September 19, 2011

Conference of Mayors Past President Plusquellic Wins Democratic Primary for 7th Term

Akron Mayor Donald L. Plusquellic won his democratic primary, all but assuring his November election victory. Plusquelli, a past president of the United States Conference of Mayors, is the longest'serving mayor in Akron history. First elected in 1987, Plusquellic is seeking his seventh term as mayor of the Ohio city. Plusquellic faces his republican challenger in the November general election.

Stephanie Rawlings-Blake, who took over the post of mayor of Baltimore in early 2010, beat five competitors to win the Tuesday primary. Rawlings-Blake, who hosted the 79th Annual Meeting of the Conference of Mayors this year, won the primary with 52 percent of the votes.

Rawlings-Blake, who as then City Council President, assumed the role as mayor after the resignation of the sitting mayor. Previously, Rawlings-Blake worked as a public defender and was the youngest person elected to the city council at age 25 in 1995. She became council president in 2007.

Rawlings-Blake will face the winner of the Republican primary in the November 8 general election. It should be noted that Baltimore has not seen a republican mayor since 1967.

Des Moines Mayor T. Franklin Cownie, Vice Chair for Emergency Management of the Conference of Mayors Criminal and Social Justice Committee, was in Washington September 14-15 to discuss disaster preparedness and response with key Senators and members of the Administration. He briefed the eight senators attending a meeting of the Senate Democratic Steering and Outreach Committee, chaired by Alaska Senator and former Anchorage Mayor Mark Begich, on the impact of frozen disaster relief funds on his city and on the need for reforms to the nation’s disaster preparedness and response system. He also participated in meetings of FEMA’s Local, State, Tribal, and Federal Preparedness Task Force, of which he is a member.