Controversy Surrounds Top Fenty Aide

WASHINGTON -- A top aide to D.C. Council member Adrian Fenty's mayoral campaign owes the city more than $17,000. Documents obtained by WTOP find Sinclair Skinner defaulted on a lease with the District by abandoning his retail space in the District office building at 441 Fourth St., NW.

Skinner operated Georgia Avenue Community Cleaners since January of 2003. According to Carol Mitten, director of the District's Office of Property Management, Skinner abandoned the space in May of 2006.

Mitten tells WTOP that Skinner never replied to a letter demanding payment of the $17,338.26 sent to his home on May 30.

"I'm responsible for the bill and I'm going to take care of it," Skinner said.

Ward 4 Council member Adrian Fenty says he learned of the debt when Mitten contacted him after inquiries from WTOP. Since those inquiries, Skinner has made a partial payment and agreed to a five-month payment plan.

Fenty says he's happy that Skinner is taking care of the debt.

"If you have a debt you pay it, and you pay it as soon as you know, whether you find out from the media or the government."

Skinner is paid $4,000 per month as Fenty's campaign field director. Both Fenty and Skinner attended Howard University and belonged to Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity.

Financial woes aren't the only problems surrounding Skinner. He has been linked to posters circulated in the city that depict Ward 1 Council member Jim Graham as "Gramzilla the Black Business Killa" (see picture).

Graham tells WTOP he was offended by the posters.

"I was upset because as somebody who believes in human rights it was upsetting. They used a real racist's platform."

Graham says he has no proof that Skinner was responsible for the posters and Skinner denies having anything to do with them.

"I did not put the posters together I did not distribute the posters."

Skinner acknowledges that he was President of the Lower Georgia Avenue Business Association which published the posters, but says he was not involved.

"Anybody in that community that's hurt by anything, I would make sure that I apologize," Skinner said in a statement.

But Graham questions Skinner's apology.

"If he has a role in all of this he should be acknowledging that role, then apologize. I'm a little bit confused."

Fenty says Skinner will remain on his campaign staff.

(Copyright 2006 by WTOP Radio. All Rights Reserved.)