Council picks Pete Welch, despite concerns
A Baltimore City Council committee chose William A. "Pete" Welch Jr. to replace his mother on the Baltimore City Council, despite concerns about his past criminal offenses.
Nine of the 12 council members on the committee voted for Welch, who had worked for nearly 30 years as a legislative aide to his mother, Agnes Welch, who retired from the council last month.
Welch's candidacy sparked outcry from community leaders and political observers, who pointed to his criminal record. He pleaded guilty to handgun violations in 1999 for firing at a group of angry poll workers and, the following year, was convicted of paying poll workers -- a process that is now legal. In 2004, he pleaded guilty to three counts of failing to file campaign finance reports while treasurer of his mother's campaign.
Councilman Robert W. Curran nominated Welch, saying that his "long-time relationship" with the Ninth District, made him best-qualified for the job. Nicholas D'Adamo seconded the nomination.
Council President Bernard C. "Jack" Young, Council Vice President Edward Reisinger, and council members Warren Branch, William H. Cole IV, Belinda Conaway, Sharon Green Middleton and Carl Stokes voted for Welch.
After a lengthy pause, Councilman James B. Kraft nominated Abigail Breiseth, a teacher who helped found a charter school. Councilwoman Mary Pat Clarke seconded the nomination and Councilman Bill Henry also voted for Breiseth.
Clarke said that she had decided against voting for Welch because of his record.
"With all due respect for years of service, I was very impressed with the other candidates," she said.
Young declined to answer questions after the vote and called to a spokesman, "Where's the statement? Get the statement."
In the statement, Young said that "Welch's criminal past is well-documented and much discussed."
"The fact of the matter is he has long since paid his debt to society and should not continuously be penalized for his past lapses in judgment," he said in the statement.
Welch shook the hands of council members after the vote and said, "Thank you for having faith in me."
"I'm a different person now than I was then," he said in an interview. "I'll prove it in the way I approach the residents of the Ninth District."
Comments
Unbelievable,
It'd be funny if it wasn't true.
Posted by: Mair | January 6, 2011 8:01 PM
Very sad. No wonder Baltimore city is the joke it is. Today it moves one step closer to the Detroit of Kwame Kilpatrick.
Posted by: Steve | January 6, 2011 8:11 PM
What an absolute joke. It seems like each month Baltimore City gov't does something to out do themselves. These nine council members all need to be tossed out on their butts. But then, they would all just try to get their children to finish the terms anyway. Who said we don't have royalty in the States?
Posted by: Jeff | January 6, 2011 8:14 PM
He was given a ticket for going 78 mph in a 40 mph zone.
http://casesearch.courts.state.md.us/inquiry/inquiryDetail.jis?caseId=0000002HJ0A1T&loc=29&detailLoc=DSTRAF
Posted by: Bill Pike | January 6, 2011 8:14 PM
Well, why not. The government of Baltimore City IS a joke. But then, the criminals, who are all over the City BTW, should have representation, too. No? But this is just another reason why I do not plan to go back.
Posted by: Bar | January 6, 2011 8:40 PM
Sadly, Steve, we're already there. We simply have a better football team.
Posted by: M.M. McDermott | January 6, 2011 8:54 PM
All of you can read about what lead up to this situation here: www.examiner.com/politics-in-baltimore/profiles-of-the-9th-district-candidates-and-an-update-on-the-situation
The council members hid behind procedures to deflect some of the heat away from themselves, but let it be known that Robert Curran nominated Welch and from now on people should pay him back by supporting his opponents both financially and with votes.
Posted by: Adam Meister | January 6, 2011 8:56 PM
Gun violence is a lapse in judgment? Truly pitiful. And then to try to explain it away in the original hearing by saying it was easier to take a plea because going to court would have been too expensive? Please.
I am glad the council people are on the record now, and I am proud of my councilman Jim Kraft for not taking part in the backroom politics.
Posted by: Michelle | January 6, 2011 9:29 PM
A sad day for Baltimore. I've lost a lot of respect for some people.
Posted by: yourboy | January 6, 2011 9:32 PM
Hey Bealefeld, here's a bad guy with a gun. Please cart him away. A little bit of hope died today in people who hoped for a fresh face.
Thank you Councilmembers who had the good sense to represent the will of the people of Baltimore. Unfortunately, no developer paid for a poll which would have indicated that most Baltimoreans would have preferred someone else.
Posted by: Anonymous | January 6, 2011 10:40 PM
And so we have yet another criminal running the government of the City of Baltimore. Councilman Curran has disappointed me and has lost my vote in the next election. Just because Welch's mother supported his election does not mean that Curran should vote to put a criminal on the City Council. Everyone on the Council who voted for Welch should be impeached for breach of the public trust.
Posted by: A voting citizen of the City of Baltimore | January 6, 2011 11:39 PM
Council President says Pete Welch "should not continuously be penalized for his past lapses in judgment"
What way do we have to gauge how someones character, if we do not use his/her past judgments as evidence?
I wonder if the council members who voted for Mr. Welch owed his mommy a favor?
Obviously the council does not have the best interest of the residents in mind. This is laughable and disgusting.
Also, I would like to point out Councilman Reisinger for another example of bad judgement. Last year he voted to screw over the city firefighters and cops retirement. Now, he votes a criminal guilty of gun violence on to the council. Thanks.
Anybody know a good Realtor to help me move out of the city?
Posted by: Disgusted | January 7, 2011 12:20 AM
This is the perfect case of Baltimore's "assumed, inherited" power - passed from mother to son.
Posted by: John Marsh | January 7, 2011 9:16 AM
And lo, content for the site was dropped into mine lap
Posted by: Evan | January 7, 2011 9:29 AM
To quote The Joker in 1989 Batman-portrayed by Jack Nicholson-"This town needs an enema!"
So criminals are qualified to sit on the City Council-
only in Baltimore.
Perhaps Baltimore should become a sister city of Detroit.
r
Posted by: john | January 7, 2011 9:58 AM