My voter registration bars me from participating in Baltimore's Democratic primary — the only contest that really matters when determining the city's future leadership and direction. So, for the past 12 years I have lived here, mayoral contests have been, for me, strictly a spectator's sport.
This time around, however, I found myself pulling for one candidate in particular.
In 2001, I was working for the Downtown Partnership of Baltimore — an organization charged with advocating for downtown businesses and promoting all the good things happening downtown — when we joined efforts to bring a public art exhibit to Baltimore.
The Fish Out of Water project was inspired by wildly popular public art installations in Chicago, New York, Cincinnati and Boston. Two hundred giant fish statues, each turned into unique creations by local artists, were placed throughout downtown Baltimore. Corporations, organizations and individuals participated by sponsoring a fish for $3,750. At the end of the installation, all the fish were auctioned off at a gala event and an Internet auction, ultimately raising almost $400,000 for local arts programs.
I managed public relations for the project. As fun and rewarding as it turned out to be, it posed some unique challenges. Success hinged upon managing a disparate collection of strong personalities, including artists, patrons, sponsors, graphic designers, bureaucrats and organizers, each with strong opinions as to how things should be done.
Then City Councilwoman Catherine Pugh emerged as the project's liaison and primary advocate to Baltimore City government, the business community and other interested parties. When we encountered roadblocks, she quietly and effectively worked to dismantle them. More importantly, she encouraged participants to look past their "I'll take my ball and go home" attitudes and remain focused on the ultimate goal.
Ms. Pugh took the idea for Fish Out of Water to then-Mayor Martin O'Malley, who responded, "OK Catherine, let's go fishing."
After that, she made it clear that she was always available to help. She gave those of us working on the project her cellphone and encouraged us to call her. When necessary, she used that cellphone to great effect.
We offered each of the four Baltimore TV stations a fish in order to raise the project's profile. Three of them immediately accepted the offer. During a meeting, we were bemoaning the fact that one station never responded. Councilwoman Pugh's brow furrowed into quiet disapproval. She pulled out her old school cellphone, flipped it open, and started dialing as she quietly left the room. "They're taking the fish," she announced to the group as she returned about a minute later.
On the day we unveiled the first finished fish, the councilwoman and a few other event organizers planned to do a live shot with a local early morning TV news program. We provided them a "blank" fish to provide context for the segment because the completed fish was, per the sponsor's wishes, not to be revealed until noon at a widely-publicized event at Harborplace.
The host had an on-air meltdown because he was not getting a preview of the soon-to-be unveiled fish, ending the spot prematurely in a fit of pique. My voicemail suffered his wrath that morning as well. While she never said anything to me about the incident, Ms. Pugh quietly followed up. A week later, she and others did the TV spot uneventfully.
Working with her on the project, you never got the sense that it was ever about her. Her focus remained on achieving a successful outcome, particularly for the art students who would ultimately benefit from the proceeds raised. Whatever publicity she managed to earn was more than offset by the hours she devoted to the project.
She even found the time to mentor some of the younger women involved in the project — including my deputy, then a recent college graduate, who remains grateful to Ms. Pugh for the experience.
Of course, overseeing a public arts project is a very different experience from managing city government. But based on my limited experience of working with Ms. Pugh, she possesses a number of the requisite skills — a penchant for inclusiveness, a focus on end results, a willingness to share credit and demonstrated credibility among both activists as well as the business community — that will likely serve her well should she prevail, as expected, in the November general election.
Catherine Pugh has fought long and hard to get the job she seemed to have finally won. Given my own experience, I'm intrigued to see what she does with it.
Richard J. Cross III, a former Capitol Hill and Annapolis press secretary and speechwriter, resides in Baltimore, and can be reached at rcrossiii@comcast.net.