Baltimore Election: Mayor, Council President Up For Vote

BALTIMORE, MD — Voters who head to the polls in Baltimore will be asked to select their picks for president as well as congressional and local offices. They will also weigh in on 11 proposals, including seven charter amendments and four bond issues, specific to Baltimore City, and two statewide proposals.

All city residents will be asked to vote for their picks for the mayoral race as well as city council president. There are contested races in 10 councilmanic districts.

Mayor
Shannon Wright (Republican)
Brandon M. Scott (Democrat)
David Harding (Working Class Party)
Bob Wallace (Unaffiliated)
Write-in

President of the City Council
Jovani M. Patterson (Republican)
Nick Mosby (Democrat)
Write-in

Member of the City Council
District 1

Donna L Rzepka (Republican)
Zeke Cohen (Democrat)

Member of the City Council
District 2

Brendon Joyner-El (Republican)
Danielle McCray (Democrat)

Member of the City Council
District 3
David Marshall Wright (Republican)
Ryan Dorsey (Democratic)

Member of the City Council
District 4

Mark Conway (Democrat)
John Richard Perkins (Unaffiliated)

Member of the City Council
District 5

Maria Mandela Vismale (Republican)
Isaac "Yitzy" Schleifer (Democrat)

Member of the City Council
District 6

Michelle Y. Andrews (Republican)
Sharon Green Middleton (Democrat)

Member of the City Council
District 7

Christopher M. Anderson (Republican)
James Torrence (Democrat)

Member of the City Council
District 10
Michael W. Nolet (Republican)
Phylicia Porter (Democrat)

Member of the City Council
District 12

Eugene Z. Boikai (Republican)
Robert Stokes Sr. (Democrat)
Franca Muller Paz (Green)

Member of the City Council
District 14

Charles A. Long (Republican)
Odette Ramos (Democrat)

Representative in Congress
District 2
Johnny Ray Salling (Republican)
C.A. Dutch Ruppersberger (Democrat)

Representative in Congress
District 3
Charles Anthony (Republican)
John Sarbanes (Democrat)

Representative in Congress
District 7
Kimberly Klacik (Republican)
Kweisi Mfume (Democratic)

Baltimore residents will be asked to vote for or against 11 proposals:

Question A
Bond Issue
Affordable Housing Loan: Ordinance No. 20-375 to authorize the Mayor and City Council of Baltimore to borrow up to $12,000,000 to be used for the planning, developing, executing, and making operative the Affordable Housing Program of the Mayor and City Council of Baltimore, including, but not limited to, the acquisition, by purchase, lease, condemnation or any other legal means, of land or property in the City of Baltimore; the payment of any and all costs
and expenses incurred in connection with or incidental to the acquisition and management
of the land or property; the payment of any and all costs and expenses incurred for or in
connection with relocating and moving persons or other legal entities displaced by the acquisition of the land or property, and the disposition of land and property for such
purposes, such costs to include but not limited to rental payment and home purchase
assistance, housing counseling and buyer education, assistance, and activities to support the orderly and sustainable planning, preservation, rehabilitation, and development of economically diverse housing in City neighborhoods; support the Affordable Housing Trust Fund; support the elimination of unhealthful, unsanitary or unsafe conditions, lessening density, eliminating obsolete or other uses detrimental to the public welfare or otherwise removing or preventing the spread of blight or deterioration in the City of Baltimore; and for
doing all things necessary, proper or expedient in connection therewith.

Question B
Bond Issue
School Loan
Ordinance No. 20-376 to authorize the Mayor and City Council of Baltimore to borrow up to
$38,000,000 to be used for the acquisition of land or property to construct and erect new
school buildings, athletic and auxiliary facilities; and for additions and improvements
to or modernization or reconstruction of existing school buildings or facilities; and to equip all buildings to be constructed, erected, improved, modernized, or reconstructed; and for doing any and all things necessary, proper or expedient in connection therewith.

Question C

Bond Issue
Community and Economic Development Loan: Ordinance No. 0-377 to authorize the Mayor
and City Council of Baltimore to borrow up to $38,000,000 to be used for, or in connection
with, planning, developing, executing and making operative the community, commercial,
and industrial economic development programs of the Mayor and City Council of Baltimore; the development or redevelopment, including, but not limited to, the comprehensive renovation or
rehabilitation of any land or property, or any rights or interests therein herein before
mentioned, in the City of Baltimore, and the disposition of land and property for such
purposes; the elimination of unhealthful, unsanitary, or unsafe conditions, lessening
density, eliminating obsolete or other uses detrimental to the public welfare or otherwise
removing or preventing the spread of blight or deterioration in the City of Baltimore; the
creation of healthy, sanitary, and safe, and green conditions in the City of Baltimore; and
authorizing loans and grants therefore; making loans and grants to various projects
and programs related to growing businesses in the City; attracting and retaining jobs;
providing homeownership incentives and home repair assistance; authorizing loans and grants to various projects and programs related to improving cultural life and promotion of tourism in Baltimore City and the lending or granting of funds to any person or other legal entity to be used for or in connection with the rehabilitation, renovation, redevelopment, improvement or construction of buildings and structures to be used or occupied for residential or commercial
purposes; and for doing any and all things necessary, proper or expedient in connection therewith.

Question D
Bond Issue
Public Infrastructure: Ordinance No. 20-378 to authorize the Mayor and City Council of Baltimore to borrow up to $72,000,000 to be used for the development of public infrastructure owned or controlled by the Mayor and City Council of Baltimore and the Enoch Pratt Free Library acquisition and development of property buildings owned and controlled by the Mayor and City Council of Baltimore, the Enoch Pratt Library and public park or recreation land, property, buildings, structures or facilities; for the construction, erection, renovation, alteration, reconstruction, installation, improvement and repair of existing or new buildings, structures, or facilities to be or now being used by or in connection with the operations, function and activities of the Mayor and City Council of Baltimore, the Enoch Pratt Free Library,
public parks and recreational programs; for the construction and development of streets,
bridges, courthouses, city office buildings, police stations, fire stations, solid waste
facilities, information technology, and public park and recreational and related land property and buildings; for the acquisition and installation of trees, for tree planting programs and for the equipping of any and all existing and new buildings, structures, and facilities authorized to be constructed, renovated, altered or improved by this Ordinance; and for doing any and all things necessary, proper or expedient in connection therewith.

Question E
Charter Amendment
Charter Revision Commission
Resolution No. 20-18 would require that a Charter Revision Commission be appointed at least once every 10 years to review and make recommendations for necessary deletions, additions or revisions to the City Charter. The resolution also provides for the terms of the members, the manner of appointment, the duties of the Commission and for the dissolution of the Commission after the completion of its duties.

Question F
Charter Amendment
Ordinance of Estimates
Resolution No. 20-25 is for the purpose of amending the City Charter in order to authorize the City Council, by majority vote, to increase amounts of spending within the general fund or add new amounts for new purposes, so long as the amounts are not fixed by state or federal law and as long as the amounts added do not exceed the amount the City Council has reduced the proposed ordinance of estimates. New spending items added by City Council must be authorized by separate legislation. After the City Council's reductions and additions are made, the amount of the operating budget and the capital budget cannot exceed the amounts proposed in the proposed Ordinance of Estimates.

Question G
Charter Amendment
Vetoes: Resolution No. 20-20 would for the purpose of reducing the number of votes by City Council members that are needed to override a mayoral veto from three-fourths of the
members of the City Council to two-thirds of those members. It would also eliminate the separate veto process for items of appropriation and instead require the mayor to veto an entire appropriation bill, not exercise a line item to veto some, but not all, items appropriation in that bill.

Question H
Charter Amendment
Veto Timing
Resolution No. 20-21: This resolution amends the City Charter for the purpose of increasing the amount of time in which the City Council can consider overriding a mayoral veto of legislation adopted by the City Council. The City Charter currently allows the City Council to override a mayoral veto no earlier than 5 days, but no more than 20 days, from the date a Mayor's veto is read to the City Council. The amendment would add that if no meeting of the City Council is scheduled during that period, the City Council may override a veto at the next regular meeting of the City Council following the 20-day period. The amendment also provides that a veto cannot be overridden by a City Council that has been newly elected and sworn into office since the passage of the vetoed legislation.

Question I
Charter Amendment
Removal of Elected Officials: Resolution No. 20-24 amends the City Charter to provide for the removal from office of certain City elected officials. The bill provides that by a three-fourths vote the City Council may remove a council member, the Council President, the Mayor or the
Comptroller for incompetency, misconduct in office, willful neglect of duty or felony or
misdemeanor in office on charges brought by the Mayor, the City Council Committee on
Legislative Investigations or by the Inspector General. Notice and an opportunity to be
heard before the City Council are required.

Question J
Charter Amendment
City Auditor: Resolution No. 20-22 requires the City Auditor to give copies of agency audits to the agencies that were audited. It would also allow the City Auditor, in the furtherance of his
or her duties, to issue subpoenas "to any municipal officer, municipal employee, or any
other person receiving City funds" to produce documents.

Question K
Charter Amendment
City Administrator: Resolution No. 20-26 would establish the position of City Administrator as the Chief Administrative Officer of Baltimore City. The law would provide for how the City Administrator is appointed and removed and would establish the powers and duties of the City Administrator. The City Administrator would be required to appoint a Deputy City Administrator and certain other staff.

See Also:

• Baltimore Ballot Explainer: Voters Could Reshape City Government
• Where Ballot Drop Boxes Are In Baltimore: Full List Of Locations
• Tell Patch If You See Election Shenanigans In Baltimore