Former Washington Mayor Marion Barry Dead At 78

[rjmacs]

Everyone remembers the Marion Barry of FBI-setup fame, but few recall what incredibly important work he did on behalf of the citizens of the District when they had virtually no control over the city in which they lived. Barry had innumerable flaws, and did many bad things during his tenure, especially late in his career. Nonetheless, he served the poor and underrepresented residents of D.C. with great vigor and commitment. He helped to bring Home Rule to a city that was previously administered (poorly) by outsiders, and worked to make city government an entity to serve the people, not rule them.

Chocolate City will remember the Mayor for Life as a complicated character, both gifted and selfish, driven and capricious, generous and greedy. Others will vilify him as purely bad/corrupt, because they either never really knew his whole story or because he's an easy target. I prefer to see the broader picture of the man.