Announcing Mayoral Run, Thiru Vignarajah Says Crime, Corruption Top Issues Facing Baltimore

Maryland’s former Deputy Attorney General Thiru Vignarajah announced Wednesday he will run for mayor of Baltimore in 2020.

Democrat Vignarajah is the first person to officially announce a run for the mayor's position following the Healthy Holly book scandal.

Thiru Vignarajah talks to Phil Yacuboski:

"We have a crisis of epic proportions. Crime and corruption are not just dominating local headlines. They are the dominating storyline across the country with respect to Baltimore," Vignarajah told Phil Yacuboski. "Those are the two issues that are on everybody's minds. They're also the two obstacles that are holding us back from addressing the broken schools, the broken transit grid, the stalling economy, and if we don't address crime and corruption, we can't get the rest of it right."

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.

Vignarajah ran for Baltimore City state's attorney last year, but lost to incumbent Marilyn Mosby in the primary. He said he wasn't necessarily exploring a run before the scandal surrounding Mayor Catherine Pugh's business dealings, but that people would sometimes ask him about future plans for elected office and encourage him to run.

Vignarajah later spoke by phone to Brett Hollander:

"Truthfully, I was hopeful that we would be turning a corner," Vignarajah said. "It wasn't that long ago, although it feels like an eternity, that Commissioner [Michael] Harrison had just been confirmed. the community had embraced him, the City Council had unanimously confirmed him. He seemed ready to get to work then all of a sudden, our eye gets taken off the ball and we have this massive distraction and we're back to square one if not back in reverse."

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.