The Baltimore Sun from Baltimore, Maryland • A2

THE BALTIMORE SUN NEWS SUNDAY, OCTOBER 25, 2015 ELECTION 2016 Mosby to enter mayoral race LLOYD FOXBALTIMORE SUN Councilman says he can bridge gap between city's boardrooms, street corners By Yvonne Wenger and Luke Broadwater The Baltimore Sun City Councilman Nick J. Mosby is joining the race to be Baltimore's next mayor, saying he can bridge the disconnect between the city's boardrooms and its street corners. Mosby, 36, a first-term council member from Reservoir Hill, says his upbringing by a struggling single mother and work experience for two major companies make him uniquely qualified for the job. "I'm able to go into a boardroom, look at a problem, articulate a message and develop and execute a plan," he said in an interview with The Baltimore Sun. "But my uniqueness is, I can also go on any street corner and do the same thing.

We need that type of transformative leader to connect those dots." Mosby, the husband of Baltimore State's Attorney Marilyn J. Mosby, plans to announce his candidacy this afternoon. He will join a crowded field competing to replace Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake, who is not running for re-election. Candidates include former Mayor Sheila Dixon, state Sen. Catherine Pugh and City Councilman Carl Stokes.

All, like Mosby, are Democrats. The Democratic primary, a contest that for decades has decided Baltimore's mayors, is April 26. On the City Council, Mosby was the chief sponsor of the "Ban the Box" law barring city employers from asking about an applicant's criminal record early in the hiring process. He also sponsored a law prohibiting minors from entering liquor stores. With his wife, he has led dozens of Enough is Enough anti-violence walks in West Baltimore.

mer state Sen. Larry Young's talk-radio show, criticized Mosby's decision, saying the councilman should work on problems in his West Baltimore district before running for mayor. Muhammad mentioned sexual harassment allegations at Gilmor Homes and water service problems at Lakeview Towers as issues that need immediate attention. "Look at everything that's happening right now," Muhammad said. "I would think it would be in his best interest to address those needs first before he steps out and runs for mayor." Mosby recently left his position as a senior project manager at Baltimore Gas and Electric Co.

to become a full-time City Council member. While employed by the utility he helped develop policies and procedures. He previously worked for Verizon as a network engineer and later managed the development of multimillion-dollar data centers. From that experience, Mosby said, he understands it is "critically important" for the city to hire certified project managers to oversee large projects and ensure that they are finished on time and on budget. Mosby said he also wants to strengthen the city's CitiStat agency, connect more kids to early childhood education and bolster the reading skills of students.

He said he would strengthen the civilian review board to improve police-community relations and equip all patrol officers with body cameras within 100 days of taking office. "The city is really at a crossroads, and it's critically important that we have a candidate who has the energy, who is going to bring new ideas, who is really going to be committed to new opportunities for all Baltimoreans," he said. "I've seen the best and worst of the city." Mosby, a 1997 graduate of Polytechnic Institute, was raised by a single mother in the Northwood neighborhood. He says he lived in a house with six women and shared a room with his mother until he was in eighth grade. He would see her wake up at 4:30 a.m.

to catch two buses to get to work. He studied electrical engineering at Tuskegee University in Alabama, where he met his future wife. The couple, who have two young daughters, moved to Reservoir Hill 11 years ago. He declined to say how much money he has raised but said his fundraising efforts are going "really well." His most recent campaign filing from January showed he had just $2,000 in his campaign account. Mosby said he sees no potential conflicts should he become mayor while being married to the city's top prosecutor.

"At the end of the day, we're accountable to the residents of Baltimore because we have to be elected," Mosby said. "It's about job performance." He expects to hear questions about their positions but predicts that the inquiries will come from other candidates. "When I talk to voters, they're not concerned," he said. "People are eager for me to get in this race." A spokeswoman for Marilyn Mosby's office declined to comment. Others who have said that they are considering a run for mayor include City Councilman Brandon Scott; William H.

Cole IV, president of the Baltimore Development businessman David L. War-nock; and Elizabeth Embry, criminal division chief for the Maryland attorney general's office and daughter of Abell Foundation President Robert C. Embry Jr. Other Democrats who have filed are Richard Black, Mack Clifton, Mike Maraziti and Calvin Allen Young III. Republican Brian Charles Vaeth has filed, as has Green Party member Bonnie Lane.

The filing deadline is Feb. 3. ywengerbaltsun.com lbroadwaterbaltsun.com twitter.comyvonnewenger twitter.comlukebroadwater Nick J. Mosby Job: Baltimore city councilman Experience: Former senior project manager, Baltimore Gas and Electric former Verizon engineer Education: Polytechnic Institute; B.S., Tuskegee University Residence: Reservoir Hill Family: Married to Marilyn J. Mosby, Baltimore state's attorney; two daughters Daniel Schlozman, an assistant professor of political science at the Johns Hopkins University, said Mosby will be a competitive candidate with as good a chance of winning as any of the other top-tier competitors.

"He's a familiar face in the neighborhood with no citywide experience and no executive experience," Schlozman said. While some critics could point to Mosby's youth and limited elective experience as a weakness, Schlozman said, he can brand himself as having a fresh perspective and the ability to succeed where others have failed. "Mosby has every possibility of being a breakout candidate, but we don't know that yet," Schlozman said. But Farajii Muhammad, co-host of for Volunteers work for health of kids, city become a dilapidated eyesore. She said not only would a new one give the children a better place to play but could add something positive to the psyche of the community.

"When you have something nice, it creates a sense of pride for the school," she said. The playground projects were organized through a collaboration of individuals and groups that helped raise money, provided materials and rounded up volunteers, including the Annie E. Casey Foundation, playground manufacturer Playworld, Baltimore native and professional basketball player Rudy Gay, and OneBaltimore, a new organization formed to join the public and private sectors to address the city's most pressing problems. As part of the playground construction, organizers seek to engage youths in working for their communities. Baltimore Corps, which says its mission is to develop the next generation of talent, provided several of the youngest volunteers.

One, 18-year-old Sha'Quan Roberts, said, "It feels empowering to give back." Bryant Noakes helped paint the map of the United States on the blacktop at Gilmor Elementary, where his son goes to school. He said he tries to give back to the community as much as he can. Building the playground was just another way to make the neighborhood abetter place. "Just because we're in a low-income area, people think everyone here is below human value," Noakes said. "But everyone here wants better for their children." amcdanielsbaltsun.com twitter.comankwalker Teams build playgrounds at three Baltimore locations on a day of civic outreach By Andrea K.

McDaniels The Baltimore Sun The volunteers at Gilmor Elementary School worked diligently at their assigned tasks Saturday. They came from the neighborhood and beyond to rake dirt and roll out sod. They painted a game of Twister and a map of the United States onto the blacktop. They assembled swings, bridges and a slide for what is soon to become a new playground for the school. Near where they worked stands the public housing complex where Freddie Gray was arrested in the spring.

His death a week later of injuries suffered while in police custody, touched off turmoil throughout the city. But there was no chaos or unrest on this day. "This is an example of what is possible for the city," said Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake, who stopped by to encourage the volunteers. "This is a part of healing Baltimore." The playground may be especially helpful for the area's youngest residents. Studies have shown that living in violent neighborhoods can cause hidden trauma in children, organizers said.

Building anxieties can erupt into bad behavior, difficulty sleeping and poor concentration in school. "When you live in a community like this, where children see and feel the impact of violence, a playground can become an KIM HAIRSTONBALTIMORE SUN Tamara Tyler paints a hopscotch area at the new playground at Gilmor Elementary School. "This is a part of healing Baltimore," Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake said of the project. oudet where they can work off that negative energy but also a place where children can feel safe," said Bronwyn Mayden, an assistant dean at the University of Maryland School of Social Work, who helped coordinate volunteers and raise money for the playground. The Gilmor project was one of three playgrounds set up by volunteers across Baltimore on Saturday as part of an initiative dubbed Play More B'More, put together by which promotes the importance of play and recreation in children's lives.

The other two play areas were built at Tench Tilghman Elementary on North Patterson Park Avenue and at the nonprofit LIGHT Health Wellness on North Monroe Street. Gilmor was a natural location for a playground in the aftermath of Gray's death, organizers said. "Gilmor is critical because it is in a community still recovering from what happened this year but working for a better future," said James Siegal, president of KaBOOM! But he added that there are plenty of other areas of the city with similar social and economic problems. At Tilghman Elementary, Principal Jael Yon said the school's old playground had The most awarded, highest rated, local closet company. fi MSseJI lg ClosetAmerica8 Everything in its place.

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