In just two weeks Baltimore City voters will head to the polls to elect a new mayor. Voters will have a choice between Democratic nominee State Senator Catherine Pugh, Republican nominee Alan Walden, Green Party nominee Joshua Harris and several write-in candidates including former Mayor Sheila Dixon. After accepting our invitation to join today's conversation seven weeks ago, Senator Catherine Pugh canceled last Friday. Her representatives declined to give us a specific reason for the change of heart.
State Senator Pugh is expected to win the election, the winner of the Democratic primary has won the general election every time since Theodore McKeldin was elected in 1963, but three candidates hope to change that.
Sheila Dixon is one of several people registered as a write-in candidate. She lost the Democratic primary to Catherine Pugh by about 2,400 votes. The former mayor is 62 years old. She lives in Hunting Ridge on the city's west side. Ms. Dixon is currently working with the Maryland Minority Contractors Association. She was first elected to the City Council in 1987. She served as the Mayor of Baltimore from 2007-2010, until she resigned following a misdemeanor conviction for misappropriation of gift cards given to her by some real estate developers.
Republican nominee Alan Walden is 80 years old. He was a morning anchor and commentator at WBAL radio for 16 years. For years before that, he was chief radio correspondent for NBC News worldwide. He lives in Baltimore’s Cross Keys with his wife, Jeannie.
Green party nominee Joshua Harris is 30 years old and lives in the Hollins Market area of Southwest Baltimore. He is a community activist and a co-founder of Hollins Creative Placemaking. He is also a former legislative aide for Delegate Charles Sydnor, who represents parts of Baltimore County. A Chicago native and a graduate of Augsburg College in Minneapolis, Mr. Harris moved to Baltimore in 2012.
They all join Tom in-studio to discuss their vision for Baltimore.
Early voting in Baltimore begins on Thursday Oct 27 and runs through Thursday Nov. 3.
