LaVern Murray

LaVern Murray

Education

High school

Forest Park Senior High School

Associate

Community College of Baltimore

Bachelor's

Family Bible Institute, College and Seminary

Personal

Profession

Educator

LaVern Murray was a candidate for mayor of Baltimore, Maryland. Murray was defeated in the general election on November 8, 2016.

Biography

Email editor@ballotpedia.org to notify us of updates to this biography.

Murray earned her B.A. in Christian education from the Family Bible Institute, College and Seminary. She also holds an honorary doctorate in Christian education from the Philadelphia Bible Institute, College & Seminary of Baltimore, Maryland. Her professional experience includes working as a teacher assistant and civil engineer. She trained and served in the United States Army Reserve Officer Training Corps in Fort Knox, Kentucky.

Campaign themes

2016

See also: Ballotpedia's municipal government candidate survey

Murray participated in Ballotpedia's 2016 survey of municipal government candidates. The following sections display her responses to the survey questions. When asked what her top priority would be if elected, the candidate made the following statement:

“

All the situations in Baltimore are urgent; everything from Education to Job Creation needs to be addressed. That being said, the first item I want to tackle is restoration between our police force and the general population. Our city is being choked out by the unrest between the Police and our citizens. We will not be able to move forward in unity if this problem persists. Let’s be real, the Police are a necessity. We can’t live peacefully amongst ourselves so we need a group of citizens to be charge with our protection and the enforcement of the law. But those individuals in authority need to understand their ability to serve and protect only goes as far as the trust they instill. We must remember that this problem is not one-sided and it will take accountability on both sides of this issue.

”

When asked what she would most like to change about the city, the candidate made the following statement:

“

The feeling of hopelessness and consequently the apathy many show toward their local government. During this election I can't tell you how many times I have come across individuals that may or may not registered to vote and have no desire to vote regardless of their registration status. It is a horrible thing when a citizen thinks their voice doesn't matter or won't change anything. I've decided that, no longer could I stand by as Baltimore fails to achieve the greatness to which it is destined. I want to give hope back to the people of Baltimore and let them know that they could have a candidate who is ready and willing to hear them and react accordingly.

”

When asked what she is most proud of about the city, the candidate made the following statement:

“

Baltimore has a rich history, which is something that can't be said of all U.S. cities of comparable size. Our city played an influential role in the war of 1812, Its was the birthplace Of The American Railroad, host of some of the most important moments of the Civil Rights Movement and is home to many historic buildings and monuments. Even if you don't care much for the past, this history lends a lot of charm, authenticity and knowledge to Baltimore in the form of fascinating tours, cobble stone streets, interesting architecture, public spaces and monuments. Baltimore has such a rich historical past and I want us to have a future that builds on that past. Take what we've learned good and bad and take the right step forward.

”

Ranking the issues

The candidate was asked to rank the following issues by importance in the city, with 1 being the most important and 12 being the least important. This table displays this candidate's rankings from most to least important:

Issue importance ranking
Candidate's ranking	Issue
1	Crime reduction/prevention
2	Government transparency
3	Homelessness
4	K-12 education
5	Housing
6	Unemployment
7	City services (trash, utilities, etc.)
8	Civil rights
9	Environment
10	Recreational opportunities
11	Transportation
12	Public pensions/retirement funds

Positions on the issues

The candidate was asked to answer four questions from Ballotpedia regarding issues facing cities across America. The questions are in the left column and the candidate's responses are in the right column:

Question	Response
Is it important for the city’s budget to be balanced?	Very important
Which level of government do you feel should set a minimum wage?	State
What do you think is the best way to improve a city’s public safety?	Public outreach/education programs Crime should be prevented at the source, providing our youth with a strong education and knowledge base so that when economic opportunities/jobs are available there is a workforce ready to step into place.
How do you think your city should emphasize economic development?	Focusing on small business development This problem is a multi-faceted issue that must be addressed on multiple fronts. Many of the presented answers are apart of that solution. In order to effect real change for economic growth we must deal with the major barrier our city faces. Our city is the most attractive for large-scale private business, small business and residents. Many things contribute to this taxes, social degradation, lack of stable and strong educational options, local leaders abusing their powers and conflict between law enforcement and citizens. But their is hope, Baltimore has potential to turn it all around. It's going to take all of us, it going to take TEAM BALTIMORE. A team made up of professional leaders, community leaders and government officials to craft the appropriate solution to this multi-faceted problem. Some areas we see for improvement are as follows: Job Opportunities + Industry By encouraging the return of investors we provide our city with the opportunity for economic growth, both personally and commercially. Baltimore once had a thriving film and television industry. We had a push to restore some of the Performing Arts venues in our city. Back in 2004, the renovation of the Hippodrome Theater was an excellent step in the right direction, let's continue that work. I propose partnering with the state to bring back the "Film Production Activity Tax Credit." Future generations will no longer distinguish between consumer and enterprise tech. The new fluid economy is centered around boutique business, especially those focused on design. We need to invest into our local design community here in Baltimore. With schools such as Maryland Institute College of Art, Morgan State University Design Programs and The School of Art + Design at Montgomery College producing an excellent and un-tapped workforce we should be investing in the design community to keep this vital workforce here in our city. Baltimore has a vibrant Tourist Industry and this is an untapped market that we could be using to create more entry level jobs. Working with major developers and hospitality partners to foster the growth of our tourist industry while creating job opportunities for many citizens throughout our city. Raising Minimum Wage There are some who have proposed raising the minimum wage to $15/hr from the average of $8/hr. This could shock our local economic system; but a moderate bump could and would help stimulate economic growth from the bottom up. And ground roots stimulation is truly a more efficient economy booster. Instead, I propose an increase to $10.50/hr as the State of Maryland has already planned to raise the State Minimum Wage to $10.10/hr by 7/1/18. So lets just beat the state to the punch. Contrary to popular opinion a 2015 survey found that 3 out of 5 small business would support a gradual increase in minimum wage. They state that they would have no problem "putting more money in the pocket of low-wage workers." Most businesses understand that their growth depends on consumers and consumers need capital to spend. Therefore, I think a moderate change to $10.50/hr is a more appropriate long term solution.

Elections

2016

The following candidates ran in the Baltimore mayoral election.

Baltimore Mayoral Election (2016), General Election, 2016
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Democratic	Catherine Pugh	57.61%	134,848
	Democratic	Sheila Dixon (write-in)	22.10%	51,716
	Republican	Alan Walden	9.96%	23,316
	Green	Joshua Harris	9.89%	23,155
	Unaffiliated	LaVern Murray (write-in)	0.02%	46
	Independent	Frank Logan (write-in)	0.01%	33
	Unaffiliated	Sarah Klauda (write-in)	0.01%	25
	Democratic	Mack Clifton (write-in)	0.01%	23
	Republican	Steven Smith (write-in)	0.00%	8
		Write-in votes	0.38%	885
Total Votes				234,055
Source: State of Maryland Board of Elections, "Official 2016 Presidential General Election results for Baltimore City," accessed September 9, 2019

Recent news

The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms 'LaVern Murray' Baltimore. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.

LaVern Murray - Google News

See also

• Baltimore, Maryland
• Municipal elections in Baltimore, Maryland (2016)
• United States municipal elections, 2016

External links

Suggest a link

• Maryland State Board of Elections - Official candidate list