The City Council is accepting applications to fill the 13th District seat vacated by Paula Johnson Branch.

Branch resigned from the council, effective Friday, after more than 15 years as a member.

Those interested in the position should send a resume, a copy of their photo identification with proof of age and address, and a copy of their voter registration card to Jennifer Coates, director of the Office of Council Services, 100 N. Holliday St., Room 415, Baltimore 21202; or fax the information to 410-545-7596.

Applicants must have lived in the district for at least one year.

The application deadline is 10 a.m. March 21.

The council’s nominating committee will hold a public hearing for eligible applicants at 5 p.m. March 22 at City Hall. The nominating committee will then recommend a choice to the full council for confirmation.

There have been plans to “clean up” that area and others for years before they came into reality. I also remember family/friends talking about changes that were to come in the late 1980s. In the early 1990’s I remember seeing a few of those plans and of course it made me think back to what I had heard.

From what I read about the court case involving involving Conteh, it doesn’t appear that she quite “lied” under oath, but she sure was deceptive. I figure that she had to take the fall in order to protect other political and business leaders who would have had the spotlight of scrutiny shine on them if the case was allowed to continue.

Interestingly enough, Branch is totally oblivious to what her real legacy is in the 13th. She said this in a Baltimore Sun article dated 2/15/2007: “The legacy that I leave with the people is the legacy of providing good services to them, looking out for their interests and trying to improve their quality of life.”

Furthermore she reveals that she has accepted a real estate job from a yet unnamed company and had to leave the Council citing that it may pose some “ethical problems” if she was to stay. Ethics? It’s a little late to be thinking about “ethics” don’t you think, Madam Branch?

Try talking about ethics while standing on the dirt mounds in East Baltimore (aka Hopkins City) where poor and/or African American families used to live - Families that didn’t know that the catch that comes along with “urban revitalization” is “African American relocation”.

Sadly, the press in Baltimore is not making much of this - why is Branch resigning now? Is it over fear of indictment related to the Conteh case? What about her pension? What about her state job? Plenty of questions that may go unanswered.