Copyright 1993 The Washington Post
The Washington Post
September 21, 1993, Tuesday, Final Edition
SECTION: FIRST SECTION; PAGE A1
LENGTH: 1649 words
HEADLINE: Schmoke Won't Run for Md. Governor;
Baltimore Mayor, Despite Strong Support, Will Seek 3rd
Term Instead
SERIES: Occasional
BYLINE: Richard Tapscott, Paul W. Valentine, Washington Post Staff Writers
DATELINE: BALTIMORE, Sept. 20, 1993
BODY:
Kurt L. Schmoke, once considered the leading Democratic
contender in the race to succeed Maryland Gov. William Donald Schaefer
next year,
announced today that he instead will pursue election to
a third term as Baltimore's mayor.
"I have the fire in the belly, but it's for Baltimore," the 43-year-old mayor said at a news conference as City Hall loyalists cheered.
Schmoke's announcement was promptly welcomed by others
already running in the 1994 Democratic primary election, including Prince
George's
County Executive Parris N. Glendening, Lt. Gov. Melvin
A. Steinberg and state Sen. Mary H. Boergers (Montgomery). The three said
Schmoke's
decision frees up his many supporters in this Democratic
bastion, as well as contributions in a campaign that could be the most
expensive in
Maryland history.
Some political observers said the biggest beneficiary today
was Glendening, who would have had a protracted struggle with Schmoke for
the
blocs of support the two shared, including African American
voters in Prince George's. "Parris Glendening has got to be doing cartwheels
right
now," said Brad Coker, a veteran pollster in Maryland.
The Democratic field for the governorship began shrinking
11 days ago when another prospective candidate, Attorney General J. Joseph
Curran
Jr., decided to seek reelection. Schmoke said today that
all signs indicated he could win the primary, but he decided it was more
important to
continue as mayor and try to complete housing, education
and commercial development projects in the cash-strapped city.
Schmoke is Baltimore's first black elected mayor and had
enjoyed a wide lead over other potential Democratic candidates for governor
in early
public opinion polls this summer.
Michael Barnes, the vice chairman of the state Democratic
Party, said the mayor's announcement marked "a very significant moment
in the 1994
gubernatorial process."
"Had Kurt decided to run, he would have been perceived
to be the front-runner, so now you have a much more open process," Barnes
said. "It
changes the dynamics."
Though Schmoke had strong support throughout Maryland and
far-reaching name recognition, he also would have confronted formidable
obstacles in a general election, if not the Democratic
primary itself.
His call in April 1988 for a national debate on drug decriminalization
stunned political analysts, who figured that it would provide ready-made
material for the opposition in a statewide race. Also,
several political leaders said today that Schmoke told them recently that
he was somewhat
hesitant to enter the campaign for governor because he
lacked a clear agenda for state government.
On the Republican front, possible gubernatorial contenders
are House of Delegates Minority Leader Ellen R. Sauerbrey (Baltimore County);
Anne
Arundel County Executive Robert R. Neall; William S. Shepard,
of Montgomery County, who was the 1990 GOP nominee for governor; and Rep.
Helen Delich Bentley, of Baltimore.
Commenting on yesterday's announcement, Glendening said
"there's no question" Schmoke's decision will boost his candidacy, both
in allowing
him to shore up his base in Prince George's, where Schmoke
is a popular figure, and in presenting new opportunities in Baltimore.
"We share some of the same supporters," said Glendening,
who hopes to become the first Maryland governor in 16 years to come from
the
Washington suburbs. "Some of the leaders of the black
community were torn between the success we had here and some natural affinity
for the
mayor."
Glendening sought immediately to define the Democratic
gubernatorial race as a contest between the old guard, symbolized by Steinberg,
and
the new. "The race is now obviously between the lieutenant
governor and myself. . . . He really does represent the forces of the past."
"Parris is already attacking," Steinberg said last night
while attending the annual dinner of the Prince George's Democratic Party
in Greenbelt.
"I'm not going to sink to that level."
Steinberg, a former state Senate president and two-term
lieutenant governor, said earlier in the day that his plans for the race
were unaffected
by Schmoke.
"Our strategy for the campaign does not depend on who's
in and who's out," Steinberg said. "The people of the state are interested
in hearing
the candidates on the issues of public safety, education
and jobs."
Boergers said she was "stunned" by Schmoke's announcement
and contended that it would boost her long-shot bid for governor. "I think
this is
very good for me," Boergers said. "A field of three people
gives me a good opportunity to talk about the issues, have people focus
on the
candidates."
Coker, whose independent polls have been tracking sentiment
in the budding governor's race, said Schmoke's decision creates a wide-open
contest and a large bloc of undecided voters.
Schmoke also made it clear today that he will seek to exercise
influence over the race. Asked if he will endorse another candidate, Schmoke
said he plans to meet with the contenders and "see if
they share my vision about the role of the city and the importance of the
city to the
state. I am one who does not sit on the sidelines."
Larry Gibson, a key Schmoke adviser, said the mayor had
made the decision by last Thursday, despite full support from his family
for a run for
governor and his strong lead in statewide polls.
At the news conference, the former Rhodes scholar said
his decision was not triggered by fear that his suggestion about drug decriminalization
in 1988 would have doomed his gubernatorial aspirations.
He said in 1988 that law enforcement had lost the war on drugs and that
billions of
dollars in law enforcement resources might better be shifted
to drug treatment efforts.
Schmoke's decision will have repercussions far from the
governor's race as well. It opens the door for a possible alliance between
Glendening
and one of his would-be successors as county executive,
Wayne K. Curry, who had been torn between supporting Glendening and Schmoke.
Curry, who attended Schmoke's news conference, said Glendening is the clear beneficiary of Schmoke's decision.
Montgomery County Council member Bruce T. Adams (D-At Large)
said, "I think it strengthens the likelihood that we will be able to elect
a
governor from the Washington region, and that's what Montgomery
County needs."
Schmoke was one of the featured speakers at last night's
Democratic dinner in Greenbelt, a roast of leading Prince George's politicians
where
the mayor's announcement had more than 600 politicians
and activists buzzing.
Glendening and Steinberg also were there, working the crowd
inside Martin's Crosswinds and facing television cameras sent from stations
in
Baltimore and Washington to get reaction to the new campaign
developments.
Schmoke alluded to his months-long flirtation with the
governor's race in his remarks, jokingly telling his audience, "I'm very
pleased to spend the
first day of the rest of my life with all of you."
The politicians in attendance disagreed on the possible
effect of Schmoke's decision, with some calling Glendening the clear beneficiary
and
others saying that Schmoke's withdrawal clears the way
for Steinberg to emerge as the natural "Baltimore" candidate.
"It's got to help Parris Glendening," said Rep. Steny H.
Hoyer (D-Md.), a longtime fixture of Prince George's politics. He said
Schmoke and
Glendening share strong political ties that could eventually
benefit the three-term Prince George's executive.
"Mayor Schmoke will be sympathetic to looking to Parris Glendening's candidacy," Hoyer said.
But Marcy C. Canavan (District 9), a member of the Prince
George's school board, said Glendening is in trouble after yesterday's
turn of
events. "Steinberg has a strong Baltimore base, and I
think Schmoke would have eaten into that base," she said. "I don't see
that
[Glendening] has any reason to be happy."
Schmoke's six-year tenure as mayor of Baltimore has received
mixed reviews. His supporters point to his strict fiscal management, which
has
kept the city from the brink of bankruptcy that other
East Coast cities have approached.
At the same time, he pushed through modest reductions in
Baltimore's property tax rate in an effort to stem the flow of middle-class
homeowners to surrounding Baltimore County, where taxes
are almost half those in the city.
He has also endeavored to balance scarce local and federal
development money between retaining industries and enhancing tourism in
Baltimore's popular Inner Harbor, on the one hand, and
improving dilapidated neighborhoods on the other.
Schmoke's critics say he often is indecisive and lacks
the spark that could galvanize the city. His effort to reduce the high
rate of adult
illiteracy, for example, has been largely unsuccessful
and is symbolized by Baltimore's official slogan, "The City That Reads,"
not exactly a
resounding phrase, critics say.
More important, Schmoke has been questioned about the qualifications
of some of his key appointees. Earlier this year, he replaced his housing
director for several alleged failures, including neglecting
to take advantage of millions of dollars in federal public housing money.
Schmoke also
dumped his handpicked school superintendent in 1991 after
community leaders complained there had been no improvement in the city's
troubled
school system.
What has haunted Schmoke most is his drug decriminalization speech.
The statements were condemned by many national law enforcement
officials and political leaders, who said such a policy would only increase
addiction and associated crime. Schmoke, with the support
of some drug policy analysts, continues to contend that the war on drugs
has failed,
but he has changed his terminology for the solution to
the problem from "decriminalization" to "medicalization."
Staff writers Michael Abramowitz and Charles Babington contributed to this report.