City Council: District 12

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.

These candidates are not running in the general election in November 2020; you can click to see their full individual 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 will push for the city to do everything it can to have streets that are more accessible for pedestrians, bikers, and other users alike. If this means removing parking then I am in full support. We must do everything we can to maintain the safety of all those who share the road. Also, less parking creates another incentive for more of us to take advantage of public transportation, walking, and biking.

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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.

Minimum parking requirements typically come at a large cost financially to residents. Prices are high particularly because of the lack of space created by the demand for off-street parking on new buildings, a bind that serves nothing in return to community members. I support implementing Councilperson Ryan Dorsey’s bill to amend the Baltimore City Zoning Code to replace parking minimums with parking maximums. This will reduce car congestion and the existence of large parking lots that are detrimental to the environment.

New construction should also encourage biking through the placement of bike racks and advertisement for bike, scooter, and bus use (within CDC guidelines for COVID safety). Changing mindsets for a more eco-friendly city requires difference in infrastructure and education, removing minimum parking requirements would help us to start conversations around why we need to make more room for density and road sharing.

Again, there is a huge public information campaign that needs to occur. In order to be successful, we must recognize the fact that habits and perceptions need to change.

 

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.

Giving employees the option to use this money for other forms of transportation would facilitate the efforts of those pushing for more environmentally friendly transportation such as biking, car pooling, or public transportation. I will push for cash out options to be a required option on behalf of employers who subsidize transportation costs.

I will also push for institutions like Johns Hopkins to redirect the money they spend on private busing infrastructure to free MTA passes for their students and staff. This will both reinvest funds into our public transit and help pay for BCPSS student bus passes to be extended to a 24/7 pass.

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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.

When we increase density, we increase our communities’ economic productivity, lower infrastructure costs, and provide the kind of high spirited community centered areas that Baltimore is known for having.

Affordable taller, denser, and larger buildings that offer multi-family residences increase the efficiency of our transportation system and create opportunities for more people to participate in and benefit from green roofs, shared energy generation, and rooftop catchment systems. All of these become options for low income families who otherwise might not have the means. These forms of ecologically sound living are done more effectively at the community level and shared living provides a space for many to participate.

Furthermore, when discussing denser housing, I will also work for as much housing as possible to be truly affordable for everyone, including through the expansion of public housing, community land trusts, and education and easing restrictions on how Section 8 vouchers can be used to pay mortgages.

I agree, only with community input, education and following best practices.

 

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.

Yes, Transit Oriented Development must include high-frequency bus routes. While it is crucial that we advocate to bring back the Red Line, as rail is a significant driver of development, anchoring development around bus routes can build important infrastructure that fosters the wealth-growth and resources for areas of opportunity that are best connected to the rest of the city via bus routes. Building densely around transit stops, however, must not mean building exclusively market-rate housing; the housing units developed to maximize our transit infrastructure must be truly affordable for all.

Transit oriented development is good for communities and the economy.

 

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.

It is important that our infrastructure reflect the diversity of our city and in turn the needs of that diverse community. This means creating space so that there is affordable housing near jobs, parks, grocery stores and markets, and equitable schools. Allowing multi-family residences in presently Single Family-only areas will give more marginalized people the opportunity to move into areas with greater resources and social capital.

The City must develop a more equitable approaches to single and multi family zoning, as well as addressing bad property owners. I am cautious about making broad zoning changes without considering all possible outcomes.

 

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.

I support apartment conversion specifically for the opportunities it brings to marginalized people and for the benefits to the planet. It allows us to better manage school districts, markets and other food resources, and traffic. It also allows for easier construction of green roofs and other eco-friendly designs that can help with environmental sustainability. It is also crucial that these zoning reforms are paired with support for tenant unions, rent control policies, and other protections for Baltimore residents.

See #15. This can be done in the code with detailed space requirements for dwelling units in line with building safety codes.

 

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.

I also support the enforcement of these laws with the use of traffic calming measures, cameras and the upkeep of road signs.

It is important to note that speed limits must be paired with accountability considering that decreasing speed limits usually does not lead to decreasing the actual speed of drivers. It will require cameras and conversations about how to make our streets center bikers and walkers.

Additionally, traffic calming measures like signal progression, street narrowing, and others must also be considered to truly lower the speeds of drivers. A speed limit decrease alone does little to curb actual speeds.

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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.

Banning right turns on red (RTOR) has its biggest impact on safety in locations where there are greater levels of pedestrian traffic. While I support banning all RTOR, these locations should have accountability through red-light cameras and other proven methods. Research shows that a large number of the accidents, injuries, and deaths that occur on RTOR involve walkers and bikers. We need to have a way for people to safely obey crossing signals without having to worry about cars turning. Removing RTOR will facilitate the travel of walkers and bikers while enforcing safer driving.

Especially, in high foot traffic areas and schools.

 

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.

Too many families know from experience the danger of speed limit violations near schools. However, the reality is that many of our students are traveling long distances to get to school and those areas need to be protected as well. It is my goal to ensure that streets are safe for our children and adult residents everywhere in Baltimore City, not just in school zones.

In working to make all streets safe and welcoming for people on foot, on bicycles, or taking public transportation, we must limit the carceral and punitive mindset that informs our city’s responses to so many other problems. More fines and criminalization of dangerous driving behaviors is not the best solution; the just answer is rebuilding our transportation system to prioritize the safety and well-being of human beings, and not the convenience of motor vehicle drivers. Traffic Calming methods have stronger results than cameras. Also, fines from red light and speed cameras act as a regressive-tax on our low income residents and drivers.

As long as the cameras are effective in changing driver behavior for the better, I support.

 

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.

Decreasing the threshold to 5 miles per hour is something I fully support. Many times you can see drivers brake aggressively from high speeds to the limit right when they get near the camera. Reducing the threshold will make it so that they have to already be within the range from a longer distance and will avoid the accidents that come about from such abrupt slowdowns.

That said, I believe stricter speed-limit enforcement of laws is good but that long-term a solution must be to reprioritize our streets to center the safety of people over the speed of cars. Speed limits have little impact on actual car speeds, however, there are many traffic calming techniques, like red-light synchronization, and others that can reduce speeding habits more directly. Traffic calming is a more equitable alternative to red-light and speed cameras that can act as a regressive-tax on our low income residents and drivers.

I want to understand better why the 12 mile per hour threshold exists.

 

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

This is important in connection with maintaining accountability around safer and more effective transportation. Bus lanes help to improve the flow of traffic and provide more accurate boarding and destination times. Unfortunately many cars take advantage of these lanes to make stops, slowing down the flow of buses who then have to move around them and into traffic just to get back into the bus lane. It is important that we enforce the use of bus lanes solely for buses if we want them to actually function as a method for making bus riding more efficient and safe or implement a Bus Rapid Transit plan.

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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.

Dedicated bus lanes improve the efficiency of buses as they are able to avoid traffic to a certain degree. This will push people to use buses over personal cars. Increasing the use of buses, similarly to increasing use of bikes through bike lanes, will help reduce harmful emissions that trigger asthma and other respiratory conditions and our impact on the environment.

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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.

All Baltimoreans deserve access to green spaces. The Greenway Trails Network functions as a way to connect communities and make it easier for people (including those geographically removed from green spaces) to access trails. While the 12th District is not a site of these trail buildouts, this is an important investment for the City and does allow 12th district residents to have greater access to the green spaces and trails around the city.

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District Specific Questions

1. 28th and 29th Street are treated as highways by people driving along them through neighborhoods. Neighbors have developed the 28th and 29th Streets Traffic Calming initiative to call for installation of temporary traffic calming devices and study on how to implement permanent traffic calming that includes exploration of travel lane reduction or two-way conversion on both streets. I support installation of temporary traffic calming devices, even if they remove some parking, and support the study on how to implement permanent traffic calming.

29th street runs up right against the school zone of Barclay Elementary/Middle. Especially because of 29th and 28th running through a school zone, it is urgent that we address this traffic issue and prioritize the lives of children, families, and neighbors over the speed of cars. I support the work of neighbors to create the 28th and 29th Streets Traffic Calming initiative, and believe this platform must lay the groundwork for how we will make our district safer.

It is important that all voices in the community are heard and taken into consideration. It's best when any changes result from collaboration.

 


2. Big Jump Baltimore, a grant won by Baltimore City Department of Transportation, calls for installation of a road diet and separated, all-ages bike lanes on 25th Street and Huntingdon Avenue to improve safe access to businesses along the corridor. I support installing the remainder of the Big Jump Baltimore grant facilities.

Yes, it is important for all residents to have access to the recreation, job opportunities, and greenspace in our City that the Big Jump Baltimore plan and grant offer. Also, our neighbors who use wheelchairs and mobility devices deserve to be able to cross 83 and enjoy those same opportunities.

I support this initiative and I want to see more community education and engagement. Not enough people outside of the biking community are aware of the grant and the possible benefits.

 


3. Dedicated bus lanes are proven to increase service reliability and speed. MTA Maryland’s BaltimoreLink Red bus route is one of the busiest in the city. I support dedicated bus lanes on Greenmount Avenue, even if it means removing some parking.

We need bus service that is efficient and serves the needs of our community. Having dedicated bus lanes is an important tool for accomplishing that. A loss of some parking is worth the gains of speeding up our our public transit system.

There must always be conversation and collaboration between those who will be directly impacted by any changes.

 

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