I am surprised that the following very important Maryland legislative redistricting news is not being talked about in Baltimore’s media. What is about to happen in the 44th district will drastically alter local politics for at least ten years! The local press would rather talk about nonexistent snow and how to waste all your money on “gifts” from China than real news.
Back in November I predicted that the 44th district (which covers a large part of West Baltimore) would lose a city delegate in the House of Delegates. I was correct, but my prediction underestimated the Governor’s recommendations that you can view here. The proposed plan has the 44th district with one delegate in the city and two in Baltimore County! This plan is supposed to allow the current city Senator (Verna Jones) to remain in office. The city house where she supposedly lives is still in the district, but will the numerous county voters blindly vote for her? Since two thirds of the district will be populated by county residents I do not fully understand why they would want to be controlled by Baltimore City and thus elect a city based Senator. One would think the current Senator could expect a county resident to challenge her for her seat. West Baltimore could end up represented by a State Senator who lives in the county.
Keiffer Mitchell’s house will remain in the 44th, but current 44th district house of delegates representatives Keith Haynes and Melvin Stukes will now be living in other districts. Melvin Stukes’ house will be in the 41st and he will have a very hard time running against the three incumbents in that district. Keith Haynes will be moved into the 40th district which is now represented by Frank Conaway, Jr., Barbara Robinson, and Shawn Tarrant. Haynes is a highly ranked and well supported delegate. In 2010 the three 40th district incumbents basically ran on the same ticket. I think that two of the incumbents will join up with Haynes in 2014 and leave a current incumbent out in the cold. My prediction in that Frank Conaway, Jr. will be replaced by Keith Haynes on the 40th district incumbent ticket. Conaway Jr. (and Robinson for that matter) has familial real estate connections that could allow him to run for office in at least one other district in Maryland. It will be interesting to see how things play out.
The 44th district and Baltimore were rightfully punished for losing population. This should be a wake up call for the city. The powers that be are NOT running things correctly. We need to gain some population back or else by the time the 2022 election takes place there will be no part of the 44th district in Baltimore.
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.