Mary Pat Clarke

Mary Pat Clarke
Member of the Baltimore City Council from the 14th District
Incumbent
Assumed office January 2003
Preceded by	Lisa Stancil
46th President of the Baltimore City Council
In office 1987–1995
Preceded by	Clarence "Du" Burns
Succeeded by	Lawrence Bell
Member of the Baltimore City Council from the 2nd District
In office 1975–1983
Personal details
Born	(1941-06-22) June 22, 1941 Providence, Rhode Island
Political party	Democratic
Spouse	Joe Clarke
Profession	teacher

Mary Pat Clarke (born June 22, 1941) is an American politician who represents the district 14 in the Baltimore City Council. She served in Baltimore, Maryland politics as both council president and council member for 24 out of the last 35 years as of 2010. She is the first woman ever elected president of the Baltimore City Council and the only non-incumbent to win a council seat since single-member districts were mandated by Baltimore voters through Question P in 2002.

Early life and education

Clarke was born in Providence, Rhode Island on June 22, 1941. She attended Immaculata College where she received an A.B. in 1963 and the a M.A. from the University of Pennsylvania in 1966.

Career

Clarke, by profession, is a teacher. She has instructed students at the Johns Hopkins University School of Professional Studies, the Maryland Institute College of Art and the University of Maryland, Baltimore County.

Clarke was a founding board member of the Greater Homewood Community Corporation and later president and executive director.

In the council

Currently, as a member of the Baltimore City Council, Clarke is the Chair of the Education Committee, vice-Chair of the Judiciary and Legislative Investigation Committee, a member of the Budget and Appropriations Committee and the Land Use and Transportation Committee (highways & franchises subcommittee). While running for office, Clarke pushed for integrated slates. She and her New Democratic Club forged alliances with Baltimore's black democratic clubs in the 1970s resulting in the election of several African Americans to the City Council, as well as her own. In the council, she forged alliances with her black colleagues, such as the one with Kweisi Mfume resulting in a Baltimore City mandate for smaller class sizes in the 1980s.

2007 election

Clarke faced two low-profile challengers in her 2007 re-election bid: one democrat, Tom Conradt, a University of Baltimore Law School graduate and burgeoning Baltimore political figure, in the primary election and one Republican in the general election.

Personal life

Clarke and her husband Joe have four adult children, all graduates of the Baltimore City Public School system, and six grandchildren. Her husband, also a teacher, is a developer as well. While out of public office, Clarke served the Mount Saint Agnes Theological Center from 1997 to 1998 by overseeing public relations and working to develop a stable financial base and an expanded curriculum for future students.

External links

• MaryPatClarke.com