Earlier this spring, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser shared what some might call her “report card” – a summary of the goals she set and how she has fared over her 10 years in office; and she didn’t hold back or attempt to blur the facts as some politicians have recently done.
Instead, Bowser highlighted a decade of promises which she has made to her constituents – voters who have shown their thanks and support by electing her as mayor for three consecutive terms – and promises on which she has delivered.
To be clear, the mayor, with the long shadow of the late Marion Barry, D.C.’s Mayor for Life,” always looming over her shoulders, has often faced challenges and crises that have tested her patience, ingenuity, diligence and required her to leapfrog, sidestep, or even high hurdle to get the job done and reach one finish line after another.
“We opened a new hospital, drove down homelessness, added more housing, created new opportunities in our schools, and so much more. Now, as we look ahead, we’re embracing a bold, transformational growth agenda that will position D.C. for the next decade – and more – of opportunity,” Bowser said last May while delivering her 10-year progress report.
And through it all, she has also made it a point to be forthright and transparent. Like her or not, the mayor has made sure that the residents of D.C. know where she stands and what she plans to do – or not do.
Given these facts and her track record, we were more than a little disturbed when Rep. Nancy Mace (R-S.C.), a member of the House Oversight Committee, went after Bowser during a hearing on oversight of the District on Sept. 18.
Mace attacked the mayor on D.C.’s DEI programs with claims that “DEI policies” and “gender madness” are interwoven in the D.C. code.
During her five minutes on the House floor, Mace ranted and raved, less like a member of Congress and more like a woman gone mad, posing questions about sections and subsections of the D.C. Code while refusing to allow the mayor time to answer any of the questions posed.
To her credit, Bowser did not allow herself to be baited by the condescending, disrespectful attitude which Mace exuded – almost with a sense of righteousness.
Instead, she showed why she has been chosen to lead the District of Columbia since 2015 and why D.C. voters remain confident in her adroit leadership abilities.