Residents Upset Over Mayor's Dubai Trip

DC Mayor Adrian Fenty is finding himself in a bit of controversy after a secret trip to the United Arab Emirates last week.

The trip was not on Fenty’s official schedule.

He says the UAE paid his way and he met with local officials including his counterpart in Dubai. The Mayor’s wife and twin boys accompanied him on the trip. Fenty says the family paid for them.

No taxpayer money was used. He says, “It was essentially a family trip. It's really not much more complicated than that."

Still, some DC residents are questioning the timing of it all.

Gerald Durst, who recently moved out of the district says, “I don't care who paid for it. You got half the city unemployed and you're going out of town and how does that look?”

Raising even more eyebrows, Mayor Fenty acknowledges that he and his family attended the Barclays Dubai Tennis Championships. The event came under criticism because the UAE denied Shahar Peer, an Israeli player, a visa to enter the country. It caused an uproar, with some sponsors dropping out.

In response to the controversy, Emirates authorities decided Thursday to allow Israeli player Andy Ram to compete in this week’s Barclay’s men’s tourney.

Fenty says he had heard of the controversy, but still attended the women’s match. He says, “It seems by the end of the woman’s tournament, that they had resolved many of the matters and that's why they allowed the man to play."

Some residents say it shows bad judgment. One woman says, “He hasn't shown judgment about how he treats us here in the city, so I wouldn't expect him to show better judgment anywhere he travels."

Mayor Fenty says he may consider alerting the media to his future travels.