Mary Pat Clarke dies at 86, leaving behind a lasting impact on Baltimore City

BALTIMORE- Known as a fierce tenants' rights advocate and the first woman elected to serve as president of Baltimore City Council, Mary Pat Clarke died on Sunday, November 10, according to sources close to her.

City leaders say Clarke died on November 10 following a brief illness, just nine months after the death of her husband of 60 years, Joe.

On Saturday morning, family, friends, loved ones, and fellow colleagues gathered at the Cathedral of Mary our Queen to say "say you later" to the former councilwoman during her funeral service. 

Who Was Mary Pat Clarke? 

Clarke was elected to the city council in 1975 and served on and off for over 32 years. 

After an eight-year break that started in 1995, she returned in 2003 to represent Baltimore City's 14th District. 

Councilmember Odette Ramos, Clarke's successor in her Northeastern Baltimore district, sponsored legislation last year named in her honor that strengthened protections, making it easier for renters to purchase the homes they live in. 

In 2019, Clarke announced her plan to retire, stating, "I've been serving with this new council, the one with the new members. A lot of young people, and I'm just impressed with the energy, diligence, really progressive agenda, but done with care. Coming in, I felt like a den mother and they're Eagle Scouts." 

In August, Mayor Brandon Scott unveiled the Mary Pat Clarke Playground near Lake Montebello.  

Everyone Has a Mary Pat Story 

"I gave her a nickname. She was my spitball of fire," said Debra Evans a longtime Baltimore resident. 

"We have an art center in our neighborhood that would not be here without her." Eleanor Montgomery, another longtime Baltimore resident said. 

Mayor Brandon Scott shared that when he was 22 years old, during one of the first times he ran for a position on the council, Clarke encouraged him to keep going. 

"Mary Pat had a five-minute conversation with me after I didn't get that vacancy and then the next week I got a letter from her and at the end of the letter it said how quickly can you get to the Baltimore City Council," Mayor Scott shared. 

"All of our advocacy has been inspired and backed up by her," said 43rd District Senator Mary L. Washington. "There was no battle too small for her and no challenge too difficult. You could always count on her." 

"I had her home number. I had her cell number. She helped in so many ways in our neighborhood," said Evans. 

"She was the first woman to lead the council. I later understand that when I decided to run — even though I was challenging the establishment – she was really supportive," said Washington. 

"She is our forever councilwoman..."

Numerous current and former city council members who served alongside Clarke on the city council also attended Saturday's service. 

"I came to sing her into paradise," said Barbara Mikulski, a U.S. Senator, and former Baltimore City council member. "No person was too small to talk to. She always took care of the little people and the problems and then took on the big boys who were a problem."

Newly elected city council president Zeke Cohen had the chance to serve with Clarke before she retired. He shared that as a former teacher, she saw something in him. 

"No one can replace Mary Pat Clarke. She will live on in the work that we do and the work that the city does. But it truly is an honor to get to follow her in this as city council president," said Cohen. 

Cohen explained that Clarke's legacy is infused in the work this generation and the next will carry on. 

"She is our forever councilwoman," said Scott.

Thank you, Mary Pat Clarke, for being an example of the 'charm' in the Charm City.