| Stephanie Rawlings-Blake | |
|---|---|
| 57th Mayor of Baltimore | |
| Incumbent | |
| Assumed office February 4, 2010 |
|
| Preceded by | Sheila Dixon |
| 49th President of the Baltimore City Council | |
| In office January 17, 2007 – February 4, 2010 |
|
| Preceded by | Sheila Dixon |
| Succeeded by | Bernard C. Young |
| Member of the Baltimore City Council | |
| In office December 1995 – January 2007 |
|
| Personal details | |
| Born | March 17, 1970 Baltimore, Maryland |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse(s) | Kent V. Blake |
| Relations | Howard "Pete" Rawlings, former (D), Maryland State Delegate, District 40 |
| Children | Sophia Blake |
| Profession | Attorney |
Stephanie Rawlings-Blake (born March 17, 1970) is an American politician and 57th Mayor of the City of Baltimore. She is Baltimore's second female mayor. Rawlings-Blake succeeded Sheila Dixon as mayor of Baltimore when Dixon resigned due to a conviction for embezzlement.
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Rawlings-Blake was born in Baltimore, and is the daughter of Nina Rawlings M.D. (pediatrician) and Howard "Pete" Rawlings.[1] Her father was a member of the Maryland House of Delegates.
Rawlings-Blake graduated from Western High School in 1988. She graduated from Oberlin College in Ohio in 1992 with a B.A. in Political Science. She earned her Juris Doctor from the University of Maryland Law School in 1995. She was admitted to the Maryland Bar in 1996 and to the Federal Bar in 1997.[2] She is also an alumna of the Baltimore Chesapeake Bay Outward Bound Center.
In 1995, Rawlings-Blake became the youngest person ever elected to the Baltimore City Council. She became President of the Council on January 17, 2007, when then-City Council President Sheila Dixon became mayor (after then-Mayor Martin O'Malley became Governor of Maryland). Rawlings-Blake was an attorney with the Baltimore Office of the Public Defender from 1998 to 2006.
Rawlings-Blake served on the Baltimore City Democratic State Central Committee from 1990 to 1998. In 1993, Rawlings-Blake served as the Annapolis lobbyist for the Young Democrats of Maryland. She currently serves on the board of directors for Baltimore Area Convention and Visitors Association, the Greater Northwest Community Coalition, the Living Classrooms Foundation, the Maryland Science Center, the National Aquarium in Baltimore, Park Heights Health Association, and the Parks and People Foundation. From 1998 to 2006, Rawlings-Blake was an attorney with the Baltimore Office of the Public Defender from 1998 to 2006. She is a member of the Federal Bar Association and the Maryland State Bar Association. Rawlings-Blake is also a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority, Epsilon Omega chapter and a former at-large member of the Alliance of Black Women Attorneys.
On June 14, 2007, Rawlings-Blake announced that she would seek a full, four-year term as council president. Her platform included improving education and reducing crime in the city.
In a poll of likely Democratic voters released by the Baltimore Sun on July 17, 2007, Rawlings-Blake was in a virtual tie with Michael Sarbanes, son of former Senator Paul Sarbanes. The poll had Sarbanes getting 27% of the respondents and Rawlings-Blake 26% with Councilman Kenneth N. Harris, Sr. a distant third with 8%. The poll's margin of error was (+ or -)4%.[3] She won the primary with 49% of the vote compared to 38 percent for Sarbanes.[4] In heavily Democratic Baltimore, Rawlings-Blake defeated her only opponent, Green candidate Maria Allwine, with 82 percent of the vote.[5]
On February 4, 2010, Rawlings-Blake succeeded Sheila Dixon as mayor of Baltimore when Dixon resigned as a result of her conviction for embezzlement.[6] Under the Baltimore City Charter, the City Council President becomes mayor if the mayor dies or resigns from office.
In the summer of 2011, several democratic candidates filed to run against Blake for mayor (see list below). The democratic primary was held on September 13, 2011 and Blake won with 52% of the vote. She faces token opposition in the November general election.[7]
These are the unofficial results for the 2011 Democratic primary, as reported on the city of Baltimore's election board Web site.[8]
| Candidate | Votes | % |
|---|---|---|
| Stephanie Rawlings-Blake | 38,102 | 52% |
| Catherine E. Pugh | 18,271 | |
| Otis Rolley | 9,210 | |
| Jody Landers | 5,026 | |
| Frank Conaway | 2,007 | |
| Lloyd "Wilton" Wilson | 233 |
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