Westley Watende Omari Moore (born October 15, 1978) is an American politician, investment banker, author, and television producer. He is the governor-elect of Maryland, after defeating Republican Dan Cox in the 2022 Maryland gubernatorial election, becoming the first Black governor of the state and the third Black person elected as governor of a U.S. state.[1][2]
Governor-elect of Maryland
This article is about the American politician, banker, and author. For the basketball coach, see Wes Moore (basketball).
National Defense Service Medal Afghanistan Campaign Medal Armed Forces Reserve Medal Army Service Ribbon Parachutist Badge
Born in Maryland and raised largely in New York, Moore graduated from Johns Hopkins University and received a master's degree from Wolfson College, Oxford as a Rhodes Scholar. After several years in the U.S. Army and Army Reserve, Moore became an investment banker in New York. Between 2010 and 2015, Moore published five books, including one young adult novel. Moore served as CEO of the Robin Hood Foundation from 2017 to 2021.[3] Moore is the author of The Other Wes Moore and The Work. He was also the host of Beyond Belief on the Oprah Winfrey Network, as well as the executive producer and a writer for Coming Back with Wes Moore on PBS.[4]
Early life and education
Moore was born in Takoma Park, Maryland, to father William Westley Moore Jr., a broadcast news journalist,[5] and mother Joy Thomas Moore,[6] a daughter of immigrants from Jamaica and a media professional.[7][8][9]
On April 16, 1982, when Moore was nearly four years old,[10] his father died from acute epiglottitis.[11] In the summer of 1984, Moore's mother took him and his two sisters to live in the Bronx, New York, with their grandparents. His grandfather, Rev. Dr. James Thomas, a Jamaican immigrant,[12] was the first Black minister in the history of the Dutch Reformed Church.[13] His grandmother, Winell Thomas, a Cuban who moved to Jamaica before immigrating to the United States, was a retired school teacher.[12] Moore attended Riverdale Country School. When Moore's grades declined and he became involved in petty crime, his mother enrolled him in Valley Forge Military Academy and College.[13][14]
In 1998, Moore graduated Phi Theta Kappa from Valley Forge with an associate degree, completed the requirements for the United States Army's early commissioning program, and was appointed a second lieutenant of Military Intelligence in the Army Reserve. He then went on to attend Johns Hopkins University where he studied international relations and economics and graduated Phi Beta Kappa and Omicron Delta Kappa in 2001.[15] While at Hopkins, Moore played as wide receiver for the Johns Hopkins Blue Jays football team.[16] He was initiated into the Sigma Sigma Chapter of the Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity at Johns Hopkins in 2000.[17] In 1998 and 1999, Moore interned for Baltimore Mayor Kurt Schmoke.[18] He later became involved with the March of Dimes before serving in the Army.[19] He also interned at the United States Department of Homeland Security under Secretary Tom Ridge.[20] After graduating, he attended Wolfson College, Oxford as a Rhodes Scholar, where he earned a master's degree in international relations in 2004[21] and submitted a thesis entitled, Rise and Ramifications of Radical Islam in the Western Hemisphere.[22] He was activated in the Army following the September 11 attacks, and was deployed to Afghanistan from 2005 to 2006,[23] attaining the rank of captain in the 82nd Airborne Division.[3][24] He retired from the Army in 2014.[22]
Career
Moore at Social Innovation Summit by New America in January 2020
In February 2006, Moore was named a White House Fellow to Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice.[3][25][26] Moore later worked as an investment banker at Deutsche Bank in Manhattan[20] and at Citibank from 2007 to 2012[27] while living in Jersey City, New Jersey.[3][28] In 2009, Moore was included on Crain’s New York Business's "40 Under 40" list.[29]
In 2010, Moore founded a television production company, Omari Productions, to create content for networks such as the Oprah Winfrey Network, PBS, HBO, and NBC.[30] In May 2014, Moore produced a three-part PBS series, Coming Back with Wes Moore, which followed the lives and experiences of returning veterans.[31][32][33]
In 2014, Moore founded BridgeEdU, a company that provided services to support students in their transition to college.[34] Students participating in BridgeEdU paid $500 into the program with varying fees.[35] BridgeEdU was not able to achieve financial stability and was acquired by student financial services company Edquity in 2019, mostly for its database of clients.[36][37] A Baltimore Banner interview with former BridgeEdU students found that the short-lived company had mixed results.[37]
In September 2016, Moore produced All the Difference, a PBS documentary that followed the lives of two young African-American men from the South Side of Chicago from high school through college and beyond.[38][39] Later that month, Moore launched Future City, an interview-based talk show with Baltimore's WYPR station.[40][41][42]
From June 2017 until May 2021, Moore was CEO of the Robin Hood Foundation, a charitable organization that attempts to alleviate problems caused by poverty in New York City. It works mainly through funding schools, food pantries and shelters. It also administers a disaster relief fund.[43][44][45][46] During his tenure as CEO, the organization raised more than $650 million, including $230 million in 2020 to provide increased need for assistance during the COVID-19 pandemic.[47] Moore served on Under Armour's board of directors from September 2020 to November 2022, resigning from the board shortly after becoming governor-elect.[48][49]
Books
On April 27, 2010, Spiegel & Grau published his first book, The Other Wes Moore.[50] The 200-page book explores the lives of two young Baltimore boys who shared the same name and race, but largely different familial histories that leads them both down very different paths.[51][52][53] In December 2012, Moore announced that The Other Wes Moore would be developed into a feature film, with Oprah Winfrey attached as an executive producer.[54] In September 2013, Ember published his second book, Discovering Wes Moore. The book maintains the message and story set out in The Other Wes Moore, but is more accessible to young adults.[55] In April 2021, Unanimous Media announced it would adapt the movie into a feature film.[56] As of June 2022, a film has yet to be produced.[57]
In January 2015, Moore wrote his third book, The Work.[58] In November 2016, Moore wrote This Way Home, a young adult novel about Elijah, a high school basketball player, who emerges from a standoff with a local gang after they attempt, and he refuses, to recruit him to their basketball team.[59] In March 2020, Moore and former Baltimore Sun education reporter Erica L. Green wrote Five Days: The Fiery Reckoning of an American City, which explores the 2015 Baltimore protests from the perspectives of eight Baltimoreans who experienced it on the frontlines.[60][61]
Controversies
In June 2013, an investigation from The Baltimore Sun alleged that Moore was improperly receiving homestead property tax credits and owed back taxes to the city of Baltimore. Moore told The Sun that he was unaware of any issues with the home's taxes and wanted to pay back what they owed immediately.[62] In October 2022, Baltimore Brew reported that Moore had not paid any water and sewage charges since March 2021, owing $21,200 to the city of Baltimore.[63] Moore settled his outstanding bills shortly after the article was published.[64]
In April 2022, the family of Baltimore County Police Sergeant Bruce Prothero, whose murder in 2000 is highlighted in The Other Wes Moore, accused Moore of making contradictory statements about where the proceeds of the book went, saying that the family "directed no donations" to anywhere, including the nonprofits Moore named.[65][66] The family also complained that Moore exaggerated his role in their son's life.[67]
Moore was the subject of a CNN article in which he was accused of embellishing his childhood and where he actually grew up.[68] Shortly after the article was published, Moore created a website that attempted to rebut the allegations.[69] He was later criticized for failing to correct television interviewers who incorrectly said he was awarded a Bronze Star.[70][71] A Capital News Service article highlighted Moore's connections to various industries, including pharmaceutical, technology, beauty and retail giants, and the Green Thumb Industries marijuana company.[72] Moore left Green Thumb Industries in March 2022,[73] and said in October that he would use a blind trust to hold his assets and resign from every board position if elected governor.[74][75]
In October 2022, The Intercept reported that Moore and Miller were honored at a fundraiser hosted by individuals associated with Hindutva, or a Hindu nationalist political ideology, including Sikhs for Trump founder Jasdip Singh and Muslims for Trump founder Sajid Tarar. The event occurred after the Moore campaign added a page to its website to lay out "the facts" about Miller's record on supporting Muslim communities and religious freedom which included a statement that denied accepting donations from the Hindutva movement.[76]
Political activities
Maryland politics
Moore first expressed interest in politics in June 1996, telling a reporter from The New York Times that he planned to attend a law school and enter politics after two years at Valley Forge.[77] Moore told The Baltimore Sun in October 2022 that he felt the idea of holding elected office "only started to feel like a real possibility in 2020, when he was about to leave his job running Robin Hood".[78]
Moore (center) at a Maryland Democratic Party picnic, 2014
Moore gave a speech at the 2008 Democratic National Convention, supporting Barack Obama for President.[79][80] In 2013, he said that he had "no interest" in running for public office, instead focusing on his business and volunteer work.[81] Later that year, Attorney General Doug Gansler said that he considered having Moore as his running mate in the 2014 Maryland gubernatorial election, in which he ran with state delegate Jolene Ivey.[82]
In April 2015, following the 2015 Baltimore protests, Moore said that the demonstrations in Baltimore were a "long time coming"[83] and said that Baltimore "must seize this moment to redress systemic problems and grow."[84] Moore had attended the funeral for Freddie Gray but left early to catch a plane to Boston for a speech he was giving on urban poverty. He later said he "felt guilty being away, but it wasn't just that. An audience in Boston would listen to me talk about poverty, but at a historic moment in my own city's history, I was MIA."[85]
In October 2020, Moore was named to serve on the transition team of Baltimore mayor-elect Brandon Scott.[86]
2022 Maryland gubernatorial candidacy
Main article: 2022 Maryland gubernatorial election
Moore campaigning in October 2022
In February 2021, Moore announced he was considering a run for Governor of Maryland in the 2022 election.[87] He launched his gubernatorial campaign on June 7, 2021,[88][89] running on the slogan, "leave no one behind".[90][91] His running mate is Aruna Miller, a former state delegate who represented Maryland's 15th district from 2010 to 2019.[92]
During the primary, Moore received endorsements from House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer,[93]Prince George's County executive Angela Alsobrooks,[94] television host Oprah Winfrey,[95] and former Governor Parris Glendening.[96] He also received backing from the Maryland State Education Association[97] and VoteVets.org.[98]
On April 6, 2022, Moore filed a complaint with the Maryland State Board of Elections against the gubernatorial campaign of John King Jr., accusing "an unidentified party" of anonymously disseminating "false and disparaging information regarding Wes Moore via electronic mail and social media in an orchestrated attempt to disparage Mr. Moore and damage his candidacy." The complaint also suggested that King "may be responsible for this smear campaign", which the King campaign denied.[99][100]
Moore won the Democratic primary on July 19, 2022, defeating former Democratic National Committee chairman Tom Perez and Comptroller Peter Franchot with 32.4 percent of the vote.[101] During the general election, Moore twice campaigned with U.S. President Joe Biden.[102][103] He defeated Republican nominee and state delegate Dan Cox in the general election,[1] becoming Maryland's first Black governor[104] and the first veteran to be elected governor since William Donald Schaefer.[105]
Political positions
During an interview with C-SPAN in August 2006, Moore said he identified as a "social moderate and strong fiscal conservative".[106] In September 2022, Moore rephrased his position on fiscal issues as being "fiscally responsible".[107] During his gubernatorial campaign, he was described as center-left,[108] as well as progressive.[109][110]
Moore has cited Jared Polis, Parris Glendening, and Roy Cooper as his political role models.[96][110]
Crime and policing
Moore supports hiring more probation and parole officers, pursuing police misconduct allegations, and increasing resources for law enforcement agencies.[27][111] He unveiled a public safety plan in February 2022, which includes improving offender services, improving police diversity, and supporting and funding community-based policing and violence intervention programs.[112][113] Moore says he "believes in policing with maximum accountability and appropriate intensity",[114] and would provide funding for community-based violence intervention programs to address violent crime.[115] In an interview with MSNBC on August 30, 2022, Moore said that he would tackle crime in Baltimore by investing in violence intervention programs like Safe Streets and We Our Us. "These are programs the data shows were proven to work, and right now they're underfunded and undervalued, and we have to change that on day one."[116][117] In September 2022, Moore said he would use the "bully pulpit" of the governor's office to help recruit officers[118] and would give the state's Fraternal Order of Police a seat at the table, telling The Washington Post, "I don't think that you can be serious about actually implementing reforms if the agencies that have to be reformed are not part of the process."[107]
In May 2022, Moore called on Governor Larry Hogan to target state resources toward preventing gun violence in Baltimore.[119] He has campaigned on addressing crime in the city through better cooperation between the city and state, and to leverage these relationships on the federal level to bring more resources into the city.[120][121]
Education
Moore supports the Blueprint for Maryland's Future reform effort,[97][122] testifying before the state legislature to urge its passage.[123] During his campaign, he said that he would "work closely with local governments to make sure they are on board with their commitments to the Blueprint".[124] He supports creating a "service year option" in schools, which would enable high school graduates to do a gap year "in exchange for job training, mentorship, and other support including compensatory tuition at a state college or university."[110][125] Moore does not support the expansion of charter schools, saying that he wanted to focus on improving public school districts but wanted to ensure accountability for current charters.[123] In September 2022, Moore said he would institute universal pre-K and apprenticeship and trade programs in schools,[90][126] and promised increases for school construction, educator wages, after-school programs, tutoring, child care, and early childhood education.[127]
In November 2022, Moore called the cancellation of $20,000 in federal student loan debt a "good first step" and said that he would push the Biden administration to forgive more federal student debt if elected governor.[23]
Environment
During his campaign, Moore said he supported the renewable energy goals set by the state's Clean Energy Jobs Act of 2019, which called for a 50% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions and an electrification of the state's vehicle fleet by 2030, and has said the state should pursue "more ambitious goals" beyond carbon neutrality.[128] He has proposed regulations to achieve 100% clean energy use by 2035 and net zero carbon emissions by 2045, electrify the state's fleet, and prioritize environmental-justice funding.[129] He also said that he would establish a "cap-and-invest" program in Maryland, which could tax polluters to provide revenue for clean energy infrastructure and relief in communities of color.[128] In April 2022, Moore signed a Chesapeake Climate Action Network pledge to support legislation to get Maryland to use 100 percent carbon-free electricity by 2035 and to remove trash incineration from the state's "clean energy" classification.[130]
In October 2022, Moore told Lancaster Farming that he would support farmers by eliminating burdensome regulations, preserve farmland, and provide farmers with technical assistance and financial resources. He also said he would develop a plan to accelerate projects improve water quality and cut carbon emissions in his administration's first 100 days, and supported the restoration of the state's Chesapeake Bay Restoration Fund.[131]
Housing
Moore supports the right to counsel in eviction cases, saying that providing tenants with access to counsel is "the just thing to do and it is the right thing to do".[132][133] On his campaign website, Moore says he would address the "unfair appraisal values in historically redlined neighborhoods" and provide increased funding for the Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development.[107]
Gun control
In 2022, Moore supported a bill to ban the possession and sale of ghost guns in Maryland. He supports creating a firearms database to help law enforcement track guns used in crimes. In June 2022, Moore condemned the Supreme Court's ruling in New York State Rifle & Pistol Association, Inc. v. Bruen, calling it a "misguided and dangerous decision." He also opposed Governor Hogan's decision to suspend the state's "good and substantial reason" standard for obtaining a concealed carry permit following the ruling.[134]
Marijuana
Moore supported legislation introduced and passed during the 2022 legislative session that created a ballot referendum to legalize recreational marijuana in Maryland, and another bill that would regulate marijuana possession should the referendum pass in November. During his campaign, he has talked about implementing a recreational cannabis industry with a focus on equity "so that communities that have experienced the greatest disparities benefit the most."[134] In October 2022, Moore praised President Joe Biden's pardon of thousands of people convicted of marijuana possession under federal law,[135][136] and said that he would "fight to expunge the records of those arrested for marijuana possession [as governor]".[137]
Minimum wage
During his campaign, Moore said that he would accelerate the state's incremental increase to a minimum wage of $15 an hour by 2023.[138][139]
Social issues
Moore testifying before the Senate Committee on Finance in 2010
In September 2010, Moore testified in support of reauthorizing the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families federal assistance program.[140] In July 2021, Moore opposed Governor Hogan's decision to end expanded federal unemployment benefits provided by the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 early.[141]
In June 2021, Moore opposed voter-ID legislation introduced by state senator Justin Ready, calling it "voter suppression".[142] In September 2022, Moore said he opposed a lawsuit filed by state delegate Dan Cox against the Maryland State Board of Elections to block the early counting of Maryland's mail-in ballots in the 2022 elections, alleging that Cox was trying to sow distrust and uncertainty in the electoral system.[143]
In 2022, Moore said he supported the Inclusive Schools Act, a bill introduced in the 2022 legislative session that bans schools from discriminating against students based on their sexual orientation and gender identity. He also supported the Trans Health Equity Act, a bill that would have required the state's Medicaid program to cover gender-affirming treatment.[134][144]
In June 2022, following the Supreme Court's ruling in Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization, Moore said that he would support an amendment to the Maryland Constitution to enshrine abortion access.[145][146] He also pledged to release $3.5 million in funding for the Abortion Care Access Act, a bill passed in the 2022 legislative session that would expand the types of medical professionals who can perform abortions in the state, on his first day in office.[147]
During his gubernatorial campaign, Moore said he supported establishing a state "baby bonds" program, which would cost roughly $100 million per year and be seeded with $3,200 for every child born on Medicaid, to target the racial wealth gap. If enacted, it would be the largest baby bond program ever enacted in the United States.[148]
Taxes
In May 2022, Moore supported staving off automatic increases to the state's gas tax, arguing that voters needed immediate relief.[149] In September 2022, Moore said that he did not anticipate raising taxes as governor, but planned to work with the legislature to fix what he described as the state's "upside-down taxation system". He also expressed interest in eliminating either the state's estate or inheritance tax to make the state more attractive to retirees.[107] In the same month, Moore told the Maryland Family Network that he would support child care programs by subsidizing the service through tax credits for low-income families.[90]
Transportation
Moore opposed Governor Hogan's decision to cancel the Red Line, and said during his campaign that he would support restarting the rail project.[150][151] He does not support Governor Hogan's plan to widen portions of the Capital Beltway and Interstate 270 using high-occupancy toll lanes, saying that he would instead support a transit line alongside I-270 and a proposed transit line from Prince George's County to Charles County.[128] Critics have accused Moore of flip-flopping on this stance after he told the Maryland Transit Opportunities that he would be willing to dedicate federal funds to the project, issuing a statement afterwards saying that he would be open to toll lanes if there were strong public consensus.[152] In a radio interview with WAMU in July 2022, Moore said he preferred a "new type of proposal" for the I-270 toll lanes plan that included reversible lanes, increase transit, and greater collaboration with local "stakeholders."[153]
Personal life
Moore and his wife Dawn with Governor Larry Hogan, 2022
Moore and his wife, Dawn (née Flythe), moved to the Riverside community in Baltimore in 2006.[62] The couple married on July 6, 2007.[154] The Moores moved out of their Riverside home by late 2008, purchasing a home for $1.2 million in the Guilford community in north Baltimore and keeping their Riverside home as a rental before selling it in February 2021.[62][74] The Moores also owned a property on Park Avenue that they rented to Tabor Ethiopian Cuisine, eventually selling it to the restaurant in 2015.[74] In February 2017, the Moores purchased an 8,000-square-foot (740m2) home in Guilford for $2.35 million.[63] Together, they have two children, Mia (born 2011) and James (born 2014).[155]
"40 Under 40 Class of 2009". crainsnewyork.com. Crain’s New York Business. July 26, 2018. Archived from the original on September 28, 2022. Retrieved September 28, 2022.
CNBC profileArchived July 18, 2022, at the Wayback Machine, Robin Hood Foundation CEO Wes Moore: ‘Have faith, not fear. I feel that has guided me’, February 16, 2021
Deutch, Gabby (October 18, 2021). "Wes Moore bets on Maryland". Jewish Insider. Archived from the original on September 20, 2022. Retrieved September 18, 2022.
Moore, Wes. "Discovering Wes Moore". Penguinrandomhouse.com. Penguin Random House. Archived from the original on September 24, 2015. Retrieved August 18, 2015.
Mulcahy, Conrad (August 29, 2008). "THE CAUCUS; Denver Brigade". The New York Times. Archived from the original on September 28, 2022. Retrieved September 28, 2022.
"Q&A with Westley Moore". c-span.org. C-SPAN. August 25, 2006. Archived from the original on November 9, 2014. Retrieved July 15, 2022. You know I look at my history and I look at the fact that I am, you know, I'm a social moderate. I'm a, you know, strong fiscal conservative. I'm a military officer. I'm an investment banker and I just happen to be also a registered Democrat.
Maryland Matters Staff (June 8, 2022). "Wes Moore's 100-Day Plan". Maryland Matters. Archived from the original on July 5, 2022. Retrieved July 5, 2022.
Другой контент может иметь иную лицензию. Перед использованием материалов сайта WikiSort.org внимательно изучите правила лицензирования конкретных элементов наполнения сайта.
2019-2025 WikiSort.org - проект по пересортировке и дополнению контента Википедии