Candidates in the 11th face ‘wide-open race’

Comments

 SEE HOW THIS STORY DEVELOPED

EMAIL STORY

PRINT STORY

» 394 days ago: Candidates in the 11th face ‘wide-open race’ «

BALTIMORE (Map, News) - When an angry resident, who had experienced the ravages of drug addiction firsthand, scolded the candidates in the 11th District for their answers to a question about drug use, William Cole made it personal.

In a rare moment of emotion — anger, frustration and fear — a back-and-forth erupted between the candidates and their questioner, with Cole deciding to open up about an uncle’s drug-fueled suicide, the rest of the candidates following suit.

That was just one of the many flashpoints at a 11th District candidate forum in Reservoir Hill late Wednesday night. Several residents in the community shaped by pricey commercial development and the scars of rampant drug use — grilled the candidates vying for their votes in the basement of Beth Am synagogue.

The seven candidates ranged from a former state delegate with endorsements piling high to an Internet entrepreneur turned community activist. They all faced pointed questions from a small but vocal crowd about what many believe is a stagnant council overseeing a city in crisis.

Cole, the former delegate and congressional aide who has won the endorsements of labor unions and politicians, plugged away at his experience, playing up his relationships with both Congressman Elijah Cummings and Gov. Martin O’Malley.

“I believe we are at a time of change in Baltimore, where experience does count,” he told the small community audience.
He said the city’s education problem — one of the predominate issues of the night — was the product of a “dysfunctional city-state partnership,” and that “it has nothing to do with resources, it has nothing to do with facilities, it has to do with leadership.”

Candidates often tussled with residents over their questions, with many simply wondering what would actually change in their district after the election.

“When we work together, we will build communities of strength and hope, and things will be measurably different,” said Fred Mason III, an architect who has won the endorsements of American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees and the International Union of Painters and Allied Trades. “It’s unconscionable, the lack of attention and funds the city has given our Baltimore City school system.”

CORPORATE ACCOUNTABILITY

Nick Mosby, a Verizon video network technician, said his message to developers would be simple: “When you build downtown, you must build uptown.”

Reservoir Hill Improvement Council President Adam Meister stressed dismantling the open-air drug markets in the district as one of the centerpieces of his campaign.

Assistant Public Defender Brandon Thornton pledged to champion the issues of “teen violence, teen dropout rate, teen unemployment.”

Dana Owens, a chaplain and community activist, echoed similar themes.

“When people have a vested interest in their community, that’s when things start to break up,” he said of the open-air drug markets.

Karen Veronica Brown, a teacher and minister, attributed many of the city’s problems to political strife among the 14 competing districts.

“I think we’ve got to go back to a shared vision in the city and stop the district turfdom,” she said. “We’ve got to make sure we don’t just look at one area of the community but the entire community.”

Jon Konheim, a district resident and organizer of the event, was impressed with the entire field and encouraged by the candidates’ answers.

“I was checking the people who impressed me, and I had them all checked off,” he said. “It’s a wide-open race. No one’s a favorite.”

sgentile@baltimoreexaminer.com

THE CANDIDATES

Karen Veronica Brown, 43, executive director of the Madison Avenue Presbyterian Church Family Life Center
William Cole, 34, former state delegate and aide to Congressman Elijah Cummings
Rita Collins, 35, unknown
Fred Mason III, 35, architect
Adam Meister, 30, founder of contactmeister.com
Nick Mosby, 28, Verizon video network
Dana Owens, 48, chaplain for the Western District Community Association, nightclub owner
Brandon Thornton, 30, assistant public defender, former judicial law clerk
Warren Zussman, 55, owner of an advertising business

SEE HOW THIS STORY DEVELOPED

EMAIL STORY

PRINT STORY

» 394 days ago: Candidates in the 11th face ‘wide-open race’ «