Politics

Baltimore City Council President Nick Mosby publicly apologized Wednesday for the chaotic scene that unfolded Tuesday night in City Hall involving a housing lobbyist who he held a joint news conference with, allowed to speak in Council chambers and had promoted to his fellow council members. Sitting alongside Mayor Brandon Scott and his fellow Board of Estimates members Wednesday morning, Mosby said “some” of the night’s actions were “completely disrespectful to the institution of the City Council, to this historic building and to the overwhelming amount of citizens who were here to participate and be civically engaged.”

U.S. Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) joined a coalition of progressive lawmakers in signing a letter to the U.S. Department of Education, requesting details about a plan to give student loan borrowers a “fresh start” before collections resume in August. The letter, signed by Van Hollen, Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Sen. Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.), Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.), Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.), Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) and Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), requests that the department answer a series of questions regarding the implementation of its “fresh start” plan by May 5.

Baltimore residents tuned in virtually and turned out in person Wednesday night for the first of two 2022 Taxpayers’ Night forums. The hybrid event was relatively calm compared with public testimony heard during the previous budget cycle, but the subject of resident requests and protests remained the same: Spending for the Baltimore Police Department should not increase. Rather, 30 residents and activists urged the Board of Estimates to cut $100 million from the police department’s allocated funds and use those dollars to enhance community organizations that specialize in housing, health care, substance use treatment and other programs.

Seven candidates in Maryland’s Democratic gubernatorial primary hailed the state’s historically Black colleges and universities as a remedy for inequity during a forum at Coppin State University on Tuesday. “I just want to make sure the young graduates of Coppin are aware that they should be proud of this institution, and they should go out into the world and do things like run big companies or run for office,” said Maryland Comptroller Peter V.R. Franchot (D). “Do things that are important because the HBCUs are super important.” Seven Democratic candidates pointed to adequate funding of Maryland’s historically underfunded public colleges as a way to cure the shortage in the health care workforce and inequity in education.

It seems like simple math to housing advocates. The city of Baltimore needs more property tax revenue; the state of Maryland has millions of dollars in federal COVID relief to help homeowners pay their property taxes. The city and state both have a financial incentive to get that money to residents, advocates say, but instead they’re about to let debt collectors once again profit off longtime Baltimore homeowners. Friday is the last chance for Baltimore homeowners to pay off delinquent property taxes before being put on the city’s annual tax sale list. That’s where the city auctions off the right to collect those past-due property taxes.

Ahead of the public release of Anne Arundel County’s proposed fiscal 2023 budget later this week, County Executive Steuart Pittman says some highlights of the spending plan include holding the line on income and property tax rates and funding new positions in the public schools. Pittman, Budget Officer Chris Trumbauer and others will present the budget to the County Council on Friday. The next step is a series of budget debates and public hearings in the coming weeks. Council members Jessica Haire, an Edgewater Republican, and Amanda Fiedler, an Arnold Republican, said they wouldn’t comment on the released pieces of the budget. They are waiting to see the entire fiscal plan before they weigh in.

Baltimore State’s Attorney Marilyn Mosby on Tuesday announced new and expanded partnerships to support crime victims and witnesses. The new partnerships will provide additional to support to victims as violent crime rises in the city. According to Mosby’s office, homicides are up by 9 percent compared to last year, and non-fatal shootings are up by 25 percent compared to last year. The SAO announced a new partnership with Springboard Community Services, a Baltimore-based social services organization whose case managers will work with crime victims. The organization provide individual and family therapy to crime victims of all ages.