Greetings!
The last decade has been challenging for the City of Baltimore. The 2020 citywide elections provide an excellent opportunity for the City to turn the corner with bold leadership. The Greater Baltimore Committee (GBC) encourages all businesses and residents in the City of Baltimore to engage in this transformative election and to take the time to get to know the candidates.
While the GBC does not endorse candidates, we take seriously our role in communicating policy priorities and educating Baltimore residents and businesses on where the leading candidates stand on key issues. Earlier this year, the GBC sent questionnaires to the candidates for Mayor and City Council President.
The role of the President of the Baltimore City Council is crucial. In addition to being one of the five voting members of the Board of Estimates, the City Council President serves as its President. The Board formulates and executes the fiscal policy of the City. It is responsible for awarding contracts and supervising all purchasing by the City. As the citywide elected leader of the City Council, the next Council President will preside over a newly elected council with at least five new members and only two members with more than four years of experience. It is vital that the Mayor and City Council President have strong collaboration to ensure success for Baltimore City.
In this weekly series, we are sharing candidate positions with you "in their words." Each week leading up to the primary election we will provide you with the candidate responses to a specific policy priority.
Earlier this week, the "In Their Words..." series began with the GBC highlighting the leading mayoral candidate responses to one of the GBC's policy priorities. Today, we highlight the responses of the leading City Council candidates. We encourage you to visit our website to view the GBC's
policy priorities
and the responses to the
candidate questionnaires
. Watch for the next installment of the series in your inbox on Wednesday, April 8, highlighting the leading mayoral candidates.
The GBC urges all city residents to vote in the June 2 primary election.
As always, if you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact me.
Sincerely,
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Donald C. Fry
President & CEO
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Policy Priority
Exert solid, steady leadership to stabilize Baltimore City government and create a culture of integrity, transparency, and efficiency.
Question: Baltimore City is at a crossroads and in need of strong, ethical leadership. Why are you the best candidate to lead the City into a new decade and chapter?
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"Our city needs competent, committed, and experienced leadership, now more than ever. It is critical for the next President of the Baltimore City Council to understand the inner-workings of local and state government budgeting, appropriations, and operations, as well as, having established statewide relationships to promote Baltimore's opportunities and challenges for continued state support. I have experienced tremendous amount of legislative success not only as a member of the Baltimore City Council but also as a member of the Maryland House of Delegates. My public service experience overlapped with my professional experiences as a electrical engineer sets me far apart from my opponents."
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"Prior to being elected to the City Council in 2016, I served in Baltimore City Government for almost 20 years. I served in a variety of capacities, with leadership responsibilities over activities critical to the goals and aspirations of the city. At each juncture I have always had a reputation for my integrity and commitment to my assignment, the city and the community to whom I was accountable. I serve as an Assistant Pastor at my local church. A responsibility that I do not take lightly. I answer to an authority much higher than an Ethics Board or a Charter Amendment. My faith and my relationship with God is an important part of who I am and I have no intention on exchanging that for anyone or anything. I’ve spent my entire professional career serving my community. I am honored and humbled to be in a position to do that and take that duty and the trust of the community seriously."
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"I have always been honest, open, and transparent, which is why I have such a great working relationship with the majority of members on City Council. Furthermore, I have always had an open door for anyone who has a concern regarding the city, and for those who may disagree with on policy, I am upfront and I am always willing to have conversations to hear both sides. I also believe that I should not be in this position for life. I believe in term limits, and will not spend the rest of my life in this position, as accumulating power is not my goal. Providing stability for Baltimore City and then turning over the reins to the next generation is what I want my legacy to be."
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"I am the only attorney in the race, the only candidate who has been on the operations side of city government, and I am the only candidate who has committed to a reform platform that identifies why City Hall is failing, and what to do about it. I have consistently called for strong, ethical leadership, and have actually spoke up about it – putting my money where my mouth is. I bring change and bold ideas in a race full of more of the same. I am also the candidate looking to build a workable coalition that can actually govern the city over the next, critical four years. It won't be enough for someone to squeak out a win with just the business community's support, or just union support, or just on the grounds of unearned name recognition. We need a galvanizing vision that puts people in coalition and creates a framework for working together and compromising where we have to. The crisis our city is in demands this. In addition, I have so far been alone in taking clear positions on the variety of City Charter reforms now under consideration by the City Council. (Your questionnaire will force us all to take positions on some of these matters.) I have made clear that I want to retain an accountable mayor who is the city's chief executive – an essential component of our system, which is now at risk. It is critical that the next Council President drive the conversation on the structure of this government. I will seek to do that during this campaign, as I have before it -- through my writing, public outreach, and direct outreach to members of the City Council, while many others remained on the sidelines."
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"I have stood in many instances alone or with a couple of other councilmembers over the last decade to demand audits of the Baltimore city government when no one else would do so. I have scrutinized the tax breaks, grants and TIF bills and fairly reported to my colleagues and the city at large the ins and outs of same. Others running have voted blindly with the Mayor or with special interests. I have voted independently time and again. I "opened" the books on financial inconsistencies and poor management of water bills and property tax inefficient practices. After much relationship building and citing of evidence based information, most current members and even city wide candidates now agree that I am and was correct in my earlier efforts."
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