Possible Mosby challenger Bates forms exploratory committee
Former prosecutor, known to be weighing a 2018 run for state’s attorney, takes a step
Above: Attorney Ivan Bates, in a 2015 photo. (YouTube)
Defense attorney and former prosecutor Ivan J. Bates today announced he is forming an exploratory “candidate committee,” taking a step towards a long-rumored run against incumbent State’s Attorney Marilyn J. Mosby.
Bates doesn’t mention the office he is seeking in the email sent out today, but as a frequent and increasingly high-profile critic of Mosby, Bates’ intentions have been all but spelled out.
“The murder rate has eclipsed 300 for the past two years and is heading in that direction again this year. Our citizens are victims of increased shootings, robberies and carjackings. There is deep concern that Baltimore City is not a safe place to live as evidenced by recent reporting that our population continues to decline,” he wrote.
“Furthermore, we are facing a severe erosion of trust when it comes to relations between our communities and the criminal justice system,” he continued.
Bates, 48, has represented clients in some of the biggest law enforcement cases in Baltimore in recent years.
He represented Sgt. Alicia White, one of the six officers charged in connection with the 2015 death-in-police-custody death of Freddie Gray.
And more recently he was the attorney for Albert Brown, one of the people arrested by members of the Baltimore Police Department’s Gun Trace Task Force – seven officers indicted for allegedly extorting money, dealing drugs and stealing guns.
Mosby, Curlett Raising Money
Mosby has not confirmed whether she will run for re-election in the June 2018 primary, but she has been raising money. Campaign reports filed in January showed she raised nearly $23,000 and had about $28,000 cash on hand.
Tomorrow (March 30), Friends of Marilyn Mosby is scheduled to hold a fundraiser at the Ritz Carlton Residences. Tickets range from the $250 “Guest” level to $2,500 to be a “Host.”
Attorney Charles N. “Chad” Curlett Jr., meanwhile, has announced his intention to run for State’s Attorney.
The most recent campaign filings for the former New York prosecutor show he raised $20,500 and had $14,400 in expenses.