Mayoral Race

The filing deadline has passed for Annapolis' fall elections and nine candidates are vying for mayor, with five competitive races for the city council. Candidates had until 9 p.m. Monday to file their candidacies with the city clerk's office. Seven Democrats are battling it out in the primary for mayor - Joshua Cohen, a county councilman; Laurie Sears Deppa, a small-business owner; Trudy McFall, former chairwoman of the public housing commissioners; Zina Pierre, a political consultant; Gilbert Renaut, a mediator; Samuel E. Shropshire, an alderman; and Wayne Taylor, a former alderman.

In the early 1980s, Gilbert Renaut built a home in Murray Hill, a neighborhood within walking distance of Spa Creek and downtown Annapolis. The one-time federal litigator had an affinity for architectural history and wanted to prove he could build a Colonial reproduction house on a middle-class budget. After that project led to a stint on the Annapolis Historic Preservation Committee, he also ended up proving he had a passion for local politics. He chaired the Murray Hill Centennial in 1990, served as president of the Murray Hill Residents Association and then ran the Ward One Residents Association.

The nine candidates vying to be Annapolis' next mayor discussed public housing issues ranging from funding to revitalization and social services at a recent forum hosted by the Housing Authority of Annapolis. The seven Democrats, one Republican and one independent spoke mostly in broad terms of improving communication and collaboration between public housing residents and city government and creating opportunity for residents. Housing Commissioner Michael Jackson posed perhaps the most controversial question of the forum, asking candidates if there should be a time limit on families living in the city's public housing, which is often home to generations of families.

Days before the Democratic primary, candidates battling to become Baltimore's next mayor took to the radio yesterday morning for a debate. During the two-hour discussion on WOLB-AM, five of the seven candidates expressed their views on topics including the tax rate, requiring police officers and firefighters to live in the city, and how to attract the middle class to the city. Participating were City Councilman Keiffer J. Mitchell Jr., Del. Jill P. Carter, schools administrator Andrey Bundley and businessman Mike Schaefer.

Baltimore's mayoral candidates will square off in a live debate tonight, their first and likely only televised meeting of the campaign. All eight Democrats were invited to participate in the forum, which comes with just two weeks left until the Sept. 11 primary. In fundraising and a poll conducted for The Sun last month, Mayor Sheila Dixon and City Councilman Keiffer J. Mitchell Jr. led the group, with Dixon showing a considerable lead on both fronts. The other elected officials running in the Sept.

Eight Democratic candidates are running for mayor in the Sept. 11 primary election and most have released a plan to deal with crime. They were asked about the three most important changes they would make to reduce crime. Here is a summary of their responses: Andrey Bundley To address the rift between residents and police, Bundley would organize church members and community organizations to visit neighborhoods en masse. He envisions 1,000 people knocking on doors in troubled neighborhoods at a time.

After eight years of receiving crucial support for his mayoral administration, Gov. Martin O'Malley came to Baltimore yesterday to return the favor to Mayor Sheila Dixon. O'Malley joined former Rep. Kweisi Mfume in officially endorsing Dixon, lending her mayoral campaign the biggest names to date with less than a month before the Democratic primary. Standing outside of City Hall in War Memorial Plaza, the trio emerged to the 1980s classic song "Eye of the Tiger," where they were joined by a legion of city and state elected officials.

Mayor Sheila Dixon will receive endorsements from two of Maryland's political heavyweights, Gov. Martin O'Malley and U.S. Rep. Elijah E. Cummings, her main rival in next month's Democratic primary said yesterday. Meanwhile, former Rep. Kweisi Mfume said yesterday that he would "absolutely and unequivocally" endorse Dixon tomorrow. The news of the planned O'Malley and Cummings endorsements came from City Councilman Keiffer J. Mitchell Jr., who said he met with O'Malley a week ago and that the former mayor told him he would back Dixon.

Five candidates in Baltimore's mayoral race will face off on WOLB-AM this morning in a debate-like forum - among the first such discussions to be broadcast live. The candidates will speak on The Larry Young Morning Show (1010 AM) from 8 a.m. to 10 a.m. Each candidate will offer opening and closing statements and will answer questions from journalists and listeners. "It's an outlet for our listeners and those running for office to dialogue," Young said. Mayor Sheila Dixon, City Councilman Keiffer J. Mitchell Jr., schools administrator Andrey Bundley, Del. Jill P. Carter and Circuit Court Clerk Frank M. Conaway are expected to attend.