City councilman and mayoral contender Keiffer Mitchell has hired veteran political consultant Julius Henson to join his campaign to pump up voter participation.
Jayson Williams, Mitchell?s campaign manager, said Henson has been hired in an advisory role.
“Mr. Henson is going to be helping with our get-out-the-vote efforts in the last weeks of the campaign,” Williams said.
Henson is a veteran of both city and state politics.
In 1995 he was instrumental in the victorious campaign of city comptroller Joan Pratt. In 1998 he was credited with turning out crucial city voters to give Gov. Parris Glendening a slim margin over Republican opponent Ellen Sauerbrey.
Henson also has been a source of controversy.
In the 2002 Maryland gubernatorial campaign he called candidate Robert Ehrlich a “Nazi” while working for his opponent, Kathleen Kennedy Towson. Henson was subsequently fired.
Political pundits said Henson?s tough tactics could hurt Mitchell?s mage.
“I?ve been very impressed with Mitchell thus far, and I find it completely incongruous a man like Julius Henson would hired by his campaign,” said Richard Vatz, a professor of political science at Towson University and self-professed “strong supporter” of Ehrlich.
“One of the things you want to keep is dignity and honor, and the inclusion of Julius Henson is contrary to those goals.”
