Dogged by critics, Baltimore mayor drops re-election bid

Baltimore Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake is abandoning her re-election bid, dogged by critics who questioned whether she was fit to lead a city still reeling from a black man's mysterious death from injuries received while in police custody.

The mayor of this majority black city, still 15 months away from election day, said at a news conference Friday that she wanted to focus on governing, not campaigning. Rawlings-Blake said she wanted to guide the city through a difficult time and pointed to her achievements: ethics reforms to combat fraud, reducing the city's $100 million budget deficit by half, adding 12,000 jobs and demolishing more than 3,000 vacant structures.

Her five years in office have been marred in the months since Freddie Gray's death, however. In April, the day of Gray's funeral, rioters smashed windows, set fires and caused millions of dollars in damage. In the aftermath, the head of an already troubled police department was fired, with one of his deputies tapped to restore trust in the community.

Systemic issues, including racial inequality and economic disparity, became all the more stark after festering for decades. And now, after reaching a $6.4 million settlement with Gray's family, the prosecution of six officers charged in his death must continue.

"Many important decisions lie ahead, both from recovering from April's unrest and managing our city through the multiple trials we have coming up," said Rawlings-Blake, referring to the prosecution of the six officers charged in Gray's death.

Rawlings-Blake has been a steady figure in Baltimore politics, serving on the City Council for 15 years before replacing former mayor Sheila Dixon, who was forced to resign in 2010 after pleading guilty to fraud. Dixon has announced that she will run next year.

During a news conference Friday, Rawlings-Blake acknowledged her approval ratings had "dipped" since April.

Well I can't say I know enough about her tenure as mayor to comment in a detailed manner. I do know that as a general rule politicians think about 'legacy' when they have served the community for a number of years.

I'm pretty sure the mayor doesn't want to live the rest of her days being vilified for her order to the cops to 'stand down' and let the rioters blow off steam. As well, I don't think she wants the current trial for the cops charged in the Freddie Gray death to still be in progress when she leaves office.

I think she'll spend the remainder of her term consolidating her gains, giving things a fresh coat of paint, and maybe get the city to slap her name on a sports complex, or community center.

My suspicion is she's headed for federal politics. She has worked closely with the White House ironically on police procedures, equipment purchasing programs, and various law enforcement policy papers in an experimental capacity with the mayor of L.A. for the last couple years.

Obama apparently likes her, so maybe she'll be chosen from on high for some lifetime appointed government gig.

Strange this comes just days after the settlement with the family of Gray. Was it 6 million? She may just take an extended vacation now.
Party on....

I wonder which voters have reduced their opinion of the mayor?

The ones who didn't get to the CVS, liquor store, or check cashing place before they burned down.....

Oh, and I'm pretty sure the police union wasn't going to endorse her...

wonder how big her "Finders-Fee" of those 6.4 Million Dollars is?