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>> HELLO. I AM RUNNING FOR MAYOR. KATE 42-YEAR-OLD THIRU : VIGNARAJAH JUMPED IN WEDNESDAY MORNING. 9:00 A.M. ANNOUNCED HE IS RUNNING, THEN HIT THE TRAIL. SHAKING HANDS ACROSS BALTIMORE AND BACK. MEETING VOTERS EXPLAINING WHY HE WANTS TO BE MAYOR OF BALTIMORE. >> I CAN’T WATCH MY CITY BURNING TO THE GROUND, DEFAMED ACROSS THE COUNTRY, AND NOT WANT TO DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT. AND I CAN DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT. KATE: BY IT HE MEANS THE MATTER OF MAYOR CATHERINE PUGH AND THE POLITICAL UNCERTAINTY IN IT IS WAKE. VIGNARAJAH, A DEMOCRAT, IS CAMPAIGNING ON A PROMISE TO ROOT OUT CORRUPTION AND CRIME. HE IS A FORMER DEPUTY ATTORNEY GENERAL, FEDERAL AND CITY PROSECUTOR, HE SUCCESSFULLY MOUNTED THE STATE’S DEFENSE OF THE ADNAN SYED CONVICTION. UNSUCCESSFULY LAUNCHED A 2018 PRIMARY BID FOR CITY STATES ATTORNEY. AND LAST WEEK, THIS FORMER PUGH TRANISTION TEAM MEMBER BECAME THE FIRST PUBLIC FIGURE TO CALL FOR HER RESIGNATION. >> THAT’S WHY I THINK THIS IS A GREAT MOMENT FOR US TO TURN THE PAGE AND TRY SOMETHING NEW. KATE: HIS CANDIDACY COMES AS EX OFFICIO MAYOR, JACK YOUNG MARKS DAY TEN FILLING-IN AT THE HELM, . >> 59, 60. RIGHT? KATE A TENURE MARKED BY : PUNCTUALITY, ATTENTION TO DETAIL AND A PROMISE THAT HE IS PURELY A PLACE HOLDER. >> I STILL STAND BY THAT STATEMENT. I’M RUNNING FOR PRESIDENT OF CITY COUNCIL. I WANT TO KEEP THINGS STEADY. AND AS COUNCIL PRESIDENT I’VE GOT A LOT OF PRIORITIES I’M WORKING ON THAT I WANT TO SEE THROUGH. KATE: THIS IS A SERIOUS CAMPAIGN WITH AN ACTIVE CAMPAIGN COMMITTEE ACCORDING TO THE STATE BOARD OF ELECTIONS AND THAT IS NECESSARY FOR FUNDRAISING.

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Former Maryland Deputy Attorney General Thiru Vignarajah announced Wednesday he will run for mayor of Baltimore in 2020.The 42-year-old Democrat is the first person to officially announce a run for the mayor's position following the Healthy Holly book scandal."I can't watch my city burning to the ground, defamed across the country, and not want to do something about it -- and I can do something about it," Vignarajah said.Last week, Vignarajah, a former Pugh transition team member, became the first public figure to call for her resignation."I think this is a great moment for us to turn the page and try something new," he said.Vignarajah spoke Wednesday with city voters at Lexington Market, at senior centers and community centers and at Belvedere Square. He is campaigning on a promise to root out corruption and crime."What we have endured in Baltimore is heartbreaking and humiliating. From our street corners to City Hall, I am running to put an end to crime and corruption," Vignarajah said in a statement. "We all know Baltimore is a city of resilience and unfilled promise. With ideas and integrity, we can forge the Baltimore our parents dreamed of, the city we have promised to our children, a city of safe streets, good jobs, and great schools, no matter where you live or who you are."Vignarajah said fixing schools, cultivating an inclusive economy, expanding affordable housing and rebuilding a modern transit system are on his to-do list as mayor. He also noted potholes, squeegee kids and water bills as top priorities."Baltimore is in crisis. There is no plan, no vision, no sense of urgency. We are victims of soaring crime, a shrinking economy, and staggering corruption -- we are also victims of low expectations and a deficit of leadership. Fixing Baltimore will be a marathon and a sprint. But we will never achieve our full promise until we end the bloodshed and root out political corruption," Vignarajah said in the statement.Vignarajah's candidacy comes as Ex-Officio Mayor Jack Young marks his 10th day filling in at the helm. Young promises that he is purely a placeholder."I still stand by that statement. I'm running for president of City Council," Young said. "I want to keep things steady, and as council president, I've got a lot of priorities I'm working on that I want to see through."Vignarajah ran for Baltimore City state's attorney last year, but lost to incumbent Marilyn Mosby in the primary.Vignarajah started his career in Baltimore as a federal prosecutor. Then, he went on to serve as chief of major investigations in the Baltimore City State's Attorney's Office and deputy attorney general for the state of Maryland. He successfully mounted the state's defense of the Adnan Syed conviction.According to the Maryland State Board of Elections, Vignarajah's campaign has an active campaign committee, which is necessary for fundraising.​