A dream deferred; a black mayor betrays the faith - Philadelphia mayor - W. Wilson Goode

Washington Monthly, July-August, 1986 by Chuck Stone

In the area of transportation, Barry--the man who led a boycott to protest increased bus fares for the poorest riders--has presided over the construction of a discriminatory transportation system. Anyone interested in a quick lesson in the demographics of poverty and political clout in Washington need only glance at a Metro map. There are four lines: red, blue, yellow and green. The red, blue and yellow lines cut through downtown Washington and jut into the ritzy Maryland and Virginia suburbs; the green line draws a loop through most of the blackest, poorest parts of town. Three of those four lines are partially or totally complete. One has not been begun and may never be begun. Guess which. Barry ducks this charge by saying that the plans for the Metro were finished long before he came into office. True. But as finances were dwindling and decisions were being made to concentrate resources on the commuter lines, Barry threw up his hands.

In the area of public education, the school system that had hit bottom has seen some improvement during the Barry administration. But it has come in spite of the mayor, not because of him. The last two superintendents, appointed by the independently elected school board, have provided strong leadership, improved test scores, morale, and funding. The public schools' current superintendent, Floretta McKenzie, a hardworking administrator not given to grandstanding, this March threatened to quit if Barry didn't give the ailing school system enough money. Over 44,000 parents signed a petition asking the mayor to give the schools more money. The city council approved the funding; Barry's liason to the council ultimately agreed the mayor could "live with' the increased spending. Barry's budget shows the emphasis he places on education. From 1983 to 1986, agencies falling under the category of "governmental direction and support,' such as the Mayor's office, received a 30 percent increase. Meanwhile, the education budget went up only 17 percent. Barry's concern for education is also reflected in his actions as a parent. When it comes toD.C. public schools, Marion Barry is no fool: he sends his son to a private school.

In health care, the city also has a questionable record. While the city spends more per capita than most cities on mental health care, it has one of the weakest programs, according to the Public Citizen's Health Research Group.

There has been plenty of money to attack the city's problems. D.C. has per capita taxes that are among the highest in the country. Part of that burden goes to pay for the second largest government payroll per capita of any state. The Barry administration, long sensitive to claims that its bureaucracy is bloated, notes that it combines the services of state, local and municipal government.

In the area of economic development, Barry's constituents had expected he would be more than simply a representative of the Board of Trade-- that in the process of developing downtown he would also develop the poor parts of the city and make sure that at the very least, the economic development that does occur wouldn't uproot neighborhoods.