Baltimore Magazine has named me the "Best Rabble Rouser" in Baltimore. Thanks Baltimore Magazine! The Baltimore Magazine best of baltimore edition hits newsstands tomorrow.
Below is a press release I just received from the Jason Curtis campaign. The second paragraph is very interesting.
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Mount Vernon's Jason Curtis Announces Historic Bid for City Council District 12
(July 26, 2011, BALTIMORE) Mount Vernon community leader Jason Curtis has announced his campaign for Baltimore City's 12th District City Council seat. Curtis, an award-winning business manager, has served as president or board member of the Mount Vernon-Belvedere Association (MVBA) for almost a decade. During this time, Curtis has led the transformation of Mount Vernon from a struggling neighborhood to a safer, cleaner, greener, and truly vibrant community.
Curtis' election would be an historic moment for the city, making him the first openly gay city council member in Baltimore history.
"The number of campaign signs in the houses and businesses of Mount Vernon says a great deal about the respect Jason's own community has for him," said Jason Curtis for Baltimore Committee Chairman Larry Peterson. "They've seen him lead and they know what an outstanding council member he would be."
Curtis is also currently serving as Chairman of the Midtown Community Benefits District, for which he has been a board member for many years. This organization provides clean and green services to the entire Midtown area.
In the evenings, Curtis can be found riding a Segway, leading a security patrol around the communities of Midtown. Curtis has extensive personal expertise in public safety from the years he has spent on community patrols and building partnerships with patrol officers and police officials to fight crime on a neighborhood by neighborhood level.
During his time as a community leader, Curtis has closed problem businesses, built the first playground in the history of Mount Vernon, held liquor license holders accountable to the community, and built a strong and active neighborhood association membership. Curtis and the MVBA were recently featured in numerous press accounts for helping the police to quickly identify and arrest a suspected sexual assailant. The MVBA's close police contacts and the size and strength of MVBA's membership network were credited with making the arrest possible.
"He is a neighborhood hero," said Andrea Shelby, a Mount Vernon business owner. "He's passionate about city neighborhoods, he's focused, organized, responsive, hard working, and one of the nicest guys I've ever met."
Under his leadership, the MVBA has also brought strong preservation standards and height restrictions to Mount Vernon, the city's first and largest historic district. The MVBA, with Curtis as its president, has negotiated complex agreements with the city for expanded capital investments and services, strongly supported the construction of the city's new homeless shelter, and helped to found the city's first park conservancy. The MVBA has also planted more than 150 street trees, eradicated illegal dumping sites, and sponsored the annual Mount Vernon Business Roundtable, attracting over 100 Mount Vernon business owners, non-profit executives, and cultural institutions for discussions with top elected officials and community leaders. All of these accomplishments have taken place during Curtis' leadership.
"I'm independent and innovative, but I have also built coalitions and partnerships with other communities, city agencies, elected officials, businesses, residents, and major institutions to get things done," said Curtis. "I am not a typical insider -- I am in this race to make a difference and to bring change and strength to my entire District."
Curtis has spent his professional career in the hotel industry and is currently general manager of a large Inner Harbor property. He has been awarded the prestigious Hotelier of the Year accolade by the Maryland Hotel Association. This award recognized Curtis' management excellence as well as his outstanding public service to the community.
"I am eager to bring my hands-on community experience to the entire 12th District," said Curtis. "I am a business person, I've worked closely with all of the current council members and almost all of the city's agency heads, and while others like to spend their time planning, I have spent over 10,000 hours as a volunteer getting things done."
In addition to his neighborhood leadership, Curtis has served on the board of the Mount Vernon Cultural District and he is currently a mayoral appointee on the Board of Directors of the Baltimore Tourism and Convention Association.
"I am not running to retire a campaign debt or because I need a job," said Curtis. "I have a great career and I make a decent living -- I am running to bring cohesion and success to District 12 and change to Baltmore's city council."
Baltimore's 12th District includes all or part of neighborhoods such as Barclay, Charles Village, Greenmount West, Harwood, Johnston Square, Jonestown, Mount Vernon, North Broadway, Oliver, Remington, South Clifton Park, and Station North.
"My work as a successful community leader over the last decade attests to my complete commitment to moving District 12 -- and this city -- forward now," said Curtis.
More information about Jason Curtis and his campaign can be found at www.curtisforbaltimore.com. Jason Curtis can be contacted at jason@curtisforbaltimore.com and 443-987-6822.
Contact:
Susan Warren
Press Coordinator
410-727-8304
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