Appearing News4’s Connecting with the Mayor segment, Mayor Adrian Fenty refused to respond to a lawsuit filed against the District seeking to stop the construction of a new 14-story hotel next to the Walter E. Washington Convention Center.
The suit alleges favoritism and demands that the District seek new bids for the development of the hotel, according to the Washington Post.
It claims the District sweetened the deal -- by enlarging the government subsidy -- after the Marriott Corporation was chosen to develop the hotel but before a deal was signed.
"I cannot tell you what our response to a legal court case is," said Fenty, "in front of the thousands of people who watch your television show. That would be highly irresponsible."
He added, "We’re ready to go. The District government is ready to put the shovel in the ground. We’ve got a developer selected, We’ve got our team ready to go."
And he emphatically said the hotel will be built.
The day after the first anniversary of Barack Obama’s inauguration, Fenty said the president has changed the District in "huge" ways.
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He said the president has put approximately $460 million into the District budget through the economic stimulus plan, including infrastructure projects, 50 new police officers, and money for schools and health care.
He said Mr. Obama also brings "energy and inspiration to government," which have inspired more people to move into the District. "The number of people living in the city went up more in one year than it had in the last 60 years," he said.
He also said the District remains ready for a possible wintry mix forecast for this evening. "We always pre-treat the roads, always make sure we have all the salt ready to go," he said.
