Biographical Information
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Background: What in your background and experience qualifies you to be the President of the Baltimore City Council?
I am a former educator who taught in high-poverty schools in Baltimore City, trained youth in community organizing, and developed a firsthand understanding of the challenges faced by our children. As a councilmember, I have passed legislation to improve transparency in lobbying, increase fines for illegal dumping, establish an independent office to support our seniors, and mandate trauma-informed care training for City agencies. My office has resolved 4,744 constituent service cases to date.
Crime: What specific plans would you propose to reduce homicides, violent crime, theft and vandalism in Baltimore?
Public safety is the most important issue facing our City. We must hold repeat violent offenders accountable while also addressing the root causes of crime, including poverty and mental health. State’s Attorney Ivan Bates has endorsed my campaign, and we will pursue such an approach in partnership. I will lead the council in prioritizing community policing, and in building career pathways for our youth, funding mental health programs, and teaching nonviolent conflict resolution in schools.
Education: How would you fund public education in Baltimore, while assuring the quality and ongoing structural maintenance of school buildings?
As a former educator who taught in schools that looked like jails, and as a dad who sends my kids to public schools, investing in education is central to my campaign. As a councilmember, I secured four new school buildings in southeast Baltimore and I will continue to push until every school is modernized. I support the Blueprint and will prioritize our local contribution to school funding. Finally, I will lead the City Council in funding universal pre-K in Baltimore for 3- and 4-year-olds.
Health: What strategies do you have to address continued health disparities in Baltimore? What will you do to make sure that the Health Department has the resources it needs to serve all residents?
Baltimore has some of the best medical institutions in the world, and yet some of the greatest health disparities. We tragically lost over 1,000 residents to overdose in the last year alone. As a councilmember, I introduced the country’s first trauma-informed care law and will continue to prioritize its implementation. I will expand our successful peer navigators program to every library in the city and empower Baltimoreans with firsthand experience with addiction to support their neighbors.
Climate and Environment As we face climate change and sea level rise, what would be your priorities to increase sustainable practices by the city and to increase the city’s resilience?
I will hold DPW accountable to establish a curbside composting pilot during my first term in office – waste diversion is better for our climate and air. As a teacher in Curtis Bay, I saw firsthand the impact of the trash incinerator on our children’s health and learning. I will continue to advocate vocally against BGE’s unnecessary gas infrastructure expansion, which also raises utility rates. And I will continue to champion active transportation and transit, including the Red Line.
Housing: What strategies do you propose to remove or rehabilitate vacant buildings and provide affordable housing through the new inclusionary housing bill and other means?
Housing is a human right. I was proud to support the recently passed inclusionary housing bill and will lead the council in ensuring its successful implementation. I support the establishment of a land bank, which would hold vacant properties and sell them to responsible, local buyers and developers to rehabilitate and sell at affordable prices. I also support the Mayor’s plan for addressing vacant properties and would recruit more community partners to support and implement the plans.
Council Size: What are the advantages and disadvantages of reducing the size of the City Council?
Baltimore has council districts with smaller populations than other east coast cities including Philadelphia, Washington DC, and New York. I would be comfortable with slightly larger districts if we change city councilmember positions from part-time to full-time, increase the number of council staff, and increase staff salaries to recruit and retain qualified staff to support our constituents. I disagree with the timeline of the proposed charter amendment to reduce the size of the council.