A Sorry Excuse for an Apology

Mayor Fenty's Spokesperson, Mafara Hobson, has responded to the issuing of a certificate of appreciation to an anti-gay advocate.

A staff level error was made when the request for the certificate in question was fulfilled. We apologize for the error as it runs contrary to the Mayor's vision of a more open and inclusive city.

The Mayor is proud of his ardent support of the LGBT community as illustrated in his championing of the Marriage Equality legislation which he signed into law on December 18, 2009.

This isn't good enough.

Rick Rosendall's reasonable requests have not been addressed. Rick wrote:

On behalf of GLAA, I therefore request:

1. an explanation for how this most undeserved honor for Ms. Griggs happened;

2. a clear statement from Mayor Fenty rejecting the "ex-gay" fraud; and

3. a description of the steps that will be taken, both to counter the false impression of the Mayor's beliefs that PFOX has distributed to the press, and to prevent such a lapse from recurring.

Stating it was a staff error doesn't cut it.

• How was the error even possible?
• What vetting process does an honorary certificate go through?
• Who initiated the certificate, who approved it, who processed it?
• Why was this not flagged for possible political impact and given a higher level of review?
• What actions have been taken to prevent this from happenning again?

We still have no statement from the Mayor disavowing the certificate or the ex-gay movement.

We deserve better. I'm undecided in the Mayoral race, but Mr. Fenty is pushing me away. Mr. Fenty needs to address the problems of managerial incompetence head on.