Mosby Joins Mayoral Race; Is Scott Next? Will Carter Join the Fray? - Entrepreneur Generations

Councilman Nick Mosby has joined the Baltimore Mayoral Race, something that makes me excited.

I'll be honest: I wanted Wes Moore to run for mayor. After reading both of his books and interacting with him many times, I'm convinced he cares deeply and understands the issues of the city. Moore is the kind of dynamic leader we need right now, and his experience and, yes, fame, could have made him a transformative leader. But, sadly, he's not running.

Until Mosby's announcement, that had left us with a lot of familiar names in Baltimore politics -- Catherine Pugh, Carl Stokes, and Sheila Dixon. All have run for mayor before over the last 20 years, and, while only Dixon has won (and, of course, then convicted of stealing gift cards from the poor), they all feel like clinging to a past that has not worked for the city. This might be unfair and I'll attempt to keep an open mind to them as candidates, but it's what I'm feeling right now.

I admit that I don't know that much about Nick Mosby, and I admit that the thought of him being mayor and his wife being the State's Attorney (who I like) leaves me a little unsettled. Is it a conflict of interests that the chief prosecutor for the state -- and the one in charge of the Freddie Gray trials -- is married to the mayor? I don't think so, although many will say it is, and the two will be lightning rods if that's the perception. I admit it makes me feel a little unsettled, though.

I have heard from people that I trust that Nick Mosby is one of the handful of good councilmen in the city, with a list of accomplishments and experience. I really liked what he said to Fox News during the unrest (clip down below). I like that he's a local Baltimore public schools guy who is young (Class of 1997 at Poly) and representing the next generation of Baltimore leadership. I do take note of Farajii Muhammed's comments in the article about his announcement that he needs to clean up some business in his own district before jumping into the race; I do think that this would be the case for any councilman, though.

That brings me to Brandon Scott. This weekend, he also hinted at a run, with the release of a vague but promising announcement on his Facebook page. I know about Brandon Scott, as he has been the councilman for my adjacent district for the last several years, and I see him on the streets, doing his activism with the 300 Men March and his constant and consistent constituent service. There's a reason City Paper called him Baltimore's Best Politician last year. Brandon Scott is also young (Mervo, Class of 2002) and dynamic, but, really, it's because I believe it when he writes, "I believe that serving Baltimore is the reason that I exist." Because I've seen him work over the last several years.

Even when I don't agree with him -- I tend to gravitate towards Mosby's comments, understanding the frustration of the youth, about the unrest rather than Scott's, who talked about those adults involved as "cowards" -- but think the truth probably lies in between (and, truth be told, both of these viewpoints could just be what reporters captured in short clips, rather than fully nuanced views). If Scott gets into the race, though, that could present an interesting contrast between these two young councilmen. The 300-Men March, with its "We Must Stop Killing Each Other" message, firmly places the impetus of the city's violence on the community; I've heard some Black Lives Matter activists critique the group before, which I don't quite understand (I'm a definite supporter of the BLM movement.)

It also presents a risk, in that either, or both, of these strong councilmen -- two of the few effective ones in the city -- could lose their seats; in fact, Pugh could win if Mosby and Scott cancel each other's votes out. With both of them, though, but in particular in my view of Scott, I don't think losing a mayoral race would make them disappear; they'll remain on the forefront.

Indeed, that's what happed to Jill Carter, who lost her bid to be mayor last election cycle but has remained strong on the battlefronts. She's another candidate I'd be very excited about supporting were she to get into the race; she has consistently given hope and political support to the Black Lives Matter movement throughout the last two years and I trust her views on the entrenchment of Baltimore politics and the structural racism of city hall.

In the end, Jill Carter may not feel she has the war-chest, and Brandon Scott may indeed wait another election cycle, when Wes Moore will likely be in the race, but I'll be hoping they both throw their hats in the ring right now. Between Scott's passion for his city, Carter's support of the youth activists, and Mosby's leadership, I think we could find an effective mayor for Baltimore.

I'll be watching closely.





from Epiphany in Baltimore http://ift.tt/1LPk2mf Mosby Joins Mayoral Race; Is Scott Next? Will Carter Join the Fray? - Entrepreneur Generations

Posted by Entrepreneur Generations

Tweet