William Donald Schaefer, the colorfully outspoken and combative Maryland governor and four-term Baltimore mayor who oversaw the transformation of downtown from a gritty center of urban decay into a tourist attraction, died Monday. He was 89. Schaefer died at his home at the Charlestown retirement community outside Baltimore, former aide Lainy LeBow-Sachs said.
Schaefer was mayor from 1971 to 1986 and battled to fill potholes as mayor and never missed an opportunity to tout his hometown, even jumping in a seal pool while wearing a turn-of-the century bathing suit and holding a rubber ducky to promote a new aquarium.
The Democrat was a Maryland political icon who held statewide office into his 80s. But his brashness and unpredictability made for a tumultuous two terms as governor, starting in 1987. Fellow politicians and citizens who did not agree with him felt his wrath. He tracked down a woman who made a rude gesture to him and wrote her, “Your action only exceeds the ugliness of your face.”
Schaefer disliked being called a “bricks-and-mortar” politician. But he built his reputation as a man who got things done with projects such Baltimore’s Inner Harbor and a new stadium for the Baltimore Orioles baseball team.
“He wanted to create jobs and he wanted to create opportunity for all the people of Maryland,” said Sen. Barbara Mikulski, D-Md. “He was about building schools, keeping the libraries open and creating jobs. And he wasn’t going to let anything get in his way.”
Associated Press
