Mayor Martin O'Malley (D - Baltimore, MD)

2004 Honoree - Local Arts Leadership Award

Biography

Mayor Martin O'Malley first took office in 1999, and since then he has helped Baltimore begin to realize its economic potential for the first time in years by using a community development strategy that encompasses the arts and the city's cultural heritage. He created the Mayor's Cultural Tourism Council and elevated the Office of Promotion and the Arts to cabinet level to highlight Baltimore's cultural assets and enhance the city's quality of life. His concern for education and desire to provide opportunities for kids led him to create the"Be Instrumental" initiative that has made the restoration of fine arts education programs in the Baltimore City Schools a priority for the entire community. As he looks to the future, Mayor O'Malley has proposed initiatives to increase funding to small community arts organizations, expand the city's mural program, revise Baltimore's percent for art and street performers ordinances, and redevelop commercial property to serve as artist studio and exhibition spaces.