Former Baltimore Police Spokesman T.J. Smith Is Running For Mayor
BALTIMORE (WJZ) — Former Baltimore City police and Baltimore County spokesperson T.J. Smith is officially running for mayor of Baltimore.
While he had said over the weekend he was "making an announcement about his future," he officially changed his Twitter bio to "Candidate for Mayor of #Baltimore" and launched his campaign website Tuesday morning. Both moves came ahead of his official announcement at 11 a.m. Tuesday.
In front of the house where his brother was fatally shot in 2017, Smith began his announcement by reading the names of some of the recent victims of gun violence in the city.
Tackling the city's crime issue is shaping up to be a central issue in the campaign, with Smith's announcement coming the day after three people were killed and six others injured in a wave of shootings in northwest Baltimore.
"That first quadruple shooting happened at a time when trick-or-treaters are going to be out on Thursday night. Everybody should be scared. That's ridiculous," Smith said.
Smith, a Democrat, said he is running for mayor as a way of "giving back to the city I love,"
"I've spent my life loving the City of Baltimore," He said on his website. "From attending our city schools, to cheering on the Ravens and Orioles, to the work I've done with Moms Demand Action before and after the shooting death of my brother. Nothing matters more to me than the safety and vitality of our communities and the future of our children – including my own son. I want to take everything I've learned throughout my career, both in and outside of our city, to finally change things for the better."
In response to criticism that Smith worked with the city's police department during a time in which it was riddled with scandal, he told WJZ his reputation speaks for itself.
"For people that think because I was there when they were doing something bad, look at your job when somebody did something bad. Are you connected to that? I mean, come on, it's ridiculous," he said.
Smith joins a crowded field of at least 16 other candidates, including current mayor Bernard C. "Jack" Young and city council president Brandon Scott.
Young made his candidacy official over the weekend after originally saying he wouldn't run for the seat he took over earlier this year after former mayor Catherine Pugh resigned.
Thirteen other candidates have filed paperwork with the state elections board indicating they're seeking the city's top job, including:
- Catalina Byrd (R),
- William Herd (R),
- David Wiggins (R),
- Shannon Wright (R),
- Carlmichael Cannady (D),
- Lou Catelli (D),
- Michael Jenson (D),
- Ralph Johnson, Jr. (D),
- James Jones, II (D),
- Yolanda Pulley (D),
- Dante Swinton (D),
- Rikki Vaughn (D), and
- Frederick Ware-Newsome (D).
Democrat Lynn Sherwood Harris had filed to run for mayor in June but has since withdrawn her candidacy.
Another candidate, Democrat and former prosecutor Thiru Vignarajah, held an event Tuesday announcing a plan to increase funding for a re-entry program should he be elected.
"If we're gonna end the bloodshed in Baltimore, we have to break that cycle," he said.
Young, Scott, Vignarajah and Smith have yet to file with the elections board. The deadline to do so is January 24, 2020.
The primary election is set for April 28.
