Bernstein endorsed by police, Jessamy on the Steiner show, and a new Page Croyder bomb

Posted by ameister on Wednesday, September 1st, 2010

Gregg Bernstein was endorsed by the Baltimore police union today. This news is not surprising, but it had to be mentioned. I would love to see more public officials make endorsements in this race instead of fearing how many future votes their true feelings may cost them. In other Bernstein news, I received his third mailing yesterday.

Patricia Jessamy was on Monday’s Marc Steiner. You can listen to what she had to say here and read a Baltimore Sun summary of her appearance here.

I find it hilarious that Jessamy says she is very visible. Is that why she rarely talks to the press and has Margaret Burns do all the talking for the State’s Attorney’s office? I am also tried of her Baltimore makes up “31% of all criminal charges in the state and 60% of all commitments in the state”. All that proves is that the crimes in Baltimore are much more worthy of jail time. Baltimore’s criminals are more violent and dangerous than the rest of the state. It says nothing about how many of these people keep going in and out of jail and how short their sentences are in Baltimore compared to the rest of the state. Do we have the most repeat offenders? Do we have the most brazen criminals who know they can get away with a crime if there is only one witness? How often do criminals in Baltimore accept lenient plea bargain deals?

Jessamy says she is not responsible for crime. I think Jessamy is responsible for crime because criminals know they can get away with crimes without having to serve time (or a lot of a time) and know that they can repeat their behaviors over and over again without the serious punishment that they would receive in other jurisdictions. Jessamy has helped create the lawless and criminal friendly environment that we live in.

Page Croyder is at it again. This time she exposes Patricia Jessamy and Nathaniel McFadden.

Tags: , ,
Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments »

George Della enthusiastically endorses Jessamy

Posted by ameister on Wednesday, September 1st, 2010

George Della “enthusiastically” endorsed Patricia Jessamy in the print version of the Afro. You can see what he and other State Senators wrote here.

“We applaud Mrs. Jessamy for her responsive and creative leadership!”

Della was the State Senator in the 46th district in 2007 when one of his constituents named Zach Sowers was randomly curb stomped to death. He was the State Senator in the 46th district in 2008 when Jessamy’s spokeswoman Margaret Burns went unpunished for minimizing the murder of Sowers.  First District City Councilman Jim Kraft called for Burns to be fired. Burns still works for Jessamy and is paid with taxpayer dollars. Three of the “men” who were involved in the murder will be out of jail in 2016 before they turn 30. The “man” who did the stomping could be out of jail by 2032 when he will still be in his early 40′s. Sowers died before he turned 30.

Investigative Voice recently talked about George Della attending a Jessamy/Bernstein debate:

“Della told I.V. he believes the state’s attorney’s race will be decided “based on what happens” regarding violent crime in the city in the weeks leading up to the election.

“Violent crime cuts across all races,” the veteran senator observed. “People are searching for answers; they want no more excuses.”

Della declined to endorse any of the three candidates, but cited the recent homicide of a Johns Hopkins research assistant in Charles Village who was killed by an alleged assailant that Jessamy’s office had failed to keep off the streets.”

Whatever you say George… Jessamy is one big excuse and you just enthusiastically endorsed her.

This endorsement is the ultimate in vote pandering and classic Baltimore political incumbent alliance forming of which so many of us are sick and tired! Della shows that he is a heartless trolling politician who deserves to be sent straight to his COUNTY HOME on September 14th. Vote for city resident Bill Ferguson in the 46th district State Senate election on September 14th.

Tags: , ,
Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments »

Baltimore’s new media entities come together and produce a video about the race for State’s Attorney

Posted by ameister on Monday, August 30th, 2010

I often quote Investigative Voice, the WVDA, and Page Croyder in my posts. These three entities have come together and produced a blockbuster interview about the State’s Attorney’s office. Here is a sneak preview (If you want to hear Jessamy then listen to the Marc Steiner Show on WEAA 88.9FM today at 5PM):

“***FOR IMMEDIEATE RELEASE***

The Washington Village Development Association (WVDA) and the Investigative Voice (IV) have teamed up to bring voters in Baltimore City , The Page Croyder Interview. The full interview is scheduled for released on 8-31-10.

Page Croyder spent nearly 21 years with the Baltimore State ‘s Attorney’s Office. She brings an insider’s perspective to the criminal justice system, and sheds light on an office which is highly contested this election season between the incumbent, Pat Jessamy and her challenger, Gregg Bernstein. This interview is a must see for anyone concerned about the race for Baltimore States Attorney. The following is a preview of the full interview:

YouTube Preview Image

Tags: , , ,
Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments »

I received my second Bernstein mailing of the week

Posted by ameister on Friday, August 27th, 2010

Who else received a Gregg Bernstein “Making our streets safer starts with CONVICTING VIOLENT CRIMINALS and then SENDING THEM TO JAIL” full color 8.5×22 inch folded over flyer in the mail today? This is the second Bernstein mailing I have received this week.

On Tuesday I was mailed a Gregg Bernstein “Criminals in Baltimore are getting away with MURDER” full color 8.5×22 inch folded over flyer.

“We can’t fight crime if we let violent criminals get away with murder”

He is using his financial advantage for a marketing version of “Shock and Awe” in Baltimore. I assume he sent the mailings to every Democrat “super voter” in Baltimore. A Democrat super voter is a registered democrat who has voted in the last 3 Democratic primaries (2004, 2006, and 2008).

While the Bernstein campaign was marketing itself and spreading the truth about the Jessamy regime to Baltimore, the Jessamy campaign was listing its tired list of machine politicians who support her. Here is the list. You should never vote for any of those people:

““Patricia Jessamy is a public servant we can be proud of. Pat doesn’t make decisions based on popular opinion or whichever way the wind is blowing. She follows the law and her goal is to keep the public safe and informed. In the race for Baltimore State’s Attorney the choice couldn’t be any clearer to me. Patricia Jessamy is experienced, tested and tough – all the qualities we need in a prosecutor.”
—Carl Stokes, Baltimore City Council, 14th District”

Anyone else catch the problem with the above statement? Stokes represents the 12th district, not the 14th!

Tags: , , , ,
Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments »

Jessamy’s financial supporters

Posted by ameister on Wednesday, August 25th, 2010

Page Croyder’s latest masterpiece can be read here.  Now back to the main story…

Below is a list I compiled of Patricia Jessamy’s financial supporters who were listed in her first campaign finance report of 2010. I have only listed businesses, law firms, and prominent politicians/individuals.  Someone may want to dig up this list next year when Catherine Pugh runs for mayor:

Candidates Account Contributor Name(Address) Amount Date Received Contribution Type
Jessamy, Pat Friends Of Sheila Dixon
(603 Winans Way ,
Baltimore, MD, 21229)		 $130.00 08/02/2010 Ticket purchases by Individuals
Jessamy, Pat Friends Of Margaret Burns
(1331 Redcoat Lane ,
Phoenix, MD, 21131)		 $62.00 08/02/2010 Ticket purchases by Individuals
Jessamy, Pat Friends Of Carl Stokes
(2411 Guiflord Ave. ,
baltimore, MD, 21218)		 $100.00 08/02/2010 Individual
Jessamy, Pat Friends Of Margaret Burns
(1331 Redcoat Lane ,
Phoenix, MD, 21131)		 $250.00 08/08/2010 Individual
Jessamy, Pat Friends Of Friends of Doug Duncan
(200 Forest Avenue ,
Rockville, MD, 20850)		 $2,000.00 08/08/2010 Candidate accounts
Jessamy, Pat Friends Of Law Office of Ronald C. Jessamy, PLLC
(1200 G Street, NW, Suite 800 ,
Washington, DC, 20005)		 $620.00 07/22/2010 Ticket purchases by Business Entity
Jessamy, Pat Friends Of Goodman, Meagher and Enoch, LLP
(111 n. Charles St. ,
Baltimore, MD, 21201)		 $62.00 07/22/2010 Ticket purchases by Business Entity
Jessamy, Pat Friends Of Law Offices of Sally B. Gold
(201 N. Charles Street, Suite 1630 ,
Baltimoare, MD, 21201)		 $124.00 07/14/2010 Ticket purchases by Business Entity
Jessamy, Pat Friends Of The Talv Corp.
(2503 Velvet Valley Way ,
Owings Mills, MD, 21117)		 $124.00 07/15/2010 Ticket purchases by Business Entity
Jessamy, Pat Friends Of Committee to Elect Catherine Pugh
(3603 Dennlyn Road ,
Baltimore, MD, 21216)		 $250.00 08/02/2010 Candidate accounts
Jessamy, Pat Friends Of Daniel Henson
(5517 Groveland Avenue ,
Baltimore, MD, 21215)		 $400.00 08/02/2010 Individual
Jessamy, Pat Friends Of William Jews
(35 Evan Way ,
Baltimore, MD, 21208)		 $499.00 08/02/2010 Individual
Jessamy, Pat Friends Of Howard Jessamy
(4000 Roundtop Road ,
Baltimore, MD, 21218)		 $620.00 08/02/2010 Ticket purchases by Individuals
Jessamy, Pat Friends Of Mumby & Simmons Dental Consultants, P.C.
(3639 LBERTY HEIGHTS AVE. ,
Baltimore, MD, 21215)		 $620.00 08/02/2010 Ticket purchases by Business Entity
Jessamy, Pat Friends Of Cummings for Congress
(2901 Druid Park Drive, Suite 203 ,
Baltimore, MD, 21215)		 $2,000.00 08/02/2010 Candidate accounts
Jessamy, Pat Friends Of “We Care” Private Services, Inc.
(1852 Reistertown Road, Suite 209 ,
Pikesville, MD, 21208)		 $372.00 07/14/2010 Ticket purchases by Business Entity
Jessamy, Pat Friends Of Hathaway Ferebee
(913 A Dulaney Valley Court ,
Towson, MD, 21204)		 $250.00 08/03/2010 Individual
Jessamy, Pat Friends Of Law Offices of A. Dwight Pettit
(3606 Liberty Heights Avenue ,
Baltimore, MD, 21215)		 $124.00 08/02/2010 Ticket purchases by Business Entity
Jessamy, Pat Friends Of The Friends of John Anderson
(P.O. box22463 ,
Baltimore, MD, 21202)		 $124.00 08/02/2010 Ticket purchases by Business Entity
Jessamy, Pat Friends Of Friends of Shirley Nathan Pulliam
(4200 Edmondson Ave ,
Baltimore, MD, 21229)		 $62.00 08/02/2010 Candidate accounts
Jessamy, Pat Friends Of Audio Video Electronics, Inc.
(4626 York Road ,
Baltimore, MD, 21212)		 $124.00 08/02/2010 Ticket purchases by Business Entity
Jessamy, Pat Friends Of Stuart Simms
(3511 Cedardale Road ,
Baltimore, MD, 21215)		 $124.00 08/02/2010 Ticket purchases by Individuals
Jessamy, Pat Friends Of Fells Point Body & Fender Shop
(419 S, Caroline Street ,
Baltimore, MD, 21231)		 $124.00 08/02/2010 Ticket purchases by Business Entity
Jessamy, Pat Friends Of F. Hocker & Associates, Inc.
(3308 Ayrdale Ave. ,
Baltimore, MD, 21216)		 $124.00 08/02/2010 Ticket purchases by Business Entity
Jessamy, Pat Friends Of Law Offices of Gary M. Brooks, LLC
(1 E. Lexington Street ,
Baltimore, MD, 21202)		 $124.00 08/02/2010 Ticket purchases by Business Entity
Jessamy, Pat Friends Of Dehn Motor Sales,LLC
(330-332 Patapsco Ave. & 4th St. ,
baltimore, MD, 21225)		 $186.00 08/02/2010 Ticket purchases by Business Entity
Jessamy, Pat Friends Of Cooper & Tuerk, LLP
(201 n. charles Street, Suite 2300 ,
Balrtimore, MD, 21201)		 $124.00 08/02/2010 Ticket purchases by Business Entity
Jessamy, Pat Friends Of American Minority Contractors and Businesses Assoc. Inc.
(1818 New York Ave.,Northeast Suite 216 ,
Washington, DC, 20002)		 $100.00 08/02/2010 Business Entity
Jessamy, Pat Friends Of Bishop Robinson
(5604 Purlington Way ,
Baltimore, MD, 21212)		 $62.00 08/02/2010 Ticket purchases by Individuals
Jessamy, Pat Friends Of Tickets in-a-hurry
(1670 W. North Avenue ,
baltimore, MD, 21217)		 $80.00 08/03/2010 Business Entity
Jessamy, Pat Friends Of Donald Manekin
(229 Ashland Road ,
Hunt Valley, MD, 21030)		 $250.00 08/03/2010 Individual
Jessamy, Pat Friends Of Khawar J LLC Family Food Market
(5413 York Rd. ,
Baltimore, MD, 21212)		 $100.00 08/03/2010 Business Entity
Jessamy, Pat Friends Of Friends of Glenn Ivy
(6404 Ivy Lane ,
Greenbelt, MD, 20770)		 $1,000.00 08/03/2010 Candidate accounts
Jessamy, Pat Friends Of Law Offices of Gary M. Brooks, LLC
(1 E. Lexington Street ,
Baltimore, MD, 21202)		 $200.00 08/08/2010 Business Entity

Tags: ,
Posted in Uncategorized | 2 Comments »

Video of politicians speaking at the Madison-Park North closure press conference

Posted by ameister on Monday, August 23rd, 2010

On Tuesday the plague that is known as the Madison-Park North housing project became much closer to finally being eradicated.  After many years of torturing the good residents of Reservoir Hill our politicians have finally stepped up and put the pressure on the owner of this blight on society. The owner was given many opportunities to “make things right” but she did not and now she is about to be rightfully punished (although she will be able to sell the valuable land for millions of dollars). The Sun covers the full story here and provides an official list of complaints about the project (a copy of the revocation letter) here. You can read some of my past article that mention the housing project here and here.

The legendary Howard Fink recorded the press conference in the name of posterity and you can see all of our politicians ripping on the decrepit facility below:

http://www.vimeo.com/14251251

Tags: , ,
Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments »

Gregg Bernstein has some momentum and connections

Posted by ameister on Friday, August 20th, 2010

Gregg Bernstein has raised five times as much money as Patricia Jessamy has! He clearly has the financial momentum and advantage in the Baltimore State’s Attorney’s race. His financial prowess is going to gain him a lot of recognition in certain political circles, and the race could soon be viewed as an even match by many.  It says a lot about a 15 year incumbent when this sort of scenario starts to materialize.

It has come to my attention that Bernstein also has a lot of mainstream political folks supporting him. I am not going to name any names, but key factions in city hall and beyond want him to win the race. I don’t blame them. If there was an efficient and effective State’s Attorney’s office, then Baltimore would be much less lawless, and a lot of politicians would look better and could start to take partial credit for the turn around. Politicians are always looking out for themselves, and it appears quite a few of them and their underlings feel that Bernstein as State’s Attorney will help their careers the most.

Tags: , ,
Posted in Uncategorized | 2 Comments »

My feelings about the Walmart at 25th Street Station being one step closer to reality

Posted by ameister on Wednesday, August 18th, 2010

It appears that the 25th Street Station development (mostly known for the Walmart and Lowes it will bring to the heart of Baltimore) will become a reality. The city planning commission voted in favor of the development. Be sure to check out this great article from the Baltimore Sun that gives a great description of how life really is on the business and residential side of things in Remington.

I am not a big fan of Walmart, but I support the project if they make sure it is not architecturally offensive and if a reasonable new traffic pattern can be established. One must remember that this is not just about a new Walmart, there will be new residential units also and they need to make sure that they fit in with the surrounding area and that no new “dead blocks” are created with windowless backs of projects fronting main streets. I am also vehemently opposed to any store in this development being forced by the government to pay a living wage to its employees. Let the free market set the salary.

I feel that it would be in the best interest of the two major tenants (Walmart and Lowes) and the developer to contribute money to some security agency (Johns Hopkins police or maybe the Baltimore police) in order to increase patrols in the Remington area. It will make the area safer and guarantee a more pleasant experience in and around the 25th Street Station complex.

I fear that many of the so-called “Hipsters” in the area are living in a fantasy world of sorts when it comes to Remington. There currently are major urban problems in Remington (that an empty car lot would not improve) that some younger people seem to be oblivious of. This is a recipe for a major crime event in the near future. I hope this does not happen but it jumped into my mind after reading this Baltimore Sun article.

There are some people who love to jump on the bandwagon and block anything that deals with “evil corporations”. Some of them have good intentions, but some of them are unable to or refuse to understand the realities on the ground. One reality that I have not heard talked about is the fact that just south of the proposed development another large industrial plot of land is about to go to auction. Things are clearly changing in the area, but the future is not set in stone. Those who are so opposed to the Walmart could get together and buy up this industrial piece of land and create their own inner-city business utopia of independently owned non-profit widget stores that pay “living wage” salaries. They could also just sit there and complain. It’s a free country, it’s a private transaction, and that’s life.

Tags: ,
Posted in Uncategorized | 1 Comment »

Early voting and other election related thoughts

Posted by ameister on Monday, August 16th, 2010

I have been stumbling upon a lot of election related promotional literature lately. The Democratic Primary will be held on September 14th. This year I have seen numerous reminders about “early voting” on promotional pieces and web sites. I have seen “Early Voting begins September 3rd” or a phrase like that many times. I am not a fan of early voting, but it adds an entire new dimension to campaigning. It seems like most of the major campaigns are gearing up to tackle the early voting challenge. The Maryland Democratic Party provides early voting information here.

Patricia Jessamy and Gregg Bernstein recently debated at a church in Park Heights. ABC 2 covered the debate and in the video you can see that the church was pretty empty. Did either campaign publicize this event? The low attendance speaks volumes about the complacency of the average Baltimore voter. The low turnout is a very good sign for the status quo and Jessamy.

The Maryland State Board of Elections sent the following email about “Social Media Advertising” out:

“  Memorandum

TO:                         Candidates, Chairman and Treasurers

FROM:                  Jared DeMarinis, Director

Division of Candidacy and Campaign Finance


DATE:                    July 29, 2010


SUBJECT:             Social Media Advertising

Recently the State Board of Elections has enacted new regulations to

reflect the abilities of political committees to advertise and

communicate on social networking sites, micro-blogs and electronic

advertisements.

A political committee who has established a social networking site, i.e.

Facebook or a micro-blog, i.e. Twitter must still remain in compliance

with §13-401 of Election Law Article.  In order to remain in compliance

an authority line must be present on the home or landing page of the

social networking site or micro-blog site.  If the micro-blog cannot

feasibly place an authority line on the landing page, then the committee

needs to register the account name and authority line with the State

Board of Elections.

A committee who is using electronic advertising is also required to have

an authority line.  If the advertisement is too small for an authority

line then:

1.       The ad must allow the viewer to click on the ad and take the

viewer to a home or landing page that displays the authority line; or

2.      Register the ad with the Maryland State Board of Elections.


Examples of electronic advertisement ads deemed too small are:

* A paid text advertisement that is 200 characters or less in

length

* A micro-bar

* A button ad


For questions or concerns please contact the Division of Candidacy and

Campaign Finance at 410-269-2880.


Erin W. Dennis

Office Assistant

Maryland State Board of Elections

151 West Street, Suite 200

Annapolis, Maryland 21401-0486

Phone: 410.269.2928″

Tags: ,
Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments »

Jessamy’s strategy and a review of the WYPR debate

Posted by ameister on Friday, August 13th, 2010

WYPR hosted a lively debate between Patricia Jessamy and Gregg Bernstein On Thursday. If you missed it you can listen to it here. Please take some time to listen to the entire thing.

Page Croyder has a solid summary of the debate here. I also noticed that Jessamy repeatedly defended her tenure by calling Bernstein a liar and saying that he did not understand the job. There was little substance behind what she had to say and at times she seemed to get lost in her own words. She ended up not making any sense a few times. Her funniest line was “I am the technology queen”. At times you could hear her laughing at Bernstein in the background. He calls her out about it at one point. Bernstein was very lawyer-like, competent, and professional. He seemed like a guy I would want advising me on legal matters. Jessamy seemed to be a typical Baltimore bureaucrat who deflected questions by talking about different layered departments and bureaucratic processes. She also called Dan Rodricks “Rod” in her opening statement. This debate clearly helped Bernstein more than it helped Jessamy.  Please listen to the entire debate here.

WJZ has posted Jessamy’s news conference from the other day. Keep in mind that she called this news conference. She did not handle reporters’ questions very well. She seemed to use the conference to rip on the police and prop up her campaign and ego. At times she might as well have been saying “me me me me me me… It’s all about me!” Around the seven minute mark while taking about what a Bernstein tenure might look like she says: “We don’t want a police state in Baltimore City, we deserve better”.

On Tuesday Patricia Jessamy questioned the “integrity and credibility” of police commissioner Frederick Bealefeld. The State’s Attorney is not happy that the police commissioner is openly supporting her opponent in the 2010 race for Baltimore state’s attorney. Jessamy wants the commissioner to be investigated!

I believe Jessamy is worried about this election and I think attacking the police commissioner is a calculated move on her part. She needed to find an opportunity to define her true self to her core constituency and target voters. Bealefeld’s support of Bernstein allowed Jessamy to clearly debut her strategy. She is not going to challenge her opponent, she is going to challenge the police. Thanks to the commissioner she can now paint this race as a choice between “Tough and Smart on Crime” Jessamy and the supposedly investigation worthy police. She knows that running a campaign against Bernstein will not energize her core constituency. If she makes the police appear to be the bad guys instead of the PARTNERS SHE SHOULD HAVE BEEN WORKING WITH FOR THE LAST 15 YEARS then she should be able to get a large segment of the Baltimore population who also believes this to be true out to the voting booths and voting for her in September. Since Baltimore has become a twilight zone of sorts where many feel that bad is good and lawlessness is law, this strategy is a solid one for her campaign.

I also want to remind everyone that quite a few high ranking mayoral appointees take public stands during local elections. In 2007 I personally saw housing commissioner Paul Graziano support the Dixon campaign in public view. What Bealefeld did is nothing new in Baltimore.

In related news I found my first Jessamy campaign print promotion on the ground when running on Auchentoroly Terrace (near Mondawmin Mall) yesterday. “Tough and Smart on Crime” was the theme and there was a nice glamor shot photo of the state’s attorney on the front.

The Canton Community Association will host a live debate between the two candidates on Tuesday, August 24 at 7:00 PM at the United Evangelical Church, 3200 Dillon Street (at the corner of East Avenue in Canton). I wonder if somebody will ask about the Zach Sowers case?

Also check out what  Page Croyder and Frank Conway Sr.
 think about the sign controversy.

Tags: , , , ,
Posted in Uncategorized | 2 Comments »