese: $4.95 for the 8-inch, $7.95 for the 16-inch.
Business has always ebbed and flowed. Lou’s noticed that in the current recession more people are getting pizzas to share, rather than their own individual subs. And he’s had competition before. A nearby gas station housed a Subway for a while, then a Jerry’s. Both are gone.
But Chipotle . . . . “It all started with Facebook,” Lou said. Go on the social media site and you can find “Bring Chipotle to Kensington!” Wrote the page’s creator, Al Carr, “I am addicted to Chipotle and demand that they open a new restaurant location in Kensington, Maryland.” Al is the neighborhood’s representative in the
Maryland House of Delegates. Apparently Chipotle listened to him and the 313 others who pledged their allegiance to the chain. How is Continental different from Chipotle? “I think with a national chain, it’s very institutionalized,” Lou said. “Here, you meet the owner. If you have an issue you can talk to the owner.” Frankly, Lou isn’t sure what Chipotle will
mean. It might mean nothing. It might even increase his business, he said, bringing new traffic to the shopping center. I looked around Lou’s domain: a counter worn
with age, the soda machine where it’s always been, a few tables, seating for about 20 . . . . On the walls are framed photos of ancient ruins: marble amphitheatres and crumbling temples, the sea blue and inviting beyond. It’s Greece, Lou’s ancestral home. “We’re from Sparta, actually,” Lou said. I thought of the 300 brave Spartans who fought the Persians at Thermopylae. They lost that battle, but they won the war.
kellyj@washpost.com
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