D.C. mayor takes another secret trip

WASHINGTON - D.C. Mayor Adrian Fenty continues to travel out of town, keeping his whereabouts a secret from the public.

A spokesperson for Fenty refused to say where the mayor is today, whether or not he's in the country, or how long he will be gone.

Even people close to Fenty aren't aware of his travel schedule.

D.C. Council Chairman Vincent Gray, who is first in the line of succession to the mayor and the second-highest ranking elected official in town, is in the dark.

"The Chairman was not informed. I am told the Mayor does not inform the Chairman when he is going out of town as a practice," Gray's spokesperson Doxie McCoy writes in an email to WTOP.

In an email to WTOP, Fenty's spokesperson Mafara Hobson wrote that the mayor is on a "personal trip" and declined to answer any other questions.

While Fenty's location remains a mystery, WTOP has learned who is in charge of the District in his absence.

The Examiner reports Deputy Mayor for Education Victor Reinoso is at the helm. Normally, City Administrator Dan Tangherlini would be in charge, but he is also out of town.

Fenty signed an executive order on Tuesday designating Reinoso as acting city administrator from March 23 until March 30, the duration of Tangherlini's absence, the Examiner reports. According to the order, Reinoso "shall execute and perform the powers and duties of the City Administrator while serving in this Acting capacity."

Fenty recently returned from an undisclosed trip to the Middle East. When asked by WTOP, Fenty said the trip was "basically a family vacation."

Later, Fenty acknowledged that the United Arab Emirates government paid $25,000 for the trip. A previous family trip to China was paid for by several Chinese government agencies.

Fenty says he performed official business on both trips but refused to provide any details.

Last week, Fenty traveled to Philadelphia to watch the NCAA basketball tournament. A spokesperson for Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter tells WTOP that Fenty asked Nutter for six tickets to Nutter's skysuite at the Wachovia Center.

The Philadelphia trip was not on the Mayor's public schedule, despite the fact that he was there to show support for the American University men's basketball team.

Hobson would only confirm that Fenty attended the game, but would not provide any details about the cost of the trip.

Last year, Fenty took several undisclosed trips to campaign for President Barack Obama.

Taxpayers paid for three members of Fenty's executive staff, 10 police officers, and three detectives to travel with Fenty as he campaigned across the country for Obama over a five-month period, according to records provided by the mayor's office.

As a Councilmember, Fenty was a vocal critic of former Mayor Tony Williams' frequent travel.

"It's really gotten ridiculous. He's completely disengaged from the workings of government," Fenty told the Washington Post.

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