All is fair in love and war – but what about politics?
By Tashi McQueen, AFRO Political Writer,
Report For America corps member,
tmcqueen@afro.com
If you have lived in Baltimore for any significant amount of time you know the name “Conaway” is synonymous with Baltimore politics.
For decades members of the Conaway family served the city in a variety of roles.
Belinda Conaway, is the Register of Wills incumbent, and her brother, Delegate Frank M. Conaway Jr., represents District 40.
Xavier A. Conaway is now poised to become Clerk of Circuit Court, as he won the Democratic primary on July 19. Allegedly, he changed his legal last name from Washington to Conaway just weeks before the primary election.
Conaway is the 25-year-old grandson of the late Frank M. Conaway Sr. and the son of Belinda Conaway. He is a Conaway–but did not publicly go by the last name until his political race this year. His father, according to news reports, is Milton D. Washington.The alleged name change aligned him with his politically driven family.
Some have complained that this is a dishonest political strategy.
Conaway’s former opponent Lenora Dawson claims Conaway did not change his name legally before the primary. Her brother, Timothy Dawson, filed a complaint to the Maryland State Board of Elections.
“His grandfather, Frank M. Conaway Sr., sat in the office for quite some time. He did a great job at marketing his name, and as a result, his wife and daughter would assume that office – off the name,” said Dawson to the AFRO. “His son, Frank Conaway, has won every term without campaigning. He wasn’t present at all and won because It’s not necessary for him.”
Conaway’s name is officially placed on the Maryland State Board of Elections candidate list as “Xavier A. Conaway.”
Dawson told the AFRO she was concerned that paperwork documenting the name change prior to the race could not be found. She alleges the young political candidate “committed perjury” by writing down a name that was not legally correct.
“That’s what concerns me most,” she said.
Dawson found out about the alleged name change through a local news reporter not associated with the AFRO. She said the journalist informed her that Dawson had five days to file a complaint to the Board of Elections, which she relayed to her brother.
At a panel discussion in 2021, her opponent was referred to as “Xavier Conaway-Washington.”
In 2019, sibling Shelly Washington took to Facebook to publicly congratulate her “baby brother,” an “Xavier Washington,” on his graduation from Temple University. The profile linked to the post now goes to an account for “Xavier A. Conaway.”
A search of Conaway’s social media account on Facebook reveals that he did in fact exclusively use the moniker “Xavier Washington” on his public profile for years– dating back as far as 2016.
Members of the Conaway family did not respond to the AFRO’S repeated requests for comment.
Conaway will run unopposed on Nov. 8 without a Republican opponent. Dawson was the runner-up with 24 percent of the votes, while Conaway received 26 percent.
The current Clerk of Court is Marilyn Bentley. She has been in the position since 2016. The clerk carries out tasks alongside the judicial government of Maryland. The Clerk of the Circuit Court office has many divisions: civil, criminal, family, juvenile, etc.
The Maryland Judiciary declined to comment on this matter.
Timothy Dawson has not received any response to the complaint he filed. Dawson claims that other people filed a complaint related to the name change in addition to her brother.
“There is an absence of accountability in Baltimore, and that is why I am fighting against this name change,” said Dawson “There’s a culture of corruption – several officials of Baltimore have been convicted of crimes in the last ten years. His win continues to reinforce this behavior.”
The AFRO asked members of the Baltimore City Black Voter’s Facebook group about the name change and welcomed differing opinions. Some were shocked by the news, and others saw it as trivial compared to the overall “corruption” of Baltimore.
“Who really cares, it’s called name recognition,” said Veronica Bell, in response to the AFRO’s request for comment on the issue. “The story is not [about] changed names, the story is Baltimore’s inability to lead.”
Others thought the name change will continue a tradition that needs to stop.
“I am tired of seeing a family dynastic approach to local government who do nothing and haven’t for a long time,” said Kelli C. W. Bigelow.
Two large signs read “Conaway” on the gates of their well-known home on Liberty Heights Avenue. Dawson said she hopes, for the “citizens of Baltimore’s” sake, that Conaway is surrounded and supported in his position by people of more experience.
Help us Continue to tell OUR Story and join the AFRO family as a member – subscribers are now members! Join here!