Now that Adrian Fenty is raking in money in Silicon Valley, he should think about kicking some of it toward Vince Gray‘s hefty legal fees. After all, Fenty owes him—-a new Post piece on the ex-mayor’s California exile makes it look like losing to Gray in 2010 was the best thing that ever happened to Fenty.

The profile, which comes with a must-see illustration of Fenty dreaming about various Silicon Valley favicons, reveals a former mayor who divides his time between moderating conference panels and going on dates with Steve Jobs‘ widow. His job appears to consist of getting lunch with government officials on behalf of tech companies, but he also still finds time to dine with best pal Peter Nickles when he’s in D.C.

Best of all, unlike the 54 percent of Washingtonians who voted for Gray in 2010, Fenty’s fellow tech gurus love his brusque style. California lieutenant governor Gavin Newsom, for one, can’t get enough:

“You, Adrian, are an example of this—doing audacious things,” Newsom says, referring to Fenty’s 2007 school takeover, which installed [Michelle] Rhee, who closed dozens of schools, fired hundreds of teachers for underperformance and set in motion the backlash that would end his political career. “You paid a political price by not getting reelected,” Newsom adds, “but we are all beneficiaries of the principles you stood for.”

Make money, enjoy the California weather, and get treated like a martyr? Maybe more residents of the Wilson Building should try losing.

Photo by Darrow Montgomery