Mark Edelson
Edelson in 2023
Member of the Maryland House of Delegates
from the 46th district
Assumed office
January 11, 2023
Serving with Luke Clippinger and Robbyn Lewis
Preceded byBrooke Lierman
Personal details
Born (1984-07-12) July 12, 1984
Pretoria, South Africa
Political partyDemocratic
Residence(s)Canton, Baltimore, Maryland
EducationGeorgia State University
University of Maryland Francis King Carey School of Law (JD)
OccupationAttorney
WebsiteCampaign website

Mark Edelson (born September 12, 1985) is a South African-American politician and attorney[1] who is a member of the Maryland House of Delegates for District 46 in Baltimore.[2]

Background

In 1999, Edelson's family moved from South Africa to Atlanta, Georgia,[3] where he attended Georgia State University, where he earned degrees in philosophy and criminal justice.[4] He moved to Baltimore in 2007 to attend the University of Maryland School of Law, earning his Juris Doctor degree in 2010. After graduating, Edelson worked for the Goldman & Goldman, P.A. law firm[4] and became a board member of The Associated: Jewish Community Federation of Baltimore and the Baltimore Jewish Council.[5]

In June 2015, Edelson announced that he would run for the Baltimore City Council in District 1,[4][6] seeking to succeed outgoing city councilmember Jim Kraft.[7] He ran on a platform that included creating "transit hubs" within the city and streamlining the city permitting process.[1][8] Edelson came in third place in the Democratic primary with 17.3 percent of the vote.[9]

In June 2017, Edelson was the attorney for Bikemore when the bike advocacy group filed a lawsuit against the city of Baltimore to block the demolition of protected bike lanes on Potomac Street. Circuit Court Judge Althea M. Handy halted the demolition on June 10, 2017.[10][11] The lawsuit was dropped on June 28, 2017, after Baltimore Mayor Catherine Pugh pledged not to demolish the bike lanes.[12]

In 2018, Edelson became the president of the Canton Community Association.[13] While president, the group evaluated how to make the neighborhood more welcoming, including the removal of the statue of John O'Donnell,[14][15] opposed a proposal to expand Boston Street in southeast Baltimore,[16] and advocated for the revival of the Red Line.[17]

In 2020, Edelson worked on the transition team for Baltimore Mayor-elect Brandon Scott, serving on its transportation and infrastructure subcommittee.[18]

In 2022, Edelson ran for the Maryland House of Delegates in District 46, seeking to succeed outgoing state delegate Brooke Lierman.[19] During the primary, he received endorsements from councilmember Zeke Cohen, former state delegate Carolyn J. Krysiak, and former councilmembers Jim Kraft, Ed Reisinger, and Rikki Spector.[20] Edelson won the Democratic primary on July 19, 2022, coming in third place behind incumbents Robbyn Lewis and Luke Clippinger with 19.0 percent of the vote.[21]

In the legislature

Edelson was sworn into the Maryland House of Delegates on January 11, 2023.[2] He is a member of the House Appropriations Committee.[22]

Personal life

Edelson lives in the Canton neighborhood of Baltimore.[6] He is Jewish.[4]

Electoral history

Baltimore City Council District 1 Democratic primary election, 2016[9]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Zeke Cohen 2,196 27.3
Democratic Scott Goldman 1,661 20.7
Democratic Mark Edelson 1,387 17.3
Democratic Mark Parker 1,362 17.0
Democratic Ed Marcinko 830 10.3
Democratic Sean P. Flanagan 597 7.4
Maryland House of Delegates District 46 Democratic primary election, 2022[21]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Robbyn Lewis 8,449 24.5
Democratic Luke Clippinger 7,560 22.0
Democratic Mark Edelson 6,550 19.0
Democratic Vince Andrews 5,692 16.5
Democratic Sean D. Burns 3,220 9.4
Democratic Augusta Yeager Christensen 2,954 8.6
Maryland House of Delegates District 46 election, 2022[23]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Robbyn Lewis (incumbent) 22,274 30.81
Democratic Luke Clippinger (incumbent) 22,162 30.65
Democratic Mark Edelson 22,103 30.57
Republican Pete Waters 5,492 7.60
Write-in 265 0.37

References

  1. 1 2 Broadwater, Luke (February 16, 2016). "A big-money, two-party race for City Council heats up in Southeast Baltimore". The Baltimore Sun. Retrieved August 17, 2022.
  2. 1 2 "Members – Delegate Mark Edelson". mgaleg.maryland.gov. Maryland General Assembly. January 11, 2023. Retrieved January 11, 2023.
  3. ↑ Ericson, Edward (March 23, 2016). "1st District: Nine candidates vie for the job". Baltimore City Paper. The Baltimore Sun. Retrieved August 17, 2022.
  4. 1 2 3 4 Jankovitz, Michael (July 10, 2015). "Edelson to Run for Baltimore City Council". Baltimore Jewish Times. Retrieved August 17, 2022.
  5. ↑ Jsilberman, Justin (June 5, 2017). "Hillary Clinton Calls for Unity at ECYP Fundraiser". Baltimore Jewish Times. Retrieved August 17, 2022.
  6. 1 2 Babcock, Stephen (June 30, 2015). "Southeast Baltimore City Council Candidates Keep Popping Up". Baltimore Fishbowl. Retrieved August 17, 2022.
  7. ↑ Broadwater, Luke (February 3, 2016). "Fields set for Baltimore council, comptroller and judges' races". The Baltimore Sun. Retrieved August 17, 2022.
  8. ↑ Sweeney, Danielle (October 10, 2015). "Campaign Close-Up: 1st District candidates talk traffic, development and crime". Baltimore Brew. Retrieved August 17, 2022.
  9. 1 2 "Official 2016 Presidential Primary Election results for Baltimore City". Maryland State Board of Elections.
  10. ↑ Reutter, Mark (June 10, 2017). "Demolition of Potomac Street cycle track stopped". Baltimore Brew. Retrieved August 17, 2022.
  11. ↑ Fritze, John (June 12, 2017). "Judge halts demolition of Canton's cycletrack". The Baltimore Sun. Retrieved August 17, 2022.
  12. ↑ Broadwater, Luke; Wenger, Yvonne (June 28, 2017). "Bikemore drops lawsuit after city pledges not to demolish Canton bike lane". The Baltimore Sun. Retrieved August 17, 2022.
  13. ↑ "Meet Mark Edelson". cantoncommunity.org. Canton Community Association. January 4, 2019. Retrieved August 17, 2022.
  14. ↑ Wenger, Yvonne (October 26, 2020). "Hundreds sign online petition to remove statue of slave owner O'Donnell from Canton square in Baltimore". The Baltimore Sun. Retrieved August 17, 2022.
  15. ↑ Campbell, Colin (April 16, 2021). "Inside a Baltimore neighborhood group's successful effort to remove an enslaver's statue". The Washington Post. Retrieved August 17, 2022.
  16. ↑ Broadwater, Luke (September 8, 2017). "Baltimore council members object to plan to turn Boston Street into 'superhighway'". The Baltimore Sun. Retrieved August 17, 2022.
  17. ↑ Campbell, Colin (September 12, 2020). "Five years later, many across Baltimore bitterly lament Gov. Hogan's decision to kill the Red Line light rail". The Washington Post. Retrieved August 17, 2022.
  18. ↑ "Baltimore Mayor-Elect Brandon Scott Announces Transition Team". CBS News. WJZ-TV. December 1, 2020. Retrieved August 17, 2022.
  19. ↑ Kurtz, Josh (September 29, 2021). "Dist. 46 Legislators to Run as a Team, But Leave One Slot Open For Now". Maryland Matters. Retrieved August 17, 2022.
  20. ↑ Kurtz, Josh (June 1, 2022). "Top 20 House Primaries to Watch". Maryland Matters. Retrieved August 17, 2022.
  21. 1 2 "Official 2022 Gubernatorial Primary Election Results for House of Delegates". elections.maryland.gov. Maryland State Board of Elections. Retrieved August 17, 2022.
  22. ↑ Gaines, Danielle E. (January 5, 2023). "Jones announces new Democratic caucus, committee leaders for 2023 General Assembly session". Maryland Matters. Retrieved January 5, 2023.
  23. ↑ "Official 2022 Gubernatorial General Election Results for House of Delegates". elections.maryland.gov. Maryland State Board of Elections. Retrieved August 17, 2022.
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