City Council: District 10

We sent our questionnaire to all filed candidates. Responses marked with a [...] indicate the candidate didn't directly answer yes or no, but may have provided a written explanation. Responses were edited for typos, but not substance.

You can find the full candidate surveys below, or scroll down to see candidate responses side by side for agree/disagree questions.


Candidates for City Council President

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Click on a candidate below to see their full narrative responses.


QUESTION COMPARISONS

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Hover or click on a candidate to see an extended response if the candidate provided one.

10. I support removing parking on a street if it would improve safety and increase mobility of people using that street.

I agree but it is contingent upon areas with nearby street traffic to accommodate people with disabilities and young families.

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Individual cases must include community input, including discussion of parking alternatives.

Yes, we should prioritize the removal of parking to ensure the safety of residents. This should be completed in tandem with the community’s input centered at the decision. Removal of parking spaces should be done in a way that does not negatively impact the neighborhood residents & business owners.

11. Minimum parking requirements are shown to increase housing costs while limiting potential density and making neighborhoods less walkable. I support following the lead of other cities that have removed minimum parking requirements from new development.

Removing the parking minimum makes me nervous even for new development. Especially in areas that are not in the where public transportation is not as easily accessible. We want to be sure that we are not creating a barrier for families who rely on a car or people with disabilities.

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Tentative. Must be sufficient protection for existing residents, such as excluding the developments’ residents from neighborhood parking plan, and reasonableness of new residents not having cars.

Yes, I would support relaxing and/or removing parking requirements. Land use would be concentrated on creating a more walkable and green city rather than devoted to parking lots that are subsidized by residents.

12. Some cities require employers that subsidize parking also offer an option for employees to receive that subsidy as a cash payment. I support a mandate that employers offer parking cash- out so that employees can choose to pocket that money, use it for alternative transportation, or continue using that cash to pay for parking.

I support the mandate too. I believe it is time to go beyond reimbursing employees for parking in garages. Incentives could and should be provided for those who can walk, cycle or use mass transit for work.

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I thought about this while working at the State Office Building and would likely have taken advantage of such a program during the years when I had “free” parking lot access but often bicycled. Might be better to charge a fee to those that have parking privileges, so that fee can be pegged to a percentage of the employees salary.

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13. Increasing density in areas of opportunity is proven to help individuals escape poverty. I support taller, denser, or larger buildings in areas they are now prohibited by zoning.

This may be true but in lower income neighborhoods in cities, this translates as gentrification and ultimately, displacement.

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My vision for MLK Boulevard ideally involves compression of the road, providing developable lots on the west side that could become tax paying properties to help pay for the change. My One State, One Rate! Property tax proposal, if adopted, will greatly assist increased density in Baltimore City by ending Maryland’s subsidization of rich counties by poorer jurisdictions. The proposal is available on my website.

I am open to larger denser buildings where it makes sense. Overall input should center on the understanding that there are ways to address most of the valid concerns that community/preservation groups may have while increasing density and would seek comment from historic preservation and community groups in Baltimore CIty should a change in zoning code be proposed.

14. Transit oriented development can expand access to areas of opportunity by locating housing and retail along high frequency transit. Current zoning code only identifies these zones along subway and light rail routes. I support expanded Transit Oriented Development zoning to include areas within a quarter mile of high-frequency bus routes.

I agree with the expansion and my neighbors and I are currently working on this with DOT and Neighborhood Design Center. My agreement is contingent upon ensuring that the inclusionary housing minimum is enforced. If not careful, existing residents could be displaced.

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15. It is now widely accepted that Single Family Residential Zoning was historically created to maintain racial segregation. I support removing Single Family Residential Zoning categories, allowing both single family and multi family residences to be built in all residential zoning areas.

I believe this would keep immigrant families, blended families together and could lead to reducing the amount of vacant housing we have. My biggest concern is ensuring safety of each resident in the event of a catastrophic event such as a fire or inclement weather.

Willing to consider. I do not want homeowners in the communities of District 10 to be squeezed out by speculators.

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16. I support allowing existing residences to be split into apartments in all zoning categories without having to pass legislation for each conversion, increasing density in neighborhoods that were traditionally single family homes.

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Not certain. I understand increased density may assist automobile alternatives, but I am concerned about the effects on our communities. Rowhouses are a core strength of Baltimore, particularly those built as pre-automobile infrastructure.

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17. At 20mph, 90% of pedestrians survive being hit by a car. At 40mph, only 10% survive. I support enforcing a maximum speed limit of 25 mph on arterial streets, and 20 mph on local streets.

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Interested, but cannot commit without further study.

18. Allowing turns on red is a contributing factor in increased pedestrian injury and death. I support banning turns on red at all intersections that allow pedestrian crossing.

Many drivers block pedestrian crossings which leaves people having to walk around or wait. With this revised law, it should force cars to stop at prior to the crosswalk because we will not be able to turn on red.

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At least in principle.

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19. Automated Speed and Red Light Enforcement Cameras are widely proven to reduce fatal collisions. I support using these cameras on any street, not just near schools and construction sites.

I fully agree with this because one fatality is too many regardless if it occurs near a school or construction site. Some of the past few notable cyclists killed by cars in Baltimore did not necessarily happen near either site.

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20. The Automated Speed Enforcement Camera current threshold is 12 miles per hour. I support cameras being able to issue citations for those traveling 5 miles per hour or more over the speed limit.

Yes. I agree that the threshold is way too lenient.

I'd like to learn more about this topic to make the best decision possible.

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21. I would invest in automated enforcement cameras that will issue citations to private automobiles for being stopped or parked in bus lanes.

Yes. Although I don't believe enough education has been done to make drivers in private automobiles understand bus and bike lanes, too often I see people parked in an obvious bus lane painted in red refuse to move.

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Also for bike lanes

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22. Dedicated bus lanes and bus boarding islands are proven to dramatically improve bus reliability and boarding times. I support removing parking or travel lanes to create bus lanes and boarding islands to improve bus performance.

Yes. Especially on abnormally wide streets on our main thoroughfares and newly constructed streets.

I would support this idea under the circumstance that our city works to with the community to hear their concerns and meet on a consensus for what is best for all the parties involved.

Provided significant community input in decision.

However, I would like to have a conversation with the community or local businesses before removing parking spaces that could hurt a businesses’ ability to attract and retain customers.

23. The city adopted the Greenway Trails Network plan that will connect existing trails such as Gwynns Falls Trail and Herring Run Trail to create a 35-mile trail loop that connects 80% of Baltimore’s neighborhoods to greenspace and recreational trails. I support the construction of these trail connections, even if it requires using grass medians or taking road space or parking space away from private automobiles.

Not only do I agree but my organization, Harbor West Collaborative is already supporting this effort. Both Jim Brown and Avery Harmon keep us informed of the status of this project as well as invite us to meetings and other related working sessions.

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Provided significant community input in decision.

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