(BALTIMORE – May 1, 2024) – Venroy July, Baltimore City Council 9th District candidate, will host a conversation featuring Baltimore City Housing Commissioner Alice Kennedy focused on a program—recently approved by Baltimore’s Board of Estimates—that will sell city-owned vacant homes for $1. July will moderate a discussion with Kennedy covering the challenges associated with revitalizing vacant properties, the need to protect communities from speculative practices and displacement, and differences between the current program and the city’s “dollar house” program of the 1970s. EVENT DETAILS WHO: Venroy July, Candidate, Baltimore City Council District 9 Alice Kennedy, Housing Commissioner, Baltimore City Department of Housing &…

(WASHINGTON, D.C. – April 30, 2024) –  Today, Congressman Kweisi Mfume (MD-07) announced the winner of this year’s Congressional Art Competition for Maryland’s 7th Congressional District. After deliberation by five distinguished judges on Congressman Mfume’s Art Competition judging panel, the artwork and student that received the highest score was: “Creativity is essential to human understanding and development, and the themes that are displayed in works of art are almost always relevant and applicable to our own lives,” said Congressman Mfume. “I was personally moved by all the artwork my Congressional Office received this year and am so very impressed by the stories…

(LARGO, MD – April 17, 2024) -Yesterday, Prince George’s County Executive Angela Alsobrooks announced that Gloria Brown Burnett, the Director of the Department of Social Services, will serve as the new Deputy Secretary of Operations for the Maryland Department of Human Services effective Wednesday, May 1, 2024. Following her departure, Stephen Liggett-Creel will serve as the Acting Director of the Department of Social Services until a permanent Director has been selected. “Director Brown Burnett has been a steadfast advocate for vulnerable populations through our Department of Social Services for more than 25 years,” said Alsobrooks. “For 15 years, she has…

(WASHINGTON, D.C. – April 17, 2024) – Today, U.S. Congressman Kweisi Mfume (D-MD) and Congressman Mark Alford (R-MO) introduced the Transparency and Predictability in Small Business Opportunities Act, a bipartisan initiative to improve transparency and accountability in the bidding process for small, minority, and women-owned businesses aiming to provide their products or services to the federal government. “Our nation’s small, minority, and women-owned businesses embody the resiliency and determination of the American dream and are a driving force in our economy. However, the current bidding process for small businesses hoping to contract with the federal government too often leaves our local entrepreneurs in…

(WASHINGTON, D.C. – April 14, 2024) – Today, U.S. Congressman Kweisi Mfume (D-MD-07) addressed the U.S. House of Representatives, urging his colleagues to swiftly pass legislation he along with a cosponsorship of his colleagues from Maryland just introduced: the Baltimore BRIDGE Relief Act. The Baltimore BRIDGE Relief Act is bipartisan, bicameral legislation that would allow the federal government to fully fund the replacement of the Francis Scott Key Bridge and its approaches.

BALTIMORE (April 11, 2024)—The Goucher College Poll was conducted from April 3 to 7, 2024. It surveyed 705 Baltimore City registered voters (MOE=+/-3.7%). Voters were asked about their opinions on key officials, entities, and issues in Baltimore City; their opinions on the direction of and their optimism toward Baltimore City; their perceptions of the crime rate and causes of crime; and the impact of the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse and how public officials handled it. The 440 registered Democrats identified as likely primary voters (MOE=+/-4.7%) were asked questions about the upcoming Democratic primary race for Baltimore City mayor. The…

(BALTIMORE – April 8, 2024) – Today, Baltimore City State’s Attorney Ivan Bates endorsed Sheila Dixon for Mayor, saying, “Mayor Dixon is the only person in this race who has a proven track record of lowering homicides and violent crime to historic levels and reducing quality of life crimes, leading to one of the safest periods in our city’s history.” Dixon told Bates she was “grateful for your leadership, humbled by your endorsement, and looking forward to joining you as a partner in this effort as Mayor of this great city.” Dixon described Baltimore as a City that “continues to…

(ANNE ARUNDEL COUNTY – April 8, 2024) — Carl O. Snowden, Convener of the Caucus of African American Leaders, a consortium of Black organizations including the NAACP, United Black Clergy of Maryland, National Coalition of 100 Black Women, and activists from around Maryland, voted today to ask that two bridges in the state be renamed. They cited the fact that the Francis Scott Key Bridge was named in honor of a man who enslaved African Americans and wrote lyrics that scholars have indicated demeaned Black people. The CAAL called on Governor Wes Moore and the Maryland General Assembly to rename the…

(BALTIMORE – April 8, 2024) – On this last day of the 2024 Maryland General Assembly, we think it’s important to give our supporters some important information about the forces that shape the political landscape in Annapolis. As many of you know, our major focus was defending the progress that Maryland made over the past couple of years on juvenile justice reform. Maryland is among the worst states in the US regarding the violation of the human rights of children. Even though Maryland is a Democratic Party stronghold, the majority of the children in Maryland are non-white, which would explain…

By Doni Glover, Publisher (BALTIMORE – April 1, 2024) – Although the May 14th Primary Election in Baltimore is just around the corner, this political analyst sees a relatively quiet landscape. While there are indeed some pretty interesting races brewing, including the battle for the two top posts in the city, this has to be one of the quietest elections in recent years. According to one political pundit, Andy Pierre, “It’s too quiet!” Pierre, who has managed and advised campaigns locally and nationally, said, “I guess people are looking to see how this pans out.” He added, “In terms of…