September 8, 2010 | 6:18 PM | By

On that poll we did with the City Paper…

FILED UNDER: Elections, Government, 2010 Elections, City Paper, Marion Barry

j_mills

Believe it or not, this is graffiti in Atlanta.

WAMU 88.5′s The Kojo Nnamdi Show and The City Paper collaborated on a poll of registered voters, asking them about the obvious (Mayoral candidates) and the not-so-obvious (“Mayor For Life” Marion Barry).

While a lot of the Twitterati are focusing on Vince Gray’s 50-39 lead over Adrian Fenty, I’d like to highlight this, from the WCP:

One question looked at yet another polarizing figure in D.C. politics: former Mayor Marion Barry, now a Ward 8 councilmember.

  • 20 percent said Barry “should be respected as ‘Mayor for Life’ and celebrated as a civil rights hero.”
  • 36 percent said Barry “should remain in politics as long as he likes and is re-elected.”
  • 32 percent said Barry “should retire gracefully and go away from public life.”
  • 7 percent said Barry “should still be in jail.”
  • 5 percent weren’t sure what they thought of him.

    • I occasionally get asked (by my friends and family outside of DC) about Marion Barry and his inexplicable-to-them, enduring popularity. I’ll tell you what I tell them, because it’s what I heard from his constituents. “He takes care of his.” Whether or not it’s true or a fair characterization, that’s a perception of Barry which I’ve encountered repeatedly, throughout certain neighborhoods in DC. The loyalty that many D.C. residents have to Barry is something I’d love to unpack, in future blog posts on DCentric.

    About the author

    DCentric was created to examine the ways race and class interact in Washington, D.C., a city with a vibrant mix of cultures and neighborhoods. Your guides to the changing district are reporters Anna John and Elahe Izadi. View all posts by Anna →

    • Ariel

      It's funny that this seems to have been an either/or question…