It’s rare to have as many elected officials in one’s immediate family as do
20-year-old Frank Melvin Conaway III and 24-year-old Lacynda Ellaquinne Conaway. Their father is state Del. Frank M. Conaway Jr. (D-40th District), their grandfather is longtime elected Clerk of the Circuit Court for Baltimore City Frank M. Conaway Sr., and their grandmother is Mary Conaway, the longtime elected Baltimore City Register of Wills. The Conaway name is a proven political brand in Baltimore, propelling these three, plus Conaway Sr.’s daughter, former City Councilwoman Belinda Conaway (who recently announced she’s running to succeed Mary Conaway as Register of Wills), to long careers as elected officials.
If either of the young Conaways harbor ambitions to continue the family’s dynasty, though, they may have dampened considerably on Dec. 27. That’s when a Baltimore County Police Department investigation into suspected pot-selling in Reisterstown blew up on the two, along with 28-year-old Laurence Evan Jones and 54-year-old Jerry Michael Foreman. The four were arrested and charged with drug-related crimes. Conaway III’s most serious charge is possession with intent to distribute marijuana, for which he faces a maximum five-year sentence and a $15,000 fine. He was released on $250,000 bail and is scheduled to appear in court on Jan. 25 for a preliminary hearing. Lacynda Conaway faces a single pot possession charge, for which she faces a maximum penalty of one year and a $1,000 fine. She was released on her own recognizance. A May 14 trial date has been set.