Posted on 04/18/24
| News Source: FOX45
Baltimore, MD - Apr. 18, 2024 - With about one month until the Primary Election, the four top-polling Democratic candidates for mayor in Baltimore City squared off during a forum Wednesday held on the campus of Morgan State University.
The forum was hosted by WBAL-TV in partnership with WBAL NewsRadio, and Maryland Public Television. Incumbent Mayor Brandon Scott, former Mayor Sheila Dixon, Thiru Vignarajah, and Bob Wallace participated.
According to a recent FOX45 News/The Baltimore Sun/University of Baltimore poll shows Scott and Dixon remain in a tight race, with 38% of likely primary voters indicating they will support Scott and 35% said they plan to support Dixon. According to the poll, Vignarajah has 10% of the vote and Wallace trails with 4% of the vote. The poll was conducted April 7-10 and has a margin of error of 4.3%.
During the event, which was recorded mid-day Wednesday and later broadcast in the evening, the candidates largely stuck to their talking points and campaign platforms as questions about juvenile crime, officer retention, education, and investments in the city were asked.
“Maybe some young people are not squeegeeing, but they are stealing cars versus squeegeeing in some cases,” Dixon said when asked about juvenile crime. “We can talk about statistics, but if we don’t get to the root of what’s happening in our community, we will be losing more residents to Baltimore County and other surrounding counties.”
Vignarajah, who previously unsuccessfully ran for mayor and state’s attorney, said young offenders aren’t facing accountability, which is leading to “a life of crime because we are not teaching them that there have to be consequences for their conduct.”
“Today, car jackers, robbers, auto thefts, committed by children and youthful offenders are being treated like they are stealing bubblegum from the cafeteria,” he said.
Vignarajah also said that he would tackle some of the juvenile crime concerns by addressing what he said is chronic absenteeism in Baltimore City schools.
Wallace said he would implement a mentality that his father taught him growing up in Cherry Hill: “If they are old enough to commit the crime, they are old enough to do the time.”
Wallace added that he understands crime and poverty often are correlated but doesn’t believe it’s an excuse to break the law.
“We cannot have a city that allows this lawlessness to continue and to hurt our citizens,” Wallace said. “Being poor and being in poverty, does not give you the right to hurt somebody or take somebody’s life.”
Meanwhile, Mayor Scott touted his multi-year crime prevention strategy that includes the Group Violence Reduction Strategy; a localized effort to interrupt organized crime that was piloted in the Western Police District and is now expanding to others.
“We know that when I presented this comprehensive plan, it was the first time in history when we did it in 2021,” Mayor Scott said. “We know that our partners in the state in DJS is modeling one of their programs for chronic youth offenders after my Group Violence Reduction Strategy. We’re going to support them in the Thrive Program.”
The development plan at the Inner Harbor was a point of difference between the candidates, with Wallace and Vignarajah saying clearly they do not support the plan. Mayor Scott was criticized for what his opponents called a “backroom deal,” as the plan was crafted with private developer David Bramble.
“This is a terrible proposal that was done in a backroom deal in order to maximize the profits of a developer,” Vignarajah said. “It is shameful.”
Vignarajah went on to say he would issue an executive order if elected to block luxury apartments in public parks, like the Inner Harbor or Druid Hill Park.
Wallace said he met with Bramble and continues to have concerns about utilizing public funding for the development plan.
“What we cannot do in this city is keep investing citizen dollars in projects that don’t benefit neighborhoods, that don’t create jobs for people in the city,” Wallace said. “For too long we have been investing in shiny buildings, but the people have not benefited. That has to stop. For that reason, I would say no, I don’t support the project.”
Dixon said she knows voters will make the ultimate decision but remains concerned about where the funding will come from for the infrastructure changes included in the designs.
“I respect that Mr. Bramble has purchased the building. My challenge is that there needs to be a balance. I do not want to see 900 apartments. I want to see a balance that we can attract residents as well as visitors to Baltimore,” Dixon said.
Mayor Scott pushed back and said it wasn’t a backroom or side deal. He said he worked hard to make sure the proposal landed in the hands of a Baltimorean, and said funding from the city was necessary.
“The promenade has to be fixed regardless because climate change is real and we have to invest city dollars to do that because it’s our responsibility,” Mayor Scott said. “We cannot have our face to the world sit there deteriorating on itself and have it be a place where you cannot walk.”
Another development question – this time about tax increment financing, or TIF. Candidates were asked to name specific projects that they believed were successful or a project that did not work.
Vignarajah and Wallace said there have not been any examples of successful projects utilizing this type of tax incentive.
Mayor Scott pointed directly to Harbor Point as an example of a TIF that supported Baltimore City residents. Utilizing the opportunity, Scott also touted his plan to establish TIF zones in residential neighborhoods that he said will help boost vacant homes and other property redevelopment.
While projects in Edmondson Village and Uplands were examples of a successful TIF, according to Dixon, the Mondawmin area is something she said was not successful.
“That was a TIF and PILOT [payment in lieu of taxes] that failed because no one understood management,” Dixon said.
The candidates were also asked about education and affordable housing.
However, when it comes to public safety, there were several topics not brought up. For example, one of the big debates in Baltimore centers around City State’s Attorney Ivan Bates’ citation docket – something he rolled out after assuming office to curb what he describes as quality of life crimes.
Bates and Scott have gone back and forth publicly for days now, arguing over the implementation of the citation docket. While endorsing Dixon, Bates said he doesn’t feel like he has a partner in City Hall and accused Mayor Scott of directing BPD Commissioner Richard Worley not to implement the program. Commissioner Worley said that is not correct.
When asked if he supports the citation docket, the Mayor’s Office issued FOX45 News a statement that noted Mayor Scott stood with Bates when he announced the citation docket and said he supports the docket as one of BPD’s tools.
“However, the Mayor does not believe that success or failure can be judged simply by the number of citations written. Both MONSE and BPD continue to be important partners in this effort, just as they have been since the very beginning of this initiative,” the statement continued.
The Mayor’s Office of Neighborhood Safety and Engagement, MONSE, is also a key part to Mayor Scott’s crime strategy. The agency, MONSE, also oversees several aspects of the community violence intervention ecosystem, which includes the Group Violence Reduction Strategy and the Safe Streets program. For years FOX45 News has been investigating the Safe Streets program, focusing on effectiveness of the program and transparency. Currently, some of Baltimore City’s federal ARPA money is used to help fund some of the initiatives within MONSE, including the expansion of the office.
The Mayor’s Office’s statement about long-term funding for MONSE noted that the agency is funded by both general fund and ARPA dollars, as well as state, federal, and grant money.
“Both the Administration and MONSE are proactively engaging in planning to sustain the agency’s evidence-based work initially funded by ARPA and the level of service delivery Baltimoreans have come to expect,” the statement continued. “Importantly, the work of post-ARPA sustainability will begin with the Mayor’s FY25 budget, which supports staffing required to support expansion of GVRS citywide and makes funding available for 10 priority positions post-ARPA.”
Early voting begins Thursday, May 2 and runs through Thursday, May 9. Early voting centers are scheduled to be open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Election Day is May 14.