When the Man from Plains Met the Bard of Baltimore

February 26, 2023 Michael Olesker

Former President Jimmy Carter (left) is shown here in 1984 with former Vice President Walter Mondale. (Wikipedia)

As former President Jimmy Carter in his home hospice prepares for ascension into heaven, he can entertain all the angels up there with tales of a long-ago afternoon in Baltimore.

The day became legendary not only because President Carter got to meet one Dominic “Mimi” DiPietro, but such a meeting led, inevitably, to a memorable rendezvous on the White House lawn with Carter, Mimi and Pope John Paul II.

Mimi, of course, was the immortal city councilman out of Southeast Baltimore who was known for his neighborhood concerns, such as cleaning trash off the streets and helping people find jobs.

Also, he was known for fracturing the English language. He said coffee was made in urinals; he meant urns. He thought he sang in the church quarry; he meant choir. When he gave a speech one time, he said he was pleased to get a “standing evasion.”

Then came the day when President Carter and his wife, Rosalynn, came to Baltimore. They had lunch at Chiapparelli’s in Little Italy accompanied by some prominent Baltimore Democrats, including Mayor William Donald Schaefer, Sen. Paul Sarbanes and Mimi.

Naturally, the city councilman wished to show the First Lady of the land what a sophisticated gent he was. Thus, greeting her, he told Mrs. Carter, “I’d kiss you on the mouth, but I don’t know who you been with.”

Over lunch, they sat Mimi next to President Carter. And how did the councilman occupy the precious time of the leader of the free world?

“Mr. President,” Mimi told him repeatedly, “you gotta do something about them potholes in East Baltimore.”

This went on long enough that the memory of Mimi stayed in Carter’s mind. A few years later, the president invited to the White House Pope John Paul II and hundreds of prominent government and cultural leaders from across the country, including Mayor Schaefer and Councilman DiPietro.

There they were, the big crowd gathered on the South Lawn, and here came Carter and the pope – and then, strictly adlibbing the move, came Mimi. He grabbed Carter by the back of his belt.

“Hey, Mr. President, remember me?” Mimi said. Carter turned quickly, recognizing Mimi in a heartbeat.

“Councilman DiPietro,” he said. Then, turning to introduce Mimi to the pope, Carter said, “I want you to meet …”

“Yeah,” said Mimi, not meaning any disrespect to the spiritual leader of the Catholic Church, “I know you, Mister Pope. But I don’t need your help.”

Then, looking directly at Carter, he declared, “Three years ago, you come to Baltimore. You told me you was gonna do something about them potholes in Highlandtown and I’m still waiting, Mr. President, I’m still waiting.”

Now, say what you will, that’s my idea of a great city council member.

I first learned about this glorious moment on the White House lawn when I was living in London. The British foreign correspondents had a grand time reporting it. The sober-faced Guardian newspaper played it especially big.

When I came back to Baltimore some months later, I asked Mayor Schaefer about it, since he’d been there for both Carter-Mimi meetings. Schaefer confirmed everything.

Then, one night at the old Bud’s Crabhouse, I checked it out with Mimi — about confronting Carter and about sloughing off the pope.

“Listen,” he said, “I coulda got the pope. I was gonna kiss his ring. But there was this handicapped lady kissin’ it. How could I push her out of the way? I mean, I got my health, and she ain’t.”

Mimi DiPietro had a good heart, and a gift for speaking his mind. Jimmy Carter, 98 years old, had a good heart and a remarkable life. But when he gets to his next stop, he’d better have some answers about all them potholes down in Mimi DiPietro’s old neighborhood.

Michael Olesker’s latest book, “Boogie: Life on A Merry-Go-Round,” was recently published by Apprentice House. It’s the life story of Baltimore legend Leonard “Boogie” Weinglass, an original “Diner” guy who grew up to create the Merry-Go-Round clothing chain and contribute millions to charity.