Mara, Schwartz in odd rematch

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By Michael Drost

D.C. Council candidate Patrick Mara knew he faced a tough challenge in defeating Carol A. Schwartz for an at-large seat on the city's 13-member council. But he never expected to have to defeat her twice.

Mrs. Schwartz, seemingly finished after four terms on the council when she lost the Republican primary to Mr. Mara by 20 percentage points, or about 700 votes, is waging a strong write-in challenge -- with a sizable lead in the only poll conducted since the Sept. 9 primary.

"I take all of my opponents very seriously. I offer a fresh look to D.C politics, and I do not have the same political commitments and cronies that my opponents do," said Mr. Mara, a 10-year resident of Columbia Heights and former staffer for the now-deceased Sen. John H. Chafee, Rhode Island Republican.

Along with Mrs. Schwartz, Mr. Mara is part of a field of five other candidates for two at-large seats on the council. The Home Rule charter stipulates that one of the two at-large seats must go to a candidate who is not affiliated with the majority party.

Eleven of the council's seats are held by Democrats.

Democratic incumbent Kwame Brown is expected to easily retain his at-large seat, forcing candidates Michael A. Brown, Dee Hunter, and Mark H. Long, who are Democrats, to run as independents. The race is rounded out by Green Party candidate David Schwartzman.

Mr. Mara says the key issue of the campaign should be reforming education. He backs the federally funded D.C. voucher program, now in its third year.

The program offers 1,700 lower-income secondary-school students vouchers of up to $7,500 to attend private or parochial schools.

Mr. Mara also champions fiscal responsibility.

"There's a slew of waste in the D.C government, and none of my opponents have offered any specific solutions," he said. He pointed to a $131 million shortfall in the city budget, which he said he will work full time to eliminate.

Mr. Mara, 33, was able to tap the city's business interests as well as a strong grass-roots effort in his Sept. 9 primary victory.

Mrs. Schwartz, on the other hand, says she will be counting on her popularity with D.C. voters, as well as her record of supporting sound fiscal policy to succeed in her write-in campaign.

"I've been in this community for years, and I will continue to serve the residents of this great city," she said.

While Mrs. Schwartz acknowledged that campaigning as a write-in is difficult, she said that the task is not impossible.

"We're working awfully hard to educate voters on what to do on Election Day," she said. "People know who I am, and they can count on the fact that I have worked diligently for the city that I love for over 30 years," she said.

Mr. Mara could face a major challenge. A poll conducted last month by a local trial lawyers' political action committee gave Mrs. Schwartz a double-digit lead over her Republican opponent among likely voters.

The D.C. Legal poll showed Kwame Brown with a substantial lead over his opponents with 66 percent of the vote. Michael Brown came in second with 33 percent, while Mrs. Schwartz rounded out the top three with 25 percent. Mr. Mara came in fifth with 7 percent.

Mr. Mara said the poll of 595 likely voters was a "push poll," promoted by those who oppose him, and should not be viewed as a legitimate sampling of D.C. public opinion.

Mrs. Schwartz said she was encouraged by the poll, but added that she's surprised Mr. Mara would denounce the results of a so-called "push poll" when he himself was an advocate of many during the primary campaign.

Mrs. Schwartz's write-in campaign brings to mind former Democratic Mayor Anthony A. Williams' 2002 re-election campaign, in which he won both his party's primary and the general election as a write-in.