Tonight I decided to attend my first candidate forum of 2011. This forum was called the Intersection mayoral forum and kids would ask the candidates questions. It was held at 1100 East Fayette street. I liked the idea of young people asking candidates questions. The people behind the Intersection mayoral forum did a great job. The kids had some bold (and loud) questions. I think the children enjoyed having the mayoral candidates there. They probably considered the experience quite an accomplishment and an honor.
Even though the forum was at times entertaining and the kid aspect was new, I still do not think candidate forums/debates are the best political exercises. We need to come up with a better way for candidates to communicate in a productive and entertaining way with large numbers of voters.
This forum had all the usual components. Otis Rolley and Catherine Pugh brought large cheering sections, candidates did not fully answer questions and sometimes changed the subjects, some candidates seemed insane, and out of the 150 or so people in attendance I doubt there were even thirty undecided registered Baltimore city democrats. The mayor was chastised for not showing up for the children, but it was the right tactical move. More candidates should start skipping forums. The mayor probably met more voters during this two hour period (attending meet and greets) than the candidates at the forum. If forums started at 8 or 8:30 PM then things would be different. The three hours between 5PM and 8PM are better spent going door to door or at meet and greets. One can not spend large chunks of that prime time period at candidate forums week after week.
The period of time before the forum officially started was probably the most important time for candidates. If they networked correctly then they could open doors to meet more voters and get their voice heard in the future. I have to say that from what I saw and heard, Jody Landers preformed best during this time period. His media guy (Frank DiVenti) introduced himself to me and a few minutes later Jody Landers came up to me and talked. Landers immediately brought up an issue near and dear to my heart, the city council residency issue. It was great to hear that Landers is keeping up with current events and that he is totally against elected officials playing games with where they live. I definitely want to hear more from Landers about this issue. I will post anything he has to say about this very important Baltimore political issue. If this issue is important to you then you should seriously consider voting for Landers since he is the only candidate I have heard take a strong public stand on the residency issue. I hope the other major candidates address this issue.
The forum part of the night started a little after 7PM. There were four kids with questions. Each kid would tell a Baltimore story before the question was asked. The stories were pretty hardcore and somewhat disturbing at times. Baltimore can be a rough place for kids. My favorite line from a kid was “we should be tired of being quiet and nice”. I really like that line. Baltimore voters need to stop being quiet and nice when it comes to politics. Ask these bums hard questions and don’t be fooled by the games they play.
Landers, Pugh, and Rolley were solid and each got shots in at the Mayor. I still do not understand why one or more of these candidates did not drop out of the mayoral race and challenge Jack Young for the council presidency. Pugh (who will hold an elected position no matter what after this election) kept saying there were 47,000 boarded up houses in Baltimore and 30,000 empty houses. I think she may have meant 47,000 abandoned properties (which would include empty lots).
Frank Conaway played class clown/joke yet again. It is a disgrace that this scumbag holds an elected position in Baltimore. The guy totally misheard one question and rambled on with corny lines for most of the night. He adds nothing to the race. In 2007 he dropped out of the mayoral race and told people to vote for Keiffer Mitchell. I wonder who he will tell people to vote for this year if he pulls out. My guess would be Pugh.
The other two candidates were Wilton Wilson and Republican Vicki Ann Harding. These two candidates were hilarious and at times sounded like conspiracy theorists. Their presence at the forum was distracting and at times annoying. Wilson claims he has an undergraduate degree from Hopkins, but also feels Hopkins has placed lead into the ground in East Baltimore to conduct experiments on the people who live there. Wilson also said that contractors in Baltimore get $6billion worth of business and the city should take 2% of this money for the city budget. He said 2% of $6billion was $12million. 2% of $6billion is actually $120million ( .02 * 6,000,000,000 = 120,000,000). Someone needs to see when Wilson supposedly got his JHU degree. Harding talked a lot about racism and called Hispanics Mexicans. She did not seem to know the politically correct word for gay, and was unfamiliar with the Chrissy Lee Polis trangender McDonalds beating. These two candidates reminded me why the Mayor was probably loving life right about now.
I think Pugh had the most signs outside of the venue, Rolley was a close second. It was great to see Catalina Byrd in attendance. Julie Scharper of the Baltimore Sun was in the first row and Hassan Giordano was also covering the event. Marc Steiner was also in the house. As I exited the gymnasium where the forum was held I was handed Lyndon Larouche propaganda.
Filed in: Uncategorized.
Tags: Catherine Pugh, elections, Frank Conaway Sr., Jody Landers, Otis Rolley
Adam is the most recognizable face of the recent resurgence in Reservoir Hill. He has appeared on many national and local radio shows, in several news publications, and at numerous events discussing his innovative urban redevelopment ideas and his unique lifestyle. Adam is a successful entrepreneur, community activist, and a local political guru who ran for city council in 2007. He is the founder and director of the TechBalt.com Buy a Block Project and BaltimoreHourly.com. His fearless local political commentary has rocked the local blog scene for most of this decade and he plans to take it to the next level in the next decade here on Charm City Current.