BALTIMORE — With partial results placing him well behind his Democratic challengers in the primary, Baltimore Mayor Jack Young defiantly addressed the inevitable on Friday.
“The election is what the election is, you know,” said Young. “I lost. The citizens of Baltimore have spoken, and I accept that, and everyone else should accept that and move forward.”
While the primary has been marred by printing delays, mistake-ridden ballots and days of confusion in its aftermath, Young is defending City Election Director Armstead Jones after what he calls ‘kinks’ in the first mail in-driven election in the city’s history due to the coronavirus pandemic.
“Personally, I don’t think anybody should lose their jobs, because mistakes happen in everything you do everyday,” said Young. “and people have been critical of Armstead Jones ever since he’s been over there so I think a lot of that is just a lot of political B.S., if I might be frank with you, because I can be frank now, okay, and say what I want to say now.”
Young’s concession is bittersweet after spending nearly 24 years as a city councilman, council president and mayor, thrust into the top office in the wake of the resignation of former Mayor Catherine Pugh after she resigned amidst the Healthy Holly scandal.
“I’m the only Baltimore mayor that went through ransom ware, the pandemic (and) now we have the protests. I’m proud of that. We had the water main break at the Housing Authority project, you know, and I’ve done all of the work, so there you go,” said Young. “I’m still the mayor until December 20th. I’m sorry the citizens didn’t see all of the good things I was doing. They wanted change. They have change.”
While the mayor is perplexed at why his record in office did not resonate with voters, he says he’s committed to doing the job to the best of his ability until his final day in office on December 20.
