NAACP President Kweisi Mfume spent most of yesterday talking to state and city officials about issues ranging from police brutality to collective bargaining -- all under the banner of civil rights.
The media were there at every turn.
Tipped off by anonymous phone calls -- at least some of which originated in NAACP offices in Northwest Baltimore, according to Caller ID -- reporters and television camera crews turned out at police headquarters downtown and at the State House in Annapolis to follow the man who has adamantly denied he is interested in being mayor of Baltimore -- but who has received the kind of media coverage reserved for a candidate.
In Annapolis, Mfume made a brief appearance at a news conference held by Gov. Parris N. Glendening that was choked with representatives from nearly every local media outlet in Washington and Baltimore.
As the governor made his way through introductions, he got to Mfume and grinned. "Thank you for joining us, Mr. Mayor -- I mean, Mr. Mfume," he said.
Mfume shook his head and smiled.
Also in Annapolis, Del. Howard P. Rawlings, a Democrat who represents the city, announced he has begun a "Draft Mfume" campaign to urge the former congressman to run for mayor.
Mfume has said since December that he is not a candidate.
The developments come amid news that Mfume has hired a new communications director for the Baltimore-based National Association for the Advancement of Colored People.
The new hire, John C. White, is a political specialist who once handled public relations for former Washington Mayor Marion S. Barry Jr.
When White, who starts in Baltimore on Monday, was asked if he would join Mfume in the mayor's office, he said, "I don't know -- that's hypothetical. All I know is that Kweisi has told me he intends to live out his contract with the NAACP." The contract is up in two years.
The developments come days after news surfaced that Mfume is buying a condominium in the city -- a move that could enable him to enter the race. He insists that such moves are unrelated to the mayoral post.
Some, including Mayor Kurt L. Schmoke, see things differently. "I think the purchase of the condominium by former Congressman Mfume is an indication that he is still interested" in being mayor, Schmoke said yesterday at his weekly news conference at City Hall.
For nearly two hours yesterday afternoon, Mfume met with Baltimore Police Commissioner Thomas C. Frazier to discuss brutality and racial discrimination in the Police Department, he said. Frazier called for the meeting two months ago.
"I hope this will allow us to build a bridge on these issues," Mfume said. "I'm acting as a lobbyist today."
This morning, Mfume and a host of other civil rights leaders will meet with President Clinton at the White House to discuss such issues as police brutality and racial profiling -- issues that civil rights leaders highlighted at a Washington news conference earlier this month.
After his meeting with Frazier yesterday, Mfume headed to Annapolis, where he met with lawmakers on a collective bargaining law. The lawmakers, who gathered in Rawlings' office, included Rawlings and Baltimore Dels. Samuel I. Rosenberg, Salima Siler Marriott, Maggie L. McIntosh and Talmadge Branch.
"This is strictly about organized labor," Mfume said before the meeting.
Mfume told the group during the meeting that he was glad to be moving back to the city, one Baltimore delegate said.
Also in attendance was Cheryl Benton, a political consultant who ran campaigns for former Baltimore City Council President Mary Pat Clarke and, most recently, Anthony Williams, who was elected mayor last year in Washington.
Legislators are negotiating with Benton to lead the "Draft Mfume" movement, Rawlings said recently.
Marriott, who chairs Baltimore's delegation, said Benton attended as a union representative for the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees.
Del. Nancy K. Kopp, a Montgomery County Democrat, said collective bargaining is a key issue during this year's legislative session -- but it is unusual to have an NAACP president weigh in.
"Clearly, when Kweisi Mfume walks in, it's not only the president of the NAACP," she said. "He is a major political leader in the state."
Rawlings is working to pass a bill that would reduce the residency requirement for mayoral candidates from one year to six months. He has said the bill is aimed at allowing Mfume to enter the race.
The delegates representing Montgomery County are expected to vote on the residency bill March 19, said Marriott. The delegation must approve the bill before it can pass -- and it appears the delegates will, she said. Baltimore's delegates have approved it.
Glendening is committed to signing it as well, Rawlings said.
Commenting on the expected Montgomery County vote, Kopp said, "We know how important a strong mayor is to the entire state."
Pub Date: 3/12/99