Landers to officially announce mayoral bid
Greater Baltimore Board of Realtors Vice President Joseph T. "Jody" Landers III intends to officially launch his bid for mayor on Wednesday, his campaign announced early Monday.
Landers, a former city councilman, "will officially file for office on the Democratic ticket at the City Board of Elections that morning and host a press conference in the afternoon," according to an emailed announcement.
Barring any surprises, Landers would be the second candidate to formally announce a bid to unseat Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake. Otis Rolley, the city's former planning director, filed to run last week.
Landers, like Rolley, says the city's property tax rate must be lowered to attract and keep residents and businesses. Two other potential candidates, City Councilman Carl Stokes and State Sen. Catherine Pugh, have also emphasized lowering the city's property tax rate, which is nearly twice as high as most surrounding jurisdictions.
Landers will hold a press conference on Wednesday afternoon at “Chef Mac’s and All That Blues," in the 4700 block of Harford Road in Northeast Baltimore.
“It’s only appropriate to start my campaign in the community where I was born, raised and currently reside,” Landers said in a statement.“The success of the Lauraville-Hamilton business association over the past decade is an excellent example of a community working together for one cause, and will be one of the focal points of my campaign for other communities to follow.
Landers said "personal frustration" with the decline of population and city services over the past 20 years motivated him to run.
"I will work with residents and business leaders to develop a clear set of priorities for our City government to operate under, advocate innovative and efficient methods to deliver city services and make reducing the City’s exorbitant property tax rate my top priority in order to promote future growth," he said.
Rawlings-Blake, who in January had raised more campaign funds than all her likely challengers combined, has launched a task force to examine the city's long-term financial health and diversify the tax base over 10 years. She cut $65 million from the city's expenses to close a shortfall in the city's $1.29 billion preliminary operating budget, while raising overall operating spending by 1 percent.
Here's the complete text of Landers' announcement:
Photo courtesy of Landers' campaign.
BALTIMORE, MD, April 18, 2011 – Lifelong Baltimore City resident Joseph T. “Jody” Landers III will formally announce his candidacy for office of Mayor of Baltimore City on Wednesday, April 20, 2011. Mr. Landers will officially file for office on the Democratic ticket at the City Board of Elections that morning and host a press conference in the afternoon.
The press conference will be held at 1:30 pm, at “Chef Mac’s and All That Blues” supper club, located at 4709 Harford Road in Northeast Baltimore.
"It’s only appropriate to start my campaign in the community where I was born, raised and currently reside,” said Landers. “The success of the Lauraville-Hamilton business association over the past decade is an excellent example of a community working together for one cause, and will be one of the focal points of my campaign for other communities to follow. My career began here in Northeast Baltimore as Executive Director of the HARBEL Community Organization over 30 years ago, and it was the start that allowed me to be actively involved in the public, private and non-profit sectors since that time.
My decision to pursue the Mayor’s office is based on personal frustration observing the continued decline of the city’s population and city services over the past 20 years. Baltimore cannot continue with the same old policies that have been adopted in the past. I will work with residents and business leaders to develop a clear set of priorities for our City government to operate under, advocate innovative and efficient methods to deliver city services and make reducing the City’s exorbitant property tax rate my top priority in order to promote future growth.”
Mr. Landers is the eldest of eight children of Janet Landers and the late Deacon Joseph T. Landers, Jr. He was raised in the Hamilton area, and attended St. Dominic’s Elementary School, Northern High School and the Baltimore Experimental High School. He graduated from Morgan State University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration.
He resides in the Lauraville neighborhood, with his wife Cecilia, who works as a school nurse in the Baltimore City Schools. They are the parents of three adult children, Brigid, Kieran and Joseph IV, and one grandchild, Scarlett, age 9.
Access to Mr. Landers’ biography and his vision for the City’s future can be accessed at his campaign website, LandersForMayor.com.
Comments
sounds like a good candidate to me
Posted by: verity | April 18, 2011 9:19 AM
No chance, Kimosabe.
Posted by: Anonymous | April 18, 2011 9:19 AM
If he can truly lower the city's property tax rate, he's got me vote.
Posted by: Frustrated city homeowner | April 18, 2011 9:23 AM
Voters of Baltimore will not elect a white mayor. O'Malley was the last white since Schaffer and it is going to be a long time before that happens again.
Posted by: Scott | April 18, 2011 9:51 AM
Little difference between Landers and SRB:
http://www.examiner.com/politics-in-baltimore/jody-landers-and-baltimore-politics-as-usual
Landers gave SRB $500 in 2007
Posted by: Same old same old | April 18, 2011 10:05 AM
Landers is a blow hard, arrogant guy who knows how to push real estate in an up market. Common the guy is a Realtor!!! This is ridiculous. Anyone out there that has purchased a house, EVER. Would you want your Realtor to run your city?
We will see exactly home much of hell hole this city can become if we elect guys like this.
Oh, and by the way I am a white guy who has lived in the city for 11 years, I run my own business (health care), and want nothing more from government but safe streets and a decent school system.
Posted by: dan mclellan | April 18, 2011 10:31 AM
I don't think I've ever posted a comment to an article before today. One thing I can tell you for sure is if Jody Landers wins this thing we would have an HONEST hard working man running the city. It would be so great to have a man of his character running Baltimore City. Even if he isn't perfect he would be an unbelievable mayor. This is the one man that would make things better than they have been for years. People of Baltimore you would improve your city with Mr. Landers.
Posted by: Ken Lowe | April 18, 2011 10:52 AM
Wasn't there some talk about Scott Donahoo running for mayor a few months back?
Posted by: Mr, Rick | April 18, 2011 11:07 AM
Scott,
Why don't you run your theory by Gregg Bernstein? He didn't beat Pat Jessamy by just winning the white vote, nor did all white people vote against Pat Jessamy.
I can list a half-dozen reasons, not grounded in racial identity politics, as to why Landers won't win. Go take your racist nonsense to the Stormfront or Free Republic chat rooms
Posted by: Rusty Shackleford | April 18, 2011 12:23 PM
I feel compelled to correct an false element of Dan Mclellan's post. Anyone who has known Jody Landers personally or professionally over the years can attest that he's a class act. An upbeat, straight shooter without a single arrogant bone in his body.
A worrisome issue of concern is how man of integrity like Landers would ever be cleared by the BDC, the fat cat developer's KGB-like trade association, to ascend to the ceremonial helm of B'more's corrupt kleptocracy, run from the actual city hall aerie on South Charles.
Posted by: Tom Kiefaber | April 18, 2011 1:14 PM
This one feels like it's going nowhere.
Posted by: Anonymous | April 18, 2011 1:23 PM
He has the same chance as Trump being elected President....NONE!
Posted by: Ray Barcia | April 18, 2011 2:11 PM
As a real estate investor in the City (soon to be "former"), I will say that SOMETHING needs to be done to bring investors like myself BACK into the City (I've mentally left and this year will be physically gone). The City is NOT investor-friendly,much less resident-friendly, and between the high taxes, high water bills (when compared to neighboring areas), bureaucracy that makes one jump through 50 hoops to get done what should take "one try" to accomplish, and morally bankrupt residents/tenants who are actually encouraged to do the wrong thing by outdated policies and procedures that make everything ultimately fall on the overburdened shoulders of investors who just can't afford to loose their shirts trying to provide housing any longer for the many who don't keep their end of the deal (pay your rent/water bills without trashing the house) , and slow-moving "justice" that favors the tenant's lack of morals... it's no wonder that are things are the way they are in Baltimore.
Used to be that once upon a time, investors used to be amazed that you could purchase a $50K house so close to the Nation's capitol. Now, we can't GIVE those same houses away! It's a sad state of affairs when an investor decides they would rather walk away and have their credit destroyed by foreclosure than deal any longer with the City and the tenant pool that exists in it. I saw the peak, when folks from NY and even FL came here to invest... they are now gone, and have cut their losses. If you think that real estate has nothing to do with what is going on in Baltimore city, you need to think again... investor activity, both on the part of housing investors and mortgage investors, is a major KEY to Baltimore's future or peril. How many remember when mortgage officers WOULD NOT approve a loan if the investment property was located in Baltimore City? How many lenders do you think will lend there now with the historic 40 pages of houses appearing in last year's tax sale booklet? SOMEONE with some knowledge about how the world REALLY works in terms of real estate, corresponding taxes from, and government had better get in there, and quick. Returning are the days when you can actually purchase a house in Baltimore city for $5,000. With those sorts of home prices, you will then HAVE to have a higher tax rate in order to provide revenues for City services, etc.
Posted by: M Jareaux | April 18, 2011 3:06 PM
I think Jody Landers is exactly what Baltimore needs for its citizens. Having been a city councilman and working as an activist for Baltimore communities for decades, I don't see how this guy wouldn't be the right guy for the job. And his experience with the housing market, which is in dire need of repair, can't hurt and doesn't translate into being in developers' pockets. Plus I don't see him dating any developers looking for contracts at any point. Too soon?
Posted by: AlvySinger | April 18, 2011 4:21 PM
To everyone that comments or reads the article about Jody, he can and will straighten out the city of Baltimore. I have known Jody for over forty years, Baltimore should at least hear his ideas to change a city that is depressed in more than one way. Now is the time for Jody and a new direction for the city.
Posted by: davidjj | April 18, 2011 4:29 PM
Jody Landers has always been a straight-up guy which puts him ahead of most politicians right from the start. Whether or not that matters in Baltimore is yet to be seen.
Posted by: Hopeful | April 18, 2011 7:27 PM
I know about Jody's integrity. Firsthand experience. Back in the eighties, when he ran for city council, me and my very large Hamilton family went door to door for him. We contributed to his campaign and I served on his election committee. We workede our butts off for him. I believe that he would not have gotten elected without us. Jody and I had an understanding that he would help me when I ran for house of delegates two years later. Instead, he supported one of my opponents. If he hadn't, I would likely have won. When I finally cornered him (literally at the corner of Hamilton and Harford Rd.), he offered so many lame reasons and pathetic excuses that it was disgusting. Listening to him that day, I became acutely aware who he really was. "Integrity" is not in his lexicon of personal dealings.
Posted by: George Falter | April 18, 2011 11:02 PM