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Belinda Conaway wants the U.S. Attorney to prosecute the candidate who defeated her for reelection last Tuesday. (VoB Photo/Bill Hughes)

7th  DISTRICT  COUNCILWOMAN
LOST REELECTION BID SEPT. 13

The Pat Jessamy mistake

Baltimore Councilwoman Belinda K. Conaway (D-7th) today called on U.S. Attorney Rod Rosenstein to prosecute the candidate who defeated her in the city’s Democratic primary a week ago Tuesday.

In a letter to Rosenstein dated September 19, Conaway asserts that challenger Nick Mosby’s campaign committee sent out cards in violation of U.S. Code “by using the logo of the IRS on mass-mailed materials” that she says “falsely accused” her of lying to the Internal Revenue Service.

Mosby defeated long-time incumbent Conaway by a margin of 611 votes, out of 5,473 total votes cast in the 7th District race.

Conaway has been accused of living in Randallstown, not in her Baltimore City district, which she denies. She says Mosby used the U.S. Mail to send materials to constituents “that falsely accused me of lying to the IRS.”

Last month Conaway made the “Pat Jessamy mistake” of calling attention to criticism of herself for allegedly not living in the city, by blogger Adam Meister, who she then sued, only to withdraw the suit when Meister refused to recant his charges. ^[2]

Former City State’s Attorney Jessamy famously called attention to her virtually unknown opponent Gregg Bernstein in last year’s Democratic primary, ultimately enabling Bernstein to come from far behind to defeat her.

Conaway’s father, Clerk of the Baltimore City Circuit Court Frank M. Conaway Sr., also ran unsuccessfully last Tuesday, coming in next-to-last in a field of five Democrats attempting to unseat incumbent Mayor Stephanie C. Rawlings-Blake, who was handily reelected.

In a telephone interview early this evening the younger Conaway told Voice of Baltimore that The Sun had ignored knowledge two months ago of what she said was her legitimate residence at 3210 Liberty Heights Ave. and had accused her a week before the election of not living in the city.

She said that in July a Baltimore Sun reporter visited her home unannounced while she was attending a City Council meeting, met her children and talked with her neighbors — who confirmed that she and her family lived at the Northwest Baltimore residence — but did not write a news story about it.

It is not known when or if Rosenstein will respond to Conaway’s request.

— VoB Staff Report

READ BLOGGER ADAM MEISTER’S RESPONSE TO CONAWAY’S FAILED LAWSUIT  (click here) ^[2]