Mayor Adrian M. Fenty rushed back from…well, somewhere, yesterday to hold a press conference more than 24 hours after four were killed in a drive-by shooting.
All Fenty would say about the trip last night was that “it was personal.”
But in the age of social media, there are no secrets. LL was forwarded a Facebook post by Brandon M. Macsata, a D.C.-based political consultant who was on the same flight as Hizzoner from Fort Lauderdale. He then e-mailed LL:
Mayor Fenty was on the same flight as me late this afternoon at 6:05 pm. It was US Airways flight # 1232 from FLL to DCA. The ticket agent asked for anyone requiring special assistance or traveling with small children to please board (pre-board); he didn’t ask for first class passengers, or special dividend miles passengers – just your basic pre-board. There were literally about 20 people in line, including seniors and children. As a preferred US Airways flyer who was in first class, I know for a fact that neither was asked to board the plane. Out of nowhere comes Mayor Fenty accompanied by one other person (I’m assuming it was a staffer), and they walked right up in front of everyone and they were the first people to board the plane. To me, it smacked of exactly what is wrong with our politicians today – both Democrats and Republicans, regardless of the office they hold – and that is they see themselves as better then the people they serve. I seriously doubt Mayor Fenty was under a security threat in FLL airport at an airport (among the safest locations in the country with all the added security), so why then would he need to be so presumptuous to board before everyone else? I was extremely disappointed, to say the least!
Morals of the story: (a) Just tell us where you were, ferchrissakes and (b) mind your manners.