Whether he was seen as tireless or tiresome, few cities had as staunch an ally as Baltimore did with William Donald Schaefer, who died April 15, 2011 at age 89. Reports say Schaefer, a four-time mayor of Baltimore and two-term governor of Maryland, had been in declining health and hospitalized for pneumonia before his death.
Known for his drive and feistiness, Schaefer transformed Baltimore into a tourist destination, feuded with reporters, political foes and the late Bob Irsay, who moved the Colts from Baltimore in 1984. Born in 1921 in west Baltimore, he first won a seat on the City Council in 1955. He won his first citywide election in 1967, becoming council president.
In the same election, Thomas D'Alesandro III, son of longtime Baltimore mayor Thomas D'Alesandro Jr., became mayor in what seemed a way to carry on the family political dynasty. Shortly after he took office, rioting shook Baltimore after the death of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. D'Alesandro, the brother of U.S. Rep. Nancy Pelosi, decided not to seek re-election in 1971. His decision set the stage for Schaefer's ascension.
Baltimore's doldrums
Baltimore in 1971 was not the city featuring the Inner Harbor featuring hotels, shopping, sports stadiums and the National Aquarium. To the north of the harbor, Charles Center was creating a new vibrant business district. But the area along Pratt and Light streets was decrepit and notable mostly for the pungent and exotic aromas wafting from the McCormick Spice Company.
Schaefer proved a whirlwind of ideas and energy, to the affection and consternation of residents and staff. He put forth ideas like selling abandoned homes taken over for tax delinquency for $1. Owners committed to renovating them transformed blighted city blocks. He also spent nights and weekends driving through the city in search of trash mounds, potholes and other disrepair, and demanded immediate fixes from department heads.
Bus benches got repainted, an anti-littering campaign that turned trash bins into basketball hoops was born, and Christmas lights were strung from the Washington Monument. Although city teachers and police officers went on strike in 1974, Schaefer easily won re-election in 1975. The city was rebounding, but schools remained troubled, population continued to decline and both the Colts and Orioles were courted by other cities seeking professional teams.
Welcome to Harbor Place
Grander plans emerged in his second term as the Hyatt hotel chain built a hotel on Light Street, a convention center opened and plans for Harbor Place and the National Aquarium were approved. The last two were completed in Schaefer's third term, and the missed deadline to complete the aquarium afforded Schaefer the chance for his most visible publicity. In the summer of 1981, he donned a vintage-1890s swimsuit and straw boater's hat and took a swim in the seal tank at the aquarium. It was a moment that captured both his ability to make fun of himself and his determination to move the city forward.
In 1986, Schaefer was elected governor of Maryland, winning 82 percent of the popular vote. Working with the Maryland General Assembly proved more difficult, leading to more feuds, and Schaefer once called Maryland's Eastern Shore an outhouse in a fit of pique. Schaefer also served as comptroller for the state after his second term as governor, finally leaving public life about five years ago. Schaefer's Annapolis legacy is mixed, but as Baltimore mourns the death of its former mayor, his inspiration and abundant energy can still be seen in broad sections and small corners of Charm City.
David Harry - Along with contributing articles to Suite 101, I am a reporter for a newspaper in Scarborough, Maine. I have been a freelance writer for ...
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