By Liz Holland

Salisbury Mayor Jake Day will soon leave his post for a new one in Annapolis as a member of Gov.-elect Wes Moore’s cabinet.

Day was appointed Secretary of Housing and Community Development, Moore announced on Tuesday.

“I’m beyond excited,” Day said. “I absolutely love the city and didn’t want to leave, but I had to say yes.”

The governor-elect also named nine others to cabinet posts on Tuesday, and 11 more last week.

“With each announcement, we continue to build a Cabinet that reflects the state we are humbled to serve,” Moore said. “These leaders bring with them great knowledge and deep expertise. This is going to be Maryland’s decade, and our team will lead with service in their hearts.” 

Within four weeks of Day’s departure, the City Council must appoint an acting mayor to serve out the remainder of Day’s term, according to the city charter. The next city election will in about 10 months on Tuesday, Nov. 7.

While Day's appointment will face state Senate confirmation, there is no indication his nomination will prove controversial.

Day’s new job leading the state’s Department of Housing and Community Development appears to be one for which he is well-suited. In 2021, he launched the city’s Here Is Home initiative aimed at increasing the city’s housing stock, as well as affordability, as the city faced a housing deficit. The program – which waives city fees normally charged to developers -- resulted in applications for 8,094 units of single-family houses, townhouses, duplexes, apartments and assisted living.

Additionally, he has spearheaded efforts to redevelop numerous city-owned parking lots in the Downtown area with apartments, as well as retail, office and restaurant spaces. One large property next to the state office building is slated for a new hotel and conference center.

Day also was responsible for creating a village for the city’s homeless population made up of 25 tiny homes placed on city land on Anne Street.

Since his election in 2015, his ambitious agenda has included creating community centers on Truitt and Newton streets, rebuilding the Riverwalk and adding an amphitheater, making improvements to long-neglected Fitzwater Street and overseeing the completion of the Main Street revitalization plan.

Day also was successful in attracting the National Folk Festival to Salisbury.

A Salisbury native, Day has a Master of Science in Nature, Society & Environmental Policy from Oxford University, a Master of Urban Design from Carnegie Mellon University and a Bachelor of Science in Architecture from the University of Maryland.

Before becoming mayor, he worked for the Eastern Shore Land Conservancy where he served as the director of the Center for Towns, utilizing design, planning, and implementation assistance to establish vibrant, sustainable small cities and towns.

He served as national President of the American Institute of Architecture Students and Editor-in-Chief of CRIT, a journal of architecture.

He also serves as a major and information officer in the Army. Last year, he took part in a month-long military operation in Estonia and Latvia to support NATO partners in the region.

In 2020, he also was sent overseas with his Maryland National Guard unit, the 110th Information Operations Battalion, for a year-long deployment. He returned to Salisbury in May 2021.

Day enlisted in the Army in 2009 before his 2015 election to mayor. Prior to becoming mayor, he was a member of the Salisbury City Council.

 This story will be updated.