Mayoral Race

Michael W. Fox, Republican candidate for mayor of Annapolis, can see it all: A convention center drawing in people from Washington and Baltimore; trolleys to relieve congestion by diverting traffic to outlying corridors; a business community that welcomes economic growth while maintaining the historic integrity of the state's capital.Mr. Fox, a businessman all of his life, calls Annapolis beautiful but stagnant. And the 42-year-old late-comer to the mayoral race, described by a neighbor as "the most un-politician I've ever met," says he thinks citizens are ready to hear his ideas.

Potential candidates are lining up to fill the Anne Arundel County Council seat left vacant by Josh Cohen after his victory in the Annapolis mayoral race last week. Among the Democrats considering applying to represent Annapolis on the County Council are members of the Annapolis city council, one of Cohen's former challengers in the mayoral race and other government workers and business people, according to political insiders. Annapolis Alderwoman Classie Hoyle, just re-elected to the council, said she's considering applying.

Baltimore's mayoral race has gotten off to one of the earliest — and priciest — starts in recent history, according to campaign finance filings made public Thursday. Stephanie Rawlings-Blake, who became mayor last year after Sheila Dixon resigned, has more than $842,000 cash on hand, more than three times her nearest potential opponent and nearly $600,000 more than Dixon had raised by January 2007. State Sen. Catherine Pugh, rumored to be contemplating a run, has $252,000 cash on hand, putting her a distant second in fundraising.

City Council President Lawrence A. Bell III moved yesterday to overturn the residency law recently passed by state lawmakers that allows his cousin, NAACP President Kweisi Mfume, to join Baltimore's mayoral race. Bell, also a contender in this year's mayoral election, is co-sponsoring a bill introduced last night that would restore the residency requirement for mayoral candidates to a year before the November general election. The action generated some heat at the council meeting.

Campaign signs on the sides of Baltimore buses are boasting the Rev. Martin Luther King's familiar civil rights motto: "They will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character."The twist, however, is that the signs support white mayoral candidate A. Robert Kaufman. Four years after a racially divisive mayoral race, white citywide candidates such as Kaufman find themselves running as the minority.African-American voters hold a 63 percent to 37 percent edge over white voters in the city, an advantage exemplified by Mayor Kurt L. Schmoke's trouncing of his 1995 white opponent, Mary Pat Clarke.

The founder of the Baltimore Grand Prix has filed a $750,000 claim against the current organizers of the event, joining another early investor who claims he has yet to be paid. Steven C. Wehner says Baltimore Racing Development LLC, the company that he created in his mother's Rodgers Forge basement five years ago, failed to make payments totaling $575,000 owed to him over five years in exchange for his 10.2 percent stake in the company. Wehner is also seeking attorney's fees and interest.

We're residents of Baltimore City who happen to be loyal members of two different political parties. We've both spent a lot of time participating in politics and public policy matters from different perches. Despite our different perspectives, we're concerned that the 2011 Baltimore City election cycle is not generating the excitement or attention it should. It certainly isn't for a lack of compelling or experienced candidates. This year's crop of mayoral choices include an incumbent seeking election in her own right, a former city official running on new ideas, a state senator and a City Council veteran.

Despite the gun violations, the assault conviction, the drug charges and drunken driving case, Roger L. Loughry Sr. figured he'd take a shot at running for mayor. And this election seemed as good a time as any, since he's unemployed because of several disabilities. "I didn't see any problem with running for mayor," Democrat Loughry said. "With Marion Barry getting busted and still getting elected [mayor of Washington], why not me? We raised questions about Bill Clinton's ability to lead the country, and he's still in office."

Councilman W. Robert Flickinger, who served as Taneytown's mayor for about 18 months in the 1970s, will take over the top spot again Monday when he succeeds the man who replaced him.In a day of heavy voter turnout, Mr. Flickinger -- one of four people in the mayoral race -- received 215 votes, more than half the 425 cast in the race.Councilman Henry C. Heine Jr. placed second in the race, with 180 votes. It was the councilman's second bid for the city's top job. He will remain on the council, however; his current term expires in two years.

On the campaign trail, mayoral candidate Frank Conaway can often be heard passionately criticizing his opponents. Today, the Baltimore Circuit Court Clerk does it in rhyme. Conaway, 77, posted a rap on his campaign website where he takes a few cutting digs at the mayor, and candidates Otis Rolley, Catherine Pugh and Joseph "Jody" Landers. On the minute-long rap, he opens with a "I'm Frank Conaway and I approve this message," and then asks some of his opponents, "How you gonna take advice from the gift card bandit?"