As D.C. residents anticipate the Jan. 2 inauguration of Mayor-elect Anthony A. Williams, many hope he will usher in "a new Washington" and prove himself an antidote to 16 years of Mayor Marion Barry. But others will be watching him closely to make sure the old Washington endures.

"I just hope Williams can do as good a job as Marion Barry," said Natonia Carter, a sales clerk from Columbia Heights. "As long as Anthony Williams looks out for the senior citizens and the youth the way Barry did, he’ll be alright. As long as he’s for the people, we’re for him. If not, we know how to get him out of there."

Williams’ greatest challenge may be hanging on to those supporters while pleasing those hoping for a new era in the nation’s capital.

"Change. We need change, that’s for sure," said Mary Godwin, 63, a retired waitress and lifelong resident of Adams Morgan. "That’s why Williams got elected. The whole kit and caboodle needs to be changed."

"Williams should concentrate on budget issues," said Bill Miller, 36, of Dupont Circle. "He needs to work on where the money is coming from and where it’s going."

Kevin Green, 34, a police officer from Southeast, said Williams should focus on getting a commuter tax and full voting representation in Congress.

Others say social programs should be the priority, as they often were under Barry.

"He should never forget the senior citizens and the children," said John Green, 79, who lives in Southeast Washington near Benning Road. "I would suggest he work on housing. We have a problem out here with boarded-up apartments. Drug addicts occupy them all hours of the night and create all kinds of disturbance."

"I would hope Williams could follow the example of Marion Barry," said John Green’s wife Edmonia, 79, a retired nurse’s assistant. "He was a good mayor."

"We need better programs for children and senior citizens, more jobs for people with disabilities," said Lydia Smitty, a retired nurse and grandmother of four who grew up in Northeast Washington. "And improve the education, please. The children are so disrespectful. How can you teach anyone if you don’t have control?"

Some residents said they already are suspicious of "the new Washington," especially Williams’ plan to open some city contracts to competitive bidding by private firms.

"He needs to stop privatizing the city out to the rich and affluent instead of the people who have been here, stayed here through good times and bad," said Kevin Green. "He wants to contract the whole city out. Sure the city is bloated, but why doesn’t the upper crust take a (pay) cut? Williams needs to remember from whence he came."

"I would advise him to be very careful with privatization," cautioned John Jones, 51, a carpenter from Capitol Hill. "Some of those companies underpay their workers and you end up with worse service instead of better. It could end up being the worst of all possible worlds."

"I would not like to see massive layoffs affecting the middle-class black constituency that voted him in," said Michael Scott, 52, a construction worker from Northeast Washington. "The Barry appointees were not responsible for Mr. Barry’s problems. They are for the most part hard working."

Some people approached at Metro stations and local shopping centers didn’t know what to tell the mayor elect — they just want things to improve. They mentioned wanting the sidewalks and potholes fixed, dogs muzzled, boarded-up houses rebuilt. They cautioned him against losing touch with the neighborhoods.

"That appears to be his weak spot, to isolate himself in the mayor’s office," Jones said.

"He needs to make sure he gets out from behind the desk, press the flesh and meet and greet," Miller said. "I’m not sure he has the personality for that."

Several residents said the city needs help bringing together diverse cultures and strengthening families.

"The city needs more community activities to bring people together, especially families," said Tammy Ketchen, 24, a hair stylist from Iowa who now lives on Capitol Hill. "I see a lot of kids in dangerous situations where they shouldn’t be."

"He has a job in front of him. He really does," Smitty said. "The whole thing is fouled up."

Copyright 1998, The Common Denominator