Baltimore City Councilmember Brandon Scott Hints at Citywide Run // Mayor's Race Getting Crowded: Will He Or Won't He?

By Matt Verghese

Even as Nick Mosby launched his campaign for Mayor on Sunday, Baltimore City Councilmember Brandon Scott wrote an open letter hinting at his own aspirations for the top job (emphasis mine):

Dear Baltimore, 

Helping to make our city a better place is all that I have ever wanted to do with my life. In fact, I believe that serving Baltimore is the reason that I exist. 

Your outpouring of support and my expectations of what I believe this city can be, demand that I take my service to the next level. I have heard you and I sincerely appreciate you. 

Baltimore is at its most critical point and needs true leadership that can bring the entire city together, unifying our strength and our voice. The support you have given me, and the belief that I can do, and should do, more shows that without a doubt, you believe that I can lead Baltimore to being the best Baltimore we can be. 

With your continued support and active participation, I am confident in that belief. Together, we can bring this remarkable city back to its best. In the coming weeks I look forward to hearing from you all as I share my plan for leadership that will invest in, inspire and innovate Baltimore. 

Sincerely,
Councilman Brandon M. Scott

Scott, who turned 30 last year, was the city's second youngest-ever elected Councilman (the record belongs to current Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake) in 2011. Prior to his time on the Council, Scott was community liaison to Northeast Baltimore for the City Council President and then the Mayor.

Despite being a time when a lot of voters want a change - which could favor fresh faces over old hands - an increasingly crowded field could lead to an unexpected dynamic come Election Day.

Nick Mosby Announcement This Sunday // Fresh Face Jumping Into Crowded Field for Baltimore Mayor: Who Else Is Running?

By Matt Verghese

Ending months of speculation, Baltimore City Councilmember Nick Mosby appears ready to jump into the race to become the next Mayor. As reported by The Baltimore Sun, Mosby emailed supporters this morning inviting them to an important announcement taking place Sunday afternoon where they will hear from "the best choice for a better Baltimore." Below is a hard copy invite that has been circulating for a number of weeks:

Mosby has been an active and vocal member of the City Council in his first term, helping pass 'Ban the Box' legislation, being only 1 of 2 Councilmembers to vote against confirming Kevin Davis as police chief, and constantly pressing the flesh in neighborhoods across the City. He and his wife, State's Attorney Marilyn Mosby, gained national attention following the protests and unrest set off by the death of Freddie Gray.

Mosby is a client of well-respected fundraiser Colleen Martin-Lauer. Martin-Lauer has also worked for Mayor Rawlings-Blake and Governor O'Malley (among many, many others). 

With 175 days until early voting starts in Maryland's April Democratic primary, Mosby jumps into a crowded field filled with a number of well-known candidates many of who have previously run for the City's top job. A list of announced and potential candidates is listed below. The winner of the Democratic primary is the heavy favorite to win in November.

Announced

• Richard Black, accountant
• Mack Clifton, minister and author
• Sheila Dixon, former Mayor
• Mike Maraziti, President of Fells Point Main Street Business Association
• Catherine Pugh, Senate Majority Leader
• Carl Stokes, Baltimore City Councilman
• Calvin Young, former Baltimore City Youth Commissioner

On The Fence

• Jill Carter, Delegate
• Nick Mosby, Baltimore City Councilmember
• Brandon Scott, Baltimore City Councilmember
• David Warnock, venture capitalist and foundation head
• Jack Young, Baltimore City Council President

Out

• Ben Jealous, former NAACP President  
• Joan Pratt, Baltimore City Comptroller
• Stephanie Rawlings-Blake, current Mayor
• Wes Moore, nationally renowned author and TV host/producer

CANDID COMMENTS: Gov. Martin O'Malley Calls Micro-Targeting a "Bullshit" Strategy & Critiques HBO's "The Wire"

Maryland Juice recently caught two interviews with Gov. Martin O'Malley that are worth reading. A few days ago, Maryland's governor (who also chairs the Democratic Governors Association) provided candid comments to the BuzzFeed website and Governing magazine. See a few choice excerpts below, including O'Malley's belief that trying to micro-target independents this year is a futile strategy. Instead, he argues that the Democrats need to fire up the base of younger, more liberal voters, along with people of color. Indeed, O'Malley's stated belief in tonal campaigning (noted below) is something that Maryland Juice agrees with, particularly during the current demographic shifts we are witnessing:

BUZZFEED: O'Malley, a top Obama ally who chairs the the Democratic Governors Association and is often named as a possible presidential contender in 2016, discounted the idea that whoever wins the presidential election will be the candidate who focuses most closely on independent voters. And he suggested that the Democratic National Convention marked a decision to run a campaign centered on core Democratic voters — traditionally, younger, more liberal, African-American and Hispanic.

"Sometimes in campaigns you can drive yourself crazy with the micro-targeting and the pollsters and the tea leaves and the pixie dust trying to twist yourself into triple back-flips to appeal to the three percent that are the undecideds that live in suburbs and have lawns that are less than 20 feet long and all that bullshit," O'Malley said in an interview at BuzzFeed's Manhattan office Thursday. "Just tell the base why you're doing what you're doing and why you're better than the other guy."

O'Malley made the case that undecided voters are simply too diverse to be effectively targeted by a candidate or campaign....

O'Malley dismisses comparisons to The Wire's Thomas Carcetti

In an interview in Governing magazine, O'Malley also addressed comparisons between his own political career and that of Thomas Carcetti, Baltimore's mayor in HBO's hit show "The Wire" (excerpt below):

MARTIN O'MALLEY: (Laughs) I'm not that guy. I mean, there are aspects of that character -- how can I say this? David Simon and I both came from Montgomery County, Md. David came to Baltimore and saw nothing but suffering and hopelessness, and made a lot of money on it. I moved from Montgomery County to Baltimore and saw the tremendous opportunity to heal and save lives. I haven't made a lot of money, but the people of Baltimore achieved the biggest reduction in part 1* crime over the last 10 years of any of the major cities in America.

David Simon has a very, very cynical view of what we're capable of accomplishing as a free people in the face of challenges like the level of drug addiction and violent crime that we had allowed ourselves to sink into in Baltimore. But I've seen the goodness in the people of Baltimore, and that's the power I've chosen to tap into.

I'm glad that I have outlived "The Wire." More importantly, I'm glad Baltimore has outlived "The Wire."

Check out the full interviews with Gov. Martin O'Malley at BuzzFeed & Governing.

BLECH: Baltimore Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake Wants Special Session to Push Gambling & Prince George's Casino

BACKGROUND: Maryland Juice read two statements from politicians today that confirm gambling is a central issue in Maryland's budget debate. Personally, the issue doesn't motivate me very much in either direction, but I am very disturbed to see so much legislative effort go into promoting an obviously regressive revenue source. Did folks really hold up the budget to bring more gambling into Maryland? If so, am I the only one that finds this to be shameful?

Earlier today we reported that Maryland will be facing a doomsday budget scenario with millions of dollars in education cuts -- that is, unless Governor Martin O'Malley intervenes and calls for a special session. Now, Baltimore Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake is calling for a special session and is supporting the gambling measures. Below we print an excerpt from Baltimore Business Journal coverage of the Mayor's remarks, followed by a statement from Delegate Melony Griffith. Ms. Griffith is the Chair of the Prince George's Delegation and highlights a few of the sticking points from yesterday's chaotic legislative proceedings. She also confirms that gambling has been a sticking point in negotiations. Hat tip: Real Prince George's blog.

Rawlings-Blake wants special session for table games; O'Malley undecided

BALTIMORE BUSINESS JOURNAL: Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake wants lawmakers to return for a special session to pass a bill adding games like poker and blackjack at Maryland’s casinos, and deal with other key pieces of legislation, a spokeswoman for the mayor said Tuesday.

A hotly contested casino-expansion bill was left in limbo after the House and Senate couldn’t agree on a plan to add a sixth casino in the state before the session ended Monday. The Senate passed legislation that would add a sixth casino in Prince George’s County, either at the National Harbor resort or at Penn National Gaming’s Rosecroft Raceway harness track, and add table games at all the state’s casinos.

The House favored adding a sixth casino at National Harbor that would be slots-only while adding table games at the other five casinos in the state, including one planned for Baltimore....

“We don’t even know if there is going to be a special session at this point,” said Raquel Guillory, a spokesman for Gov. Martin O’Malley....

Since lawmakers couldn’t agree on a budget before the session ended, a “doomsday budget” will go into effect starting July 1. It will eliminate 500 state jobs and cut spending by $512.2 million....

Caesars Entertainment CEO Gary Loveman said April 3 the ability to offer table games would mean 500 additional jobs at the proposed 3,750-machine slots parlor on Russell Street, south of M&T Bank Stadium....

Brennan, the mayoral spokesman, said that in addition to a casino-expansion bill, Rawlings-Blake wants a special session to also take up legislation passing a new state budget and hiking the state’s gas tax to raise money for needed road improvements.

Delegate Melony Griffith's statement about the budget debacle appears in full on The Real Prince George's blog. We print an excerpt below:

DELEGATE MELONY GRIFFITH: Members are awaiting word whether the legislature will re-convene in a special session or face a “Doomsday Budget” following last night’s uncertain end to the 90-day 2012 Maryland General Assembly Session, Delegation Chair Delegate Melony G. Griffith said.

“We are disappointed that our work requires the possibility of more time to resolve these key pieces of legislation,” Griffith said. “I know we all would have preferred to resolve this by the deadline.”

Amid debates over whether to allow casino gaming in Prince George’s County and negotiations over how to fund the state’s budget going down to midnight, the delegation was divided this session. Members met in March to be briefed on one of several late gaming proposals, Senate Bill 892, but no formal position was taken.

With the gaming bill stalled, the two chambers passed the state’s budget by midnight. But several key pieces of the budget concerning taxes and other revenues for the state failed to pass, including a proposal that set the amount of teacher pension costs to be shared with counties, along with revenue to local jurisdictions to smooth the transition.

It is now up to Gov. Martin O’Malley to decide whether to call a special session before the July 1 start of the fiscal year, or to allow a previous alternative “doomsday budget” with $500 million in cuts to education, colleges, grants and other state funding to take effect.

More on the Maryland budget crisis soon!

Baltimore Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake Releases Ad Supporting Maryland Marriage Equality

Maryland Juice just received the following announcement from Marylanders for Marriage Equality:

[Baltimore Mayor] Stephanie Rawlings-Blake is featured in the group’s seventh web ad supporting marriage equality in Maryland. In the video, Mayor Rawlings-Blake says, “Marriage protects families. And couples regardless of sexual orientation deserve the same legal protections. It’s only fair. It’s only right.”

“The Mayor has been a longtime supporter of committed gay and lesbian couples getting married and building strong families," Carrie Evans, executive director of Equality Maryland. “We’re certainly grateful she has added her voice to the many other Marylanders who support fairness and family. There's no doubt we have the momentum as legislators return to Annapolis next month."

The O's vs. The Mayor: Should Baltimore's Economic Development Focus on Building Offices or Filling Them?

An anonymous coward source tipped Maryland Juice off to an interesting debate going on in Baltimore City: should economic development efforts be geared toward encouraging new office construction or should they encourage tenants to rent already-built but vacant office space? The Baltimore Brew blog has a well-done piece summarizing the loud debate between Baltimore Orioles owner Peter Angelos and newly-elected Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake:

The general public knows little about PILOTs, TIFs and other obscure financing tools, but they are a source of controversy and turf battling within the city’s power elite.

And at the top of that elite stands lawyer and Baltimore Orioles owner Peter G. Angelos, a man who isn’t afraid to confront what he considers “handouts” to developers by Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake.

Angelos and Rawlings-Blake have been feuding over various city developments for some time. The lawyer, who owns One Charles Center and other downtown properties, has tried to block, through lawsuits he’s funded, the State Center and “Superblock” projects championed by the mayor.

While the lawsuits center on various procedural issues, the thrust of his opposition is this – why is the city doling out tax breaks to new developments when about 25% of downtown’s office space (including some of Angelos’ own properties) lie vacant?

The Brew article above is related to similar tensions we are hearing about around the country, as policymakers attempt to influence the basic laws of supply and demand. TIME Magazine, for example, highlighted the new and increasing phenomenon of banks and cities bulldozing housing to lower the supply:

Granted, in Baltimore the development projects in question are likely not simply 100 % residential  or 100% office projects, and are therefore probably more likely to be mixed-use with amenities. But still, the debate is intriguing.

BREAKING: 15 Vote Margin May Mean Recount in Baltimore City Council District 13 // NOT BREAKING: Mayoral Race a Yawner

Bal'more Juice, 'Hon!

UPDATE: A Baltimore voter informs us that Early Voting was also conducted on touchscreen machines, meaning most of a "recount" would really only happen with the paper-based absentee and provisional ballots. Additionally, the absentee canvass begins today, and a new source informs us that Mr. Branch has lawyered up! Now, absentee vote totals are coming in. Is this race over?

A Baltimore-based Democratic operative has contacted Maryland Juice with news of a potential recount in the City Council District 13 race. Our source is not an unbiased observer in the process and will hopefully provide updates as candidates start making decisions. Note: the Baltimore City Paper first made mention of this possibility, but we expand upon the news below.

Last Tuesday's Democratic Primary Election canvass left the result of the District 13 race in question, since a razor-thin 15-vote margin separates the first and second place candidates. Incumbent Democratic Councilmember Warren Branch (brother to Delegate Talmadge Branch, a Baltimore City opponent of marriage equality) currently holds the narrow lead over newcomer Shannon Sneed. The totals currently include the Early Voting and Election Day polling location results, but it does not appear that provisional ballots and absentee ballots are included in the current count.

CASA in Action Announces Baltimore City Endorsements

Latino advocacy organization CASA in Action has announced the following endorsement recommendations in the upcoming Baltimore City primary election. Contrary to any mailings you may have received, Primary Election Day is Tuesday, September 13, 2011. Voting hours are from 7:00 am to 8:00 pm (voting information here).

The organization describes itself as follows:

CASA in Action facilitates greater electoral and campaign engagement by Latinos and immigrants in Maryland by focusing uncompromisingly on providing political education to Latinos and getting them to the polls.

Baltimore elects 14 councilmembers, each representing a single member district for a four-year term. The President of the Council, along with the Mayor, are elected at-large. The current Council is 100% Democratic. Note: According to the most recent census data, a little over 4% of Baltimore City residents identify as Hispanic or Latino.

Below, CASA has issued no endorsement recommendation in Districts 7, 9, 10, 11, and 13. A recommendation is pending in District 2. The remaining endorsees are incumbents, except for one. In District 12 CASA recommends community activist Odette Ramos over Carl Stokes. Stokes had decided to run for re-election after flirting with a Mayoral bid.

CASA in Action's Endorsement Recommendations: