I won't bore you with each candidates' platforms. There were more than ten of them, and I realized at the two hour mark that I've should have been taking notes the whole time. Luckily, most of the candidates have websites with detailed plans that I will be visiting later. However, since I didn't have anyone to livetweet the event with, here are some highlights in case you missed it.
After dealing with shitty internet blackouts from the only supplier in my neighborhood [*cough* Comcast *cough*] I can only assume was brought on my the torrential downpour last night, I was able to tune into the livestream of the mayoral forum on Youtube. Apparently forums aren't important enough to even televise on Public Access. They also aren't important enough to be held in City Hall as the candidates for mayor and their supporters gathered in a local church.
The forum started with a prominent young girl reading her proposed budget for the city after winning a contest. The crowd enjoyed the little future-mayoral candidate's enthusiasm. Once she finished, each candidate was given 60 seconds to introduce themselves. It should hereby be noted that a church tambourine was used to signify when time was up.
Candidates from all parties were in attendance: Democratic, Republican, and Green. Apparently, Republican candidates have a hard time becoming mayor of Baltimore - or even running - as the sole old, white Republican man consistently thanked the crowd for inviting the party to the debate and hoped they would pick him as the Republican candidate. Though there were two black men also in his party, he reminded me the most of an elephant.
During the question and answer portion, the forum showed me Parks and Rec was not far off in its depiction of local politics. Though mostly cordial and informative, the candidates occasionally picked fights with each other during their allotted 90 seconds of response time; the crowd laughed much like a studio audience would.
Standout moments:
- Dem. Sheila Dixon commented that 90 seconds was not enough time to properly answer a question as she was tambourine'd to place the microphone back on its stand. The man that followed her immediately dismissed her saying everyone had 90 seconds. The crowd lost it.
- Dem. Sheila Dixon also clutched her binder for the better part of the evening. For some reason, I deeply appreciated this. Perhaps it called back the humor that was "Binders Full of Women" years ago.
- Dem. Catherine Pugh and Dem. Carl Stokes displayed professionalism and cited their experience and Baltimore politics that clued me in as to why they're the early frontrunners and therefore have the most support in the form of front yard banners across the city.
- Dem. Elizabeth Embry - the sole white woman on stage - impressed me with how "woke" she seemed to be, forcing me to make a mental note to check her out later.
- Dem. DeRay McKesson - one of the leading voices of the Black Lives Matter movement - didn't fail to appear in his trademark blue vest, nor did he neglect to separate himself by saying he wasn't running behind a slogan, but a solid platform.
- Dem. DeRay McKesson, as expected, talked about police reform and how police lied about threats from gangs during the recent riot and the following events. He was then rebutted by police officer Dem. Gersham Cupid, saying he received threats himself. It was then that I decided upon a slogan for McKesson: A man in blue you can trust in.
I'd be lying if I said DeRay McKesson wasn't the deciding factor on my interest in local politics. He was a name I recognized and wanted to hear out. Thanks to him, I now have several candidates to read up on. Stay tuned for my review of the second and last mayoral forum before the election. I promise 100% more facts. Because facts matter.
Remember to exercise your right to stay informed and vote in the coming local and national elections in a city near you!
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