A Pick with a Shovel

Promising to clean house, an anti-Barry reformer wins in D.C.

Sharon Pratt Dixon had never sought elective office before she jumped into the Democratic mayoral primary in Washington. With less money and a smaller staff than any of her four rivals, she was at the bottom of most polls a few weeks ago. But Dixon had a message: after 12 years in office, outgoing Mayor Marion S. Barry Jr. had left the city a fiscal and moral mess. And she had a promise: "I'll clean house with a shovel, not a broom."

Some shovel. In a stunning upset, Dixon managed to bury four opponents who had long experience in government. Enjoying...

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