Mark Edelson

In 1999, Edelson's family moved from South Africa to Atlanta, Georgia,^[3] where he attended Georgia State University, where he earned degrees in philosophy and criminal justice.^[4] He moved to Baltimore in 2007 to attend the University of Maryland School of Law, earning his Juris Doctor degree in 2010. After graduating, Edelson worked for the Goldman & Goldman, P.A. law firm^[4] and became a board member of The Associated: Jewish Community Federation of Baltimore and the Baltimore Jewish Council.^[5]

In June 2015, Edelson announced that he would run for the Baltimore City Council in District 1,^[4][6] seeking to succeed outgoing city councilmember Jim Kraft.^[7] He ran on a platform that included creating "transit hubs" within the city and streamlining the city permitting process.^[1][8] Edelson came in third place in the Democratic primary with 17.3 percent of the vote.^[9]

In June 2017, Edelson was the attorney for Bikemore when the bike advocacy group filed a lawsuit against the city of Baltimore to block the demolition of protected bike lanes on Potomac Street. Circuit Court Judge Althea M. Handy halted the demolition on June 10, 2017.^[10][11] The lawsuit was dropped on June 28, 2017, after Baltimore Mayor Catherine Pugh pledged not to demolish the bike lanes.^[12]

In 2018, Edelson became the president of the Canton Community Association.^[13] While president, the group evaluated how to make the neighborhood more welcoming, including the removal of the statue of John O'Donnell,^[14][15] opposed a proposal to expand Boston Street in southeast Baltimore,^[16] and advocated for the revival of the Red Line.^[17]

In 2020, Edelson worked on the transition team for Baltimore Mayor-elect Brandon Scott, serving on its transportation and infrastructure subcommittee.^[18]

In 2022, Edelson ran for the Maryland House of Delegates in District 46, seeking to succeed outgoing state delegate Brooke Lierman.^[19] During the primary, he received endorsements from councilmember Zeke Cohen, former state delegate Carolyn J. Krysiak, and former councilmembers Jim Kraft, Ed Reisinger, and Rikki Spector.^[20] Edelson won the Democratic primary on July 19, 2022, coming in third place behind incumbents Robbyn Lewis and Luke Clippinger with 19.0 percent of the vote.^[21]

Edelson was sworn into the Maryland House of Delegates on January 11, 2023.^[2] He is a member of the House Appropriations Committee.^[22]

Edelson lives in the Canton neighborhood of Baltimore.^[6] He is Jewish.^[4]