Tufaro

Republican mayoral candidate David F. Tufaro continued his criticism of the "zero-tolerance" policing strategy yesterday at the headquarters of Associated Black Charities.Although Tufaro and Democratic opponent Martin O'Malley were invited to discuss AIDS with the Greater Baltimore HIV Health Services Planning Council, Tufaro used his opening comments to criticize the policing strategy that is credited with reducing violent crime in several U.S. cities.Tufaro and critics of the tactic contend that the increased interaction between police and suspected criminals will result in more police brutality, particularly against minorities.

One of Baltimore's historic cotton mills will become the city's newest apartment and office building if a local developer can secure funding and zoning approval for the conversion. Developer David F. Tufaro of Terra Nova Ventures has a contract to purchase Mount Vernon Mill No. 1, a vacant, four-level mill at 3000 Falls Road in the Jones Falls Valley. A price has not been disclosed. Tufaro wants to turn the mill into about 80 apartments, 24,000 square feet of office space, a restaurant and on-site parking.

Republican mayoral candidate David F. Tufaro received his baptism in rough-and-tumble Baltimore politics yesterday, as he was shouted down by public housing residents unhappy with his ideas for improving the city's housing stock.The 52-year-old Roland Park developer, who is making his first bid for public office, criticized the city's public housing efforts as he spoke outside the vacant Broadway Homes complex in East Baltimore. Six former residents stood several feet away, interrupting his news conference with jeers and calling his statements "lies."

So this is what it feels like to be on the other side of the bulldozer. Some of those fighting plans to build a huge senior citizens complex on prized Roland Park open space are developers who live in the neighborhood and who, on occasion, have built or torn down buildings over fierce community opposition. One of them could fairly be accused of subverting democracy the old-fashioned way, by stuffing the ballot box, though it must be noted the "democracy" in question was Columbia, so big wup. Among the developers who suddenly find themselves on the NIMBY team: * Martin Millspaugh, who led the agency that organized the Charles Center and Inner Harbor renewal projects.

Republican mayoral candidate David F. Tufaro proposed a set of sweeping educational changes for the city's ailing public school system last night, including school vouchers and widespread drug testing for Baltimore's students.The 21-point proposal would attack a plethora of problems that have beset the city schools for years. At its base, Tufaro's plan is designed to break up the "government monopoly on public education" and force improvement through competition.Tufaro, who won the GOP nomination last week and will oppose City Councilman Martin O'Malley, a Democrat, in the November general election, plans to release three other major initiatives in the coming weeks.

In the tradition of great battle cries such as "Remember the Alamo," Republican mayoral candidate David F. Tufaro has come up with his own inspiring slogan in the struggle to defeat Democratic opponent Martin O'Malley:"Jersey City."Tufaro, the 52-year-old Roland Park Republican, points to Jersey City Mayor Bret Schundler as proof that a Republican can win in a Democratic city against overwhelming odds.Tufaro is on the Nov. 2 general election ballot facing what has been for 30 years a seemingly insurmountable electorate hurdle: Democratic voters in Baltimore outnumber Republicans 9-1. Yet Tufaro believes that if he can distinguish himself from O'Malley as a better businessman, voters will take notice.

Republican mayoral nominee David F. Tufaro welcomed the mayor of Jersey City, N.J., to town yesterday, hoping that some of his fellow Republican's success against overwhelming Democratic odds will rub off next week.Tufaro, a Roland Park developer making his first bid for elective office, faces Democrat Martin O'Malley in the Nov. 2 general election.Bret Schundler stunned Jersey City in 1993 when he was elected mayor in a city in which Republicans are 6 percent of registered voters -- half of Baltimore's figure.

Republican mayoral candidate David F. Tufaro plans to outline his proposal today for reducing Baltimore's stubborn crime rate, calling for swift punishment for people caught with guns and giving community groups a say in which nuisance crimes should be targeted by police.His 19-page document addresses dozens of city ills and possible solutions -- from reducing the number of desk-bound officers and moving them to the street, to using a civilian review board to deal with police misconduct.Early in his campaign, Tufaro, a Roland Park developer, acknowledged knowing little about police aside from what he had learned in casual conversations with patrol officers.

The development company run by David F. Tufaro, Baltimore's Republican candidate for mayor, received notices of violation in 1995 for failing to obey fire codes in the construction of three apartment complexes in the Richmond, Va., area, one of which was substantially damaged in a fire that year.According to reports from fire departments in Virginia, the code violations were discovered during a rare regional investigation prompted by the blaze at Old Buckingham Station Apartments in Midlothian.

A Roland Park apartment developer became Baltimore's 11th mayoral candidate yesterday, this time on the Republican ticket.David F. Tufaro, 52, is the executive vice president of Summit Properties, which has developed apartment complexes throughout the city.The Yale University graduate and former Piper & Marbury attorney will make his first political bid in a city where registered Democrats outnumber registered Republicans 9-to-1.Announcing his candidacy outside the Northern District police station yesterday, the married father of three who has been active in Roland Park civic groups said he would no longer stand by and watch the city deteriorate.

Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr. named four members to the State Board of Education yesterday, including a developer and Republican activist who lost to Martin O'Malley in the 1999 Baltimore mayoral election. Unlike most other members of the 12-person school board, David F. Tufaro has little background in public or higher education. An attorney with a joint law and master of city planning degree from the University of Pennsylvania, he has spent most of his professional career building multifamily housing.

City Councilman Martin O'Malley -- a 36-year-old defense attorney and singer in an Irish rock band -- was elected Baltimore's 47th mayor yesterday, getting the go-ahead to make good his pledge to shut down open-air drug markets and put the brakes on the city's runaway murder rate."

One of every four registered voters in Baltimore are expected to cast ballots today in an election that will bring the most sweeping changes to City Hall since Mayor Kurt L. Schmoke came into office 12 years ago.City election leaders fear that rain forecast for the area could diminish the turnout of voters being asked to select the city's 47th mayor.Baltimore also will pick a new City Council, choosing the president and filling four vacancies on the 19-member body. In addition, City Comptroller Joan M. Pratt will seek a second four-year term that could boost her for a future mayoral bid.The name of Democratic Northeast City Councilman Martin O'Malley, 36, will top the city ballot as he faces Republican mayoral nominee David F. Tufaro, a Roland Park developer making his first bid for elected office.

Baltimore's mayoral hopefuls worked the crowds yesterday at city churches and Halloween events, as the two candidates entered the final stretch toward Election Day tomorrow.Democrat Martin O'Malley and Republican David F. Tufaro had a fairly light schedule in their campaigns, which have survived an often brutal 12-month mayoral race that had as many as 27 candidates."We've said and done about everything we can," said Tufaro as he campaigned at the Baltimore Zoo. "There isn't much more to say."

THE RESULTS will not be in for another two days, but Baltimore's tiny Republican Party has already won in the city's general election. For the first time in decades, it fielded candidates who campaigned hard and could not be ignored by Democrats.The challenge now is for the party's strongest contenders -- mayoral hopeful David F. Tufaro and council candidates Robert N. Santoni Sr. and Joseph Brown Jr., to stay the course, regardless of the outcome on Tuesday, and continue their activism in civic affairs.

Up to 100,000 Baltimore voters will cast ballots Tuesday to select the city's 47th mayor, concluding an often combative 12-month contest, the first in 28 years in which no incumbent is seeking the post.Democratic City Councilman Martin O'Malley faces Republican David F. Tufaro to determine who will lead Baltimore into the next century.Voters in the overwhelmingly Democratic city will also elect a new City Council president, city comptroller and 18 council members, including races in two districts where Republicans are pushing hard to become the first GOP members on the council in 60 years.

Former Democratic mayoral contender Carl Stokes said yesterday that he would serve as Baltimore's housing commissioner if Republican mayoral nominee David F. Tufaro wins Tuesday's general election.The former East Baltimore city councilman who finished second in last month's Democratic primary, however, was quick to note that he doesn't expect to go to City Hall with Tufaro.Tufaro, a Roland Park developer making his first bid for public office, faces a challenge in trying to beat Democratic nominee Martin O'Malley next week.

REPUBLICANS ARE fortunate to have a candidate of David Tufaro's caliber running for mayor in the Sept. 14 primary. His educational, professional and business credentials make him The Sun's choice in the GOP primary.Mr. Tufaro has been an attorney with Piper & Marbury and an executive with Oxford Development Corp. and Summit Properties. He has worked on projects as varied as Waterloo Place and the Louis Foxwell Housing for the Deaf. Mr. Tufaro has also been an active volunteer in many community and business associations.

Filling his most prominent transition team posts, Democratic mayoral nominee Martin O'Malley has appointed a politically connected lawyer and a prominent banker as chairmen of his support staff.Richard O. Berndt, 56, a managing partner with Gallagher, Evelius and Jones, and Joseph J. Haskins Jr., 51, president of Harbor Bank of Maryland, will lead the O'Malley transition team if he wins Tuesday's general election against Republican David F. Tufaro, O'Malley said yesterday.While Tufaro criticized the appointments because he said they placed too much of "an emphasis on downtown," he continued building his transition team, largely from the staffs of Democratic mayoral candidates who lost in September's primary.

Baltimore's mayoral candidates met face-to-face yesterday for their last scheduled debate before Tuesday's general election as they tried to show their differing agendas to city voters.During a debate on the Larry Young Morning radio show on WOLB-AM 1010, Republican mayoral nominee David F. Tufaro criticized Democratic challenger Martin O'Malley for raising $1.3 million in campaign contributions. Much of the money came from businesses, including some who have contracts with the city, Tufaro said.