Williams wins D.C. Mayoral primary

District Mayor Anthony Williams claimed victory in last week’s Democratic primary, ending one of the District’s most bizarre elections in recent memory.

Williams, who ran as a write-in candidate after city election officials found thousands of forged names on his nominating papers, captured approximately 68 percent of the votes in the contest. His closest challenger was Willie F. Wilson, a minister from Anacostia, who took 23 percent of the votes.

In an odd twist, Williams may have won not only the Democratic
primary, but the Republican primary as well. Republicans wrote in Williams’ name for the Republican ballot, despite the fact that he is a member of the Democratic party.

At-large District Council member Carol Swartz, also running an unofficial write-in campaign, placed second in the Republican contest. District law prohibits Williams from representing both political parties. Steve Donkin won an uncontested victory for the Green Party mayoral nomination.

Elections officials estimated the vote counting would take up to ten days, but were able to tabulate 83,000 write-in votes in two days, according to the Washington Post.

-Alex Kingsbury

D.C. – Baltimore loses 2012 Olympic bid

University President Stephen Joel Trachtenberg said he is “disappointed” with a decision earlier this month denying D.C. and Baltimore a final bid for the 2012 Olympic games.

“I thought the process was absolutely irresponsible and cavalier,” Trachtenberg said.

The dual city bid fell one vote short of advancing as a U.S. finalist for the summer games. New York and San Francisco took the top spots and will vie for the games, beating out Washington-Baltimore and Houston, who also filed an application.

Many have seen the failure of the Washington-Baltimore bid as a politically motivated move by the European dominated International Olympic Committee, which decides who hosts the games. Negative sentiment in Europe stemming from President George W. Bush’s recent threats of military action against Iraq may have led officials to consider the U.S. capital to politically-sensitive to host the international games. Other cities vying for the games include Paris, Rome and Moscow.

Winning the Olympic bid would have meant substantial changes to city and regional infrastructure, including a proposed high-speed train line between Baltimore and the District. The Baltimore-Washington bid was competitive because of Washington’s history of handling large events like presidential inaugurations, marches and protests, the availability of sports facilities like Camden Yards and Ravens stadium, and university sports facilities across the region, including at GW.

-Alex Kingsbury