This year’s midterm elections saw four former Obies running for public office: Adrian Fenty OC ’92, Lee Fisher OC ’73, Jan Ting OC ’70 and Yvette Clarke. All but Ting were victorious.

Fenty, a Democrat who has been serving as a city council representative in Washington D.C. since 2000, was elected as the mayor of D.C. 

Long known for representing the poor and working classes in D.C.’s Fourth Ward, Fenty plans to be loyal to that demographic in his new office. One major way in which he plans to help the lower class communities is through education reform.

“We need to work on the school systems,” said Fenty in an interview with the Review. “If cities are the last great challenge, then schools are at the front.  I want to bring accountability into the system.”

To this end, Fenty suggested that the superintendent of schools be made directly accountable to the mayor.

 “Running a city is like a private business, you want it to be as responsive and elastic as possible,” said Fenty.

He continued, “It’s a good time to be managing a city — a lot of people want to [move to one]. There is a big revival of cities going on.”

When asked what he thought the results of the national elections meant about the general attitude of Americans at this point in time, Fenty said, “Americans are ready for a change. They want leadership that is oriented in a positive way. The agendas that have been put forward in recent years are not the agenda of the people.”

Fisher, who was elected Lieutenant Governor of Ohio — running on the Democratic ticket with Governor-Elect Ted Strickland — had a similar perspective on the midterm results.

“This election reflects a strong mood of discontent with state and federal leadership that has brought war, unprecedented state and federal corruption and failed economic policy,” he told the Review.

Fisher emphasized the responsibilities Democrats now have to make good on their campaign promises and effect positive change.

“The worst thing to do is to bask in one’s victory,” he said. “We have a greater responsibility as [the] victors to question the system.  Then people don’t think that it is a matter of [our] self-interest, but because we actually care.”

Fisher continued: “[Nationally] I would like to see a stronger focus on advanced alternative renewable energy, increases on making college more accessible and affordable and a plan to exit from Iraq on a reasonable timetable.”

In Ohio, Fisher wants to bring wind power to Lorain County and other working class districts throughout the state.

Ting, the sole Republican alum running for office, lost the senatorial race in Delaware.

Ting said in his lecture at this weekend’s “Election 2006” conference that the greatest moment in American democracy “is when you lose an election and have to give a concession speech.”

Ting cited smear campaigns that attacked him for his connection to the Log Cabin Republicans, a gay conservative group, and his anti-Vietnam War activities as reasons behind his defeat.

 “If you are interested in a career in politics, be wary that you could go up against someone who served in Iraq,” advised Ting. “You are going to have to be accountable for what you were doing while the other was fighting for the country.”

At the forefront of Ting’s agenda was the issue of illegal immigration.

 “How are we going to fix the school system and healthcare with so many illegal immigrants coming in to the country?” asked Ting.  “[Illegal immigration] makes it difficult to get higher wages and better working conditions.”

Ting attributed the widespread Democratic victory to the increased rigidity and extremity in the Republican Party agenda. 

“Democrats widened their ranks,” said Ting. “They did what was necessary to get back in power.

“In D.C…it was the Republicans that were all the time ready to stab in the back,” he continued. “Beware of religious extremism. [Republicans were] more interested in ideological purity than campaigning.”

Ting spoke to the importance of keeping political balance, saying, “Help Republican moderates survive, before one will divides into two again and the [very conservative segment of the party] comes back in power.”

New York City Councilwoman Yvette Clarke was elected to a Congressional seat representing New York’s 40th district.  Clarke, a Democrat from Brooklyn, transferred from Oberlin to Medgar Evers College.

Despite a small scandal involving an early claim of an official bachelors degree from Oberlin, Clarke went on to win a closely contested Democratic primary, and later the general election, which she clinched with 89 percent of the vote.

Thus, as of Nov. 7, Oberlin has three new entries to add to a legacy of alumni in public service that is over a century old.

With reporting by Nate Roth