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Neighborhoodsby Fern Shen3:48 pmNov 19, 20150

Hoping to unseat incumbent, a clutch of candidates pitch the 3rd District

CAMPAIGN CLOSE-UP: Forum moves ahead without Bobby Curran, who said he is in the hospital recovering from an injury he suffered on Monday

Above: Third District candidates (l-r) Marques Dent, Ryan Dorsey, Jermaine Jones, Alicia Joynes and George Van Hook at candidate’s forum.

The City Council candidates at a 3rd District forum last night vowed to take on everything from structural inequality and crime to the struggle of senior citizens to “age in place.”

But before they can hope to tackle those weighty problems they face a task that, in its own gritty Northeast Baltimore way, seems almost as monumental – unseating an entrenched, politically-wired incumbent.

None of the five challengers spoke the name of Councilman Robert W. Curran – scion of a venerable Baltimore political family, first elected to the Council in 1995 – but several referred to him pointedly.

“The way the incumbent is acting, you are so far away from the decision-making it’s almost as if you didn’t exist,” said George Van Hook, addressing the crowd gathered at Hamilton Presbyterian Church.

Curran’s steadfast support for a Royal Farms gas station and convenience store against widespread community opposition has made him seem vulnerable in the 2016 race and spurred a crowded field of challengers.

The 65-year-old Curran could have defended himself last night if he had participated in the event, which drew a standing-room-only crowd of about 100.

Incumbent councilman Bob Curran was unable to attend last night's forum. (Facebook online flier)

Incumbent Councilman Bob Curran was unable to attend last night’s forum. Currently he has five primary opponents. (Facebook online flier)

But Curran canceled at the last minute. Asked to confirm reports that he had fallen and broken some ribs, Curran passed along through an aide this reply:

“Yes, I was planning on attending the forum. Unfortunately I am on the 3rd floor of Union Memorial where I have been for the past 48 hours. It is likely I will be here for the next 48 hours.”

He said his injury, which is “painful. . . but not life threatening,” occurred on Monday evening. He went to the hospital Tuesday morning, he said.

Minimum Wage and Who to Fire

The candidates last night answered a series of questions about crime, neighborhood development, support for the elderly and youth and other topics.

Ryan Dorsey, who said he has a background in small business and the arts, promised to stay in touch with constituents by maintaining an office in the district and being a full-time councilman.

He also promised to introduce $15-per-hour minimum wage legislation, to make sure every city agency is audited by the end of his first term and to oppose any tax breaks for harbor development without similar subsidies to aid neighborhood projects in the 3rd District.

“If Kevin Plank wants four or five hundred million, he’s going to have to pony up,” Dorsey said, observing that the district could use assistance with a Harford Road corridor retail boost and a “complete streets” makeover.

He also said if elected he would dismiss two city officials, Housing Commissioner Paul Graziano and Transportation Director William Johnson.

On public safety, he called the 3rd “the safest district in all of Baltimore City” and said the focus should be on the root cause of crime – “institutional inequality.”

Crime and Punishment

Taking a more traditional approach, candidate Jermaine Jones said non-violent crime is a problem in the district and promised to “fight for more police presence.”

“Burglaries and larcenies may not be as sexy as homicides. . . but they’re detrimental,” he said. Jones is the business manager for the Laborers International Union of North America.

Ticking off the statistics for burglaries, larcenies and auto theft, candidate Alicia Joynes agreed that crime does constitute a serious problem and promised to strengthen law enforcement resources in the district. Joynes is the president of the Perring-Loch Community Association.

About 100 pepole packed a church meeting room for the candidates' forum. (Photo by Fern Shen)

About 100 people packed a church meeting room for the candidates’ forum last night. (Photo by Fern Shen)

Van Hook, for his part, said supporting youth with educational and recreational resources – “teaching them skills and teaching moral fiber” – would be the best way to address the causes of crime.

“They’re selling drugs because they don’t see any alternatives,” he said. Van Hook served on the Baltimore city school board from 2004 to 2010.

Vacants, Nuisance Properties

On strategies to improve the neighborhood, candidate Marques Dent came out strongly in favor of an anchor library at the intersection of Harford Road and Glenmore Avenue, instead of the disputed Royal Farms project proposed there.

“It would be a hub, a community hub, an educational hub,” said Dent, a former U.S. Air Force captain.

Saying he’s “been working with the Small Business Administration,” Dent said the financial seminars he’s conducted “have resulted in grant funding” for local businesses.

Van Hook said the key to economic development in the district is to work with existing organizations, such as the Hamilton-Lauraville Main Streets and Morgan State University’s “employment development assistance center.”

To combat nuisance properties, Jones called for “larger fines that will actually make a difference for some of these properties owned by banks and corporations.”

“You hit them in their pocketbook,” he said.

Joynes promised to create an early warning database to alert community associations to at-risk properties “so they can take action before they become a problem.”

Holding up a paper copy of a newsletter, Joynes said she would stay in touch with constituents about community concerns even if they didn’t have computer access. “I am about keeping people informed, involved and empowered,” she said.

Young and Old

Several speakers brought up youth programs they’d been involved in.

Dent’s supporters gave him big applause when he spoke about his DENT (Delivering Educational Needs Together) Group, which provides technology skills training for area residents.

Joynes talked about Youthful Butterflies, the mentoring program for girls ages 8-16 that she created in 2010.

Asked what they consider the elderly’s biggest challenge, Jones replied, “Simply being able to afford to live in the city.” He said in addition to rent, food and taxes, they are hurt by rising utility rates and city water bills and pledged to bring more resources to assist them.

It was standing-room only at Hamilton Presbyterian Church last night. (Photo by Fern Shen)

A partisan crowd clapped and cheered for their candidates last night. (Photo by Fern Shen)

Dorsey said public-private partnerships with “anchor institutions like Morgan State” could make nursing and social work students available to the elderly.

In the audience for the forum were a number of other political hopefuls, including mayoral candidates Calvin Young and Joshua Harris.

Andreas “Spilly” Spiliades, who had been planning a run for mayor, said he is now seeking the Green Party nomination to run in the 3rd District against Curran.

“The Green Party is already the second party in this district, and now we need to win that seat,” he said in a flier distributed last night.

“The Year to Take on Curran”

Looking around the room, former Councilman Jody Landers remarked on the lively gathering, filled with cheering supporters, each equipped with fliers, tee shirts and signs to tout their candidates.

“This really is something,” Landers said. “There’s a real feeling out there that this is the year to take on Curran.”

Still, the best measure of community interest is probably the one candidate Jones brought up.

In 2011, Dent said, there were more than 23,000 registered voters in the district and only 5,490 voted. “That means they were disengaged with the system.”

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Here’s video that City Explainer’s Gus Sentementes made from the evening:

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