D.C. Mayor Adrian Fenty and Schools Chancellor Michelle Rhee held a news conference at a northwest Washington elementary school on Wednesday to talk about rising science test scores. But it wasn’t all happy news.
Neighbors who live and walk through the area told the Washington Times that Fenty and Rhee’s vehicles were parked illegally near Ross Elementary at 17th and R Streets, in a way where pedestrians couldn’t get by.
Rhee’s driver apparently parked a black SUV in a space marked “no parking,” and Fenty parked his convertible Smart car in a street cleaning zone, according to the Times. Neither vehicle received a ticket.
The Times also reported that one mother had to wait for traffic to clear, and then squeeze herself and her stroller between Rhee’s SUV and another car, before rolling the stroller back up on the sidewalk.
Last month word came out that vehicles assigned to the offices of Fenty and Rhee had racked up hundreds of dollars in unpaid parking tickets and traffic fines, according to the Office of the District of Columbia Auditor. One vehicle assigned to the mayor's office had $770 in unpaid fines, and a vehicle in Rhee's fleet had $345 in fines.
Despite the hassle, Fenty and Rhee applauded the students and teachers on a job well done. According to the Times, Fenty said, “We are committed to ensuring that we’re doing everything possible to prepare our students for success.”
