Mfume

Parren J. Mitchell, the first African-American elected to Congress from Maryland and a lifelong crusader for social justice for the nation's minorities, died yesterday of complications from pneumonia at Greater Baltimore Medical Center. He was 85 and had lived in a nursing home since a series of strokes several years ago. A founding member of the Congressional Black Caucus and later its chairman, Mr. Mitchell was the younger brother of Clarence M. Mitchell Jr., Washington lobbyist for the NAACP in the hard-won civil rights struggles in Congress of the 1960s and 1970s.

Born Frizzell Gray, Baltimore native Kweisi Mfume began his career as a political activist, first elected to the Baltimore City Council in 1979. After two terms on the council, in 1986, the Democrat was elected to the House of Representatives and went on to serve as the congressman from Maryland's 7th District for five terms. From 1996 to 2004 he was president and CEO of the Baltimore-based National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. Since a failed bid for the Senate in 2006, Mfume has toured the country on public speaking engagements.

Ronald T. Gray, the youngest son of NAACP President Kweisi Mfume, pleaded guilty Thursday in U.S. District Court in Washington to two charges related to a drug arrest.Gray was charged with possession of an unregistered firearm and conspiracy to distribute cocaine, and can receive a maximum of 21 years in prison. He is scheduled to be sentenced Feb. 2.The charges stem from a May 20 arrest in Washington after a months-long investigation by the Drug Enforcement Administration.Pub Date: 10/30/99

Efforts to create a campaign for shadow mayoral candidate Kweisi Mfume appear to be picking up steam, even as the NAACP president continues publicly to deny that he will run for Baltimore's top political post.Eight months before Baltimore's primary election, the city's mayoral contest -- the first in more than a decade without an incumbent -- is growing increasingly muddled.With the Mfume chatter, front-runners are not emerging. Would-be candidates are hesitating. And state lawmakers continue with their attempt to cut Baltimore's residency requirement for political office from a year to six months so Mfume can run.While many push for a Mfume candidacy, the president of the nation's most prominent civil rights organization is publicly distancing himself from the mayor's race.

Baltimore elections officials confirmed yesterday that NAACP President Kweisi Mfume, who is being courted by many to run for mayor, voted in the city despite living in Baltimore County for the past three years.But whether the former West Baltimore congressman and city councilman violated state election laws is unclear because of what officials say is vagueness in Maryland's loosely written election residency rules.Despite living in Catonsville, the leader of the nation's most visible civil rights group owned city property as recently as October.

Let city voters, not residency rules, determine next mayorThe voters of Baltimore will elect our next mayor. Whether a candidate has lived in the city for the 12 months immediately prior to the election is a factor that they can consider. It should not be an absolute bar to seeking the office.We are sponsoring legislation that would reduce the residency requirement for mayor of Baltimore from 12 months to six. The bill further provides that the City Council could enact an ordinance reaffirming the one-year standard, provided it does so no later than four weeks prior to the filing deadline for mayor.

NEW YORK -- The NAACP may sue major television networks and challenge local stations' broadcast licenses because their programming does not reflect the nation's racial diversity, NAACP President Kweisi Mfume announced yesterday.No major characters in the 26 new shows planned by ABC, CBS, FOX and NBC this fall are minorities, Mfume said, citing this as evidence that the stations may be in violation of the Federal Communications Commission standard to serve the public interest."When Americans tune in this fall all over America and sit down to watch the new prime-time television shows they will see a virtual whitewash in programming," Mfume said at the 90th annual convention of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People.

As Kweisi Mfume edges closer to entering Baltimore's mayoral race, NAACP officials are preparing for what looks like the inevitable: their president's departure.For weeks, board Chairman Julian Bond has been e-mailing board members news stories from Baltimore in an apparent attempt to soften the blow of a possible Mfume resignation."I guess the stage is being set: `Don't be surprised if he does make this move and understand that he is being drafted,' " said Tony Fugett, a national board member from Baltimore.

Undaunted by the campaign to draft NAACP President Kweisi Mfume into Baltimore's mayoral race, former City Councilman Carl Stokes is kicking off his media blitz and a series of fund-raisers this week in his bid to become the city's chief executive.Stokes, one of a handful of candidates who have officially joined the mayor's race, criticized state lawmakers yesterday in radio advertisements for changing the City Charter to allow Mfume to join the contest. He also attacked proposals to raise the mayor's salary as a way to entice Mfume to run."

WILL the next mayor of Baltimore have a sweeping, 25th-floor view of the Inner Harbor and all that is his realm?Such speculation gains more credence every time Kweisi Mfume takes another small step that seems to indicate that he wants to be Baltimore's chief executive.It happened again last week when The Sun reported that Mr. Mfume is moving into a two-bedroom condo at Harbor Court. "Now he's running for sure," ran the gossip.Indeed, hardened politicians and observers don't believe Mr. Mfume's frequent disclaimers of non-candidacy.

Nicholas D'Adamo Jr. thought it would be fitting to announce the end of his political career where he began - by the two storefronts that used to house Shocket, his father's store in Highlandtown. D'Adamo said he would not seek re-election when his term expires in 2011. The seven-term City Council member made the announcement Saturday during a ceremony that named the 3900 block of Eastern Ave. in his father's honor and designated May 2 Nicholas C. D'Adamo Sr. Day in the city. "You know inside when it's time to move on," said D'Adamo, 51. "I wanted to make the decision when my mom and dad are here with me. "When you do something for seven terms, it's a lot of emotions," D'Adamo said.

Some of the most prominent members of Morgan State University's Board of Regents have routinely missed meetings since at least 2000, a pattern of absenteeism that critics say robs the Baltimore school of key oversight at a time when it is under criminal investigation by the Maryland attorney general for its fiscal practices. Board members U.S. Rep. Elijah E. Cummings, former congressman Kweisi Mfume and prominent science education advocate Shirley M. Malcom have missed dozens of meetings in recent years, according to minutes from the board meetings that The Sun obtained through a public information request.

Born Frizzell Gray, Baltimore native Kweisi Mfume began his career as a political activist, first elected to the Baltimore City Council in 1979. After two terms on the council, in 1986, the Democrat was elected to the House of Representatives and went on to serve as the congressman from Maryland's 7th District for five terms. From 1996 to 2004 he was president and CEO of the Baltimore-based National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. Since a failed bid for the Senate in 2006, Mfume has toured the country on public speaking engagements.

The will-he-won't-he allure of Kweisi Mfume ends today. So do the whispers about a phantom white candidate jumping into Baltimore's mayoral race at the last minute. The last minute ends at 9 tonight - the deadline by which city candidates must file their papers with the election board, cough up a $150 registration fee and reserve a spot on the primary election ballot. Starting tomorrow, Baltimore's voters will at least know whom they're dealing with. As in past years, much buzz has surrounded Mfume's potential candidacy.

Parren J. Mitchell, the first African-American elected to Congress from Maryland and a lifelong crusader for social justice for the nation's minorities, died yesterday of complications from pneumonia at Greater Baltimore Medical Center. He was 85 and had lived in a nursing home since a series of strokes several years ago. A founding member of the Congressional Black Caucus and later its chairman, Mr. Mitchell was the younger brother of Clarence M. Mitchell Jr., Washington lobbyist for the NAACP in the hard-won civil rights struggles in Congress of the 1960s and 1970s.

With pundits increasingly convinced he's not in the race, Kweisi Mfume is still hedging his bets publicly about whether he will run for mayor of Baltimore in this year's election - adding to lingering speculation about his intentions as the deadline for his decision approaches. After attending a City Hall event yesterday with Mayor Sheila Dixon and another potential mayoral candidate, Comptroller Joan M. Pratt - a symbolic gesture for all three leaders - Mfume said he is not planning to run "at this point" but would not rule out changing his mind this summer.

WASHINGTON -- Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales said yesterday that there was little he could do about Republican campaign brochures distributed in Maryland on Election Day that Democrats said were designed to mislead African-American voters. But he agreed to meet with Sen. Benjamin L. Cardin to discuss the issue. Cardin, a Democratic candidate in that election, pressed Gonzales on the issue during a hearing of the Senate Judiciary Committee. "If there is an effort made to deny minorities full participation in the state of Maryland, you have a responsibility to do something about that," he told Gonzales.

Three-term Baltimore City Councilman Keiffer J. Mitchell Jr. said yesterday that he is running for mayor and will officially launch his candidacy the day after his chief opponent, Sheila Dixon, is publicly sworn in to the position. The Democratic councilman said in an interview with The Sun that he will formally kick off his campaign for the 2007 election on Jan. 19 - the same week Martin O'Malley becomes governor and Council President Dixon begins to serve out the remainder of his mayoral term.

Del. Jill P. Carter said yesterday she plans to enter next year's race for mayor of Baltimore and that she expects to formally file for the office as soon as next month, making her the fifth candidate to jump into the crowded field. Carter, 43, has represented the 41st District in Northwest Baltimore since 2003 and has become increasingly critical of the city's police practices under Mayor Martin O'Malley, who will become governor next month. "At this point, I don't see any evidence that there is any other potential candidate that would bring the needed change and fresh perspective and independence to that office," Carter said yesterday.

He has no campaign organization, virtually no campaign money and - given circumstances largely outside his control - doesn't even have a job, but many political experts believe that Kweisi Mfume is holding all the cards in Baltimore's mayoral race and that the mere possibility of his candidacy is making waves. Mfume, who launched his public career 27 years ago as a member of Baltimore's City Council, is guarded when asked whether he will enter a race that - nine months out from the Sept.