Baltimore City Elections Update

Last night I served as a panelist on a candidates forum for the Citizens for Washington Hill, Inc..  The event was held at Lombard Middle School’s auditorium which presented some challenges as it relates to the audio, but nonetheless I enjoyed being a participant in this event. 

The mayoral candidates who were present included Delegate Jill Carter, Dr. Andrey Bundley, and Councilman Keiffer Mitchell.  Sheila Dixon sent a representative in the person of Andrew Frank.  Frank Conaway was not present. Robert Kaufman was not present.  (I have not confirmed whether or not Conaway or Kaufman were invited)

Ken Harris was the only one present from the group of those running for City Council President to be there for the large large majority of the event.  Stephanie Rawlings-Blake, (pictured above) who arrived more than an hour late sipping Starbucks, eventually showed up. Michael Sarbanes sent a representative who spoke briefly and left.

These days I’m not too impressed with most of the incumbents nor do I have faith that they are prepared to bring about the changes necessary to turn Baltimore City around for the majority of its citizens.  Sheila Dixon has been in elected office for 20 years!  Rawlings-Blake and Keiffer Mitchell have been on the City Council for more than a decade.  Whenever I hear one of these persons present some grand idea that they will implement if they are elected again, I always wonder why they didn’t activate their idea before now.  (I’m reminded of the saying that goes: “fool me once shame on you, fool me twice shame on me, fool me for 20 years shame on us all.”)

Furthermore, when one juxtaposes those who hold elected office in Baltimore with the condition of our school system, the level of crime, the lack of real opportunities for ex-offenders, and the unjust urban renovation (a.k.a. “Negro relocation”) projects that are going on, they must conclude that the incumbents share responsibility for the degenerative state of Baltimore City.  I’m sure that all of them are pretty nice people, but as elected officials their lackluster track records suggest that they will do more to support a status quo that keeps poor people poor, African American students unequipped, ex-offenders unemployed, drug addicts untreated, and Baltimore’s Shadow Government thriving. (For more on who really runs Baltimore see page 6 and 7 of this publication)

Mainstream media would attempt to select the candidates for the public.  The Baltimore Sun would want you to think that the race for City Council President is only between Rawlings-Blake and Sarbanes. ( ThisBaltimore Sun article by John Fritze doesn’t even mention that Ken Harris is a candidate!)  The Sun would also want you to think that the race for mayor is only between Dixon and Mitchell, publishing very few favorable words about Andrey Bundley or Jill Carter.  In addition, Michael Olesker – former Baltimore Sun columnist who now works for the Examiner – would want you to believe that Keiffer Mitchell is the best candidate for mayor.  As far back as January, Olesker was writing “made for tv movie” pieces about Keiffer.

More than ever it is incumbent upon the general public to research for ourselves and make sound decisions about who we think has the capacity and courage to help cultivate a more just and peaceful Baltimore for all Baltimoreans.

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