Strengthen Our Communities

KEEP THE COMMUNITY POOLS OPEN

When temperatures rise, families look for a safe way to cool off – especially for those with inadequate air conditioning. We must keep our community pools safe and open by setting strict maintenance timelines and holding pertinent agencies accountable.

Promote PARK Programs and Make RegistrationS Easy

Baltimore City should redevelop the park and community center websites so information is clear and concise for those who wish to spend time in our public spaces. Additionally, we must make signing-up for events or recreational activities easy for everyone. When questions or concerns arise, our city’s customer service must be of the highest quality.

Champion Fitness and Elevate Social Interaction

We must strengthen public-private partnerships that organize fitness activities for all ages and genders to bring people together and elevate community health. Additionally, the creation of more gathering and social spaces, such as walk-up cafes, to bring more people together in our public parks should be explored. Also, pickleball players, I've heard you loud and clear. I'll work with Recreation and Parks to build modern, public pickleball courts right here in Southeast Baltimore.

Support Community Events and Festivals

Our unique, beautiful neighborhoods hold many events throughout the year. Our event organizers too often do not receive adequate resources from the city. In addition to providing grants or law enforcement support, the city must bring tourism agencies into the fold to draw more people to these amazing community gatherings.

Reform the Event Permitting Process

The city must make it easier for event organizers to complete the permitting process. Too often community leaders, volunteers, vendors, marketing teams, and law enforcement find themselves in a form of logistics limbo. The process must be reformed so that timelines for approvals are made and met.

Enhance Senior Citizen Outreach

The U.S. population is aging at a high rate. We must make investments now to ensure our older population is cared for and provided resources that will help them enjoy fulfilling lives. Our senior centers must be fully staffed – offering programming for their residents and/or participants that build community and elevate their physical and mental health. Additionally, I will support more funding towards grant programs that assist senior residents with receiving healthy meals, connecting them with advocates, managing their finances, and modifying their home for energy efficiency. As a council member, I will also work to deliver case management services in senior centers to ensure our community members have access to the resources they need.

Expand Farmers Markets and Access to Fresh Produce

Baltimore City should consider creating new publicly run outdoor markets to encourage community building, provide vending space for local businesses, and expand access to nutritious food. We should also explore ways to incorporate the open food cart concept – expanding upon the Arraber model– into plans to grow healthy food access in our communities, especially those in food deserts.

Promote Mental Health Resources

Baltimore should spread awareness of non-profit, federal, state, and city mental health services through robust public health campaigns. For example, the new mental health 9-8-8 helpline is an important, free opportunity for those who need immediate assistance.

CONDEMN HATE & Promote Baltimore as a Welcoming City

All Baltimoreans should feel safe, no matter their race, gender, creed, country of origin or sexual orientation. As your council member, I will fight for marginalized people whose concerns are too often neglected. We must identify policies or systemic problems that negatively impact  people of color, religious minorities, members of the LGBTQ+ community, or women and immediately address them.  As your council member, I will strive to make Baltimore a welcoming city to all people who are interested in visiting, working, worshiping, or living here.

Support Healthy Eating and Fitness Outreach Programs

According to the State of Maryland, over 40% of our fellow residents are diabetic or pre-diabetic. We can and will improve long term health outcomes for all Baltimore families if we increase awareness of and provide opportunities for healthy living. We should prioritize funding programs that do on-the-ground community outreach encouraging healthy eating and fitness. Additionally, we should support public-private programs that distribute nutritious food to those who need our support or live in food deserts.

Fill Education Vacancies

Baltimore City has historically underfunded our public school system - we’ll be turning the page when I’m on the City Council. I fully support the allocation of more operating dollars to help ensure our classrooms are fully staffed with teachers adequately compensated and appreciated with robust benefit packages. Additionally, Baltimore must find ways to attract new teachers and counselors, especially individuals our student population can relate to and identify with.

Build a Schools to Public Service Pipeline

Partnering with Baltimore City Public Schools is essential to creating a “Schools to Public Service Pipeline.” This program would focus on aligning our high school and community college curriculum to prioritize skills and trades that are in demand within City Government. Baltimore City would benefit from hiring skilled staff and addressing agency vacancies, which in turn should lead to stronger, more consistent homegrown city services. Program participants would benefit from securing employment with great benefits right in their hometown.

Modernize our Schools

As Baltimore enters into a new era of the 21st Century Schools program, we should focus on boosting continued capital investments intended to modernize our school facilities, providing the ideal learning environments for students, teachers and staff. The fact that our city has schools with inadequate, unreliable air conditioning, heating, and ventilation systems is unacceptable. In cases when open windows would more than suffice, the windows are too often jammed or inoperable. Studies have shown that unhealthy indoor air negatively impacts children’s ability to process information and increases absences due to illness.

Implement Proven Remedies

We need more corner trash cans installed and picked up in a timely manner to keep our streets clean. Areas with persistent sanitation issues require enhanced street sweeping, along with rat remediation and extermination. Our streets will be made beautiful by proactive community collaboration and educational awareness.

Crackdown on Illegal Dumping

Our city has tools and strategies to reduce illegal dumping, but we must utilize them. We must have stronger code enforcement, an empowered environmental control board, and an increase in motion cameras. Data will also assist our efforts. Years of citations and 3-1-1 complaints inform which areas have a higher propensity of illegal dumping.

EXPAND COMMUNITY BENEFIT DISTRICTS

The Waterfront Partnership is one of the better known benefit districts. It has been a strong and an inspiring success. We must work with private and public entities to expand our community benefit districts so more residents are served by local workers who provide friendly assistance while making our streets cleaner and safer.

Provide Civic Engagement Grants

The city should distribute grants or supplies to non-profit organizations, local businesses, and community groups that seek to keep our city beautiful and strengthen community relationships. Whether there’s a need for temporary dumpsters, shovels, gloves, or rakes to clean-up our city, Baltimore should provide assistance.

Develop Flood Remediation Infrastructure

Climate change is happening, and Baltimore must be ready for it. There are proven ways to reduce flooding on our streets – keeping our homes, vehicles, and pedestrians safe. Oftentimes, street flooding also worsens litter build-up and clogged drainage.