With the snow lasting one day, everyone should be talking about two things: the Caps’ hot streak and Mayor Fenty’s huge slide in a new WaPo poll. Forty-Nine percent of District residents disapprove of Fenty’s job performance. Anthony Williams never had disapproval numbers like that. And he only cared about gentrifiers! Right? The difference: A lot of people think Fenty is a total dickhead. The upshot from WaPo:

“In the new poll, large numbers of District residents and majorities of African Americans see Fenty as not being honest and trustworthy and as disconnected from their problems. Overall, 47 percent of all adults see him as willing to listen to different points of view; 41 percent say he is not.”

WaPo writes:

“The numbers stand in stark contrast to how people feel about their city: District residents give higher ratings for their neighborhoods and the quality of key city services than they have at any point in Post polling over the past 20 years.

Residents give broadly positive marks to the police department and the quality of parks and recreation facilities. Most parents continue to see major problems in the city’s public schools, but those views have eased noticeably. More than half of residents see the city as heading in the right direction, a significantly more bullish view than before Fenty’s 2006 election.

And yet Fenty’s approval ratings across a range of specific issues have dived by double digits. Compared with two years ago, Fenty’s ratings are up in only one area: reducing crime, with the increase there due almost entirely to white residents. Overall, slightly more than half of residents rate him “excellent” or “good” on reducing crime, an increase of 10 percentage points. Nearly eight in 10 say they feel safe in their neighborhoods.”

I wonder what Fenty’s numbers would be if he fired a few arrogant officials and actually started having real press conferences. How about it, Mayor Fenty? Why not take a page from your predecessor and have a weekly press conference every Wednesday?