Kristerfer Burnett, Candidate for City Council-8th District

In an effort to educate voters, we will be posting responses to our candidate questionnaire. Questionnaires were emailed to each candidate running for City Council, President of City Council, and Mayor. Candidates have until March 4th to submit. We are publishing results in the order they are received. 

How frequently do you use a mode of transportation other than your car to navigate the city? Based on your experience, where should the city prioritize resources for transportation?

KB: Due to the nature of my work as a Community Organizer in Baltimore City, which requires me to make frequent visits to residents throughout several neighborhoods, I do not use other modes of transportation very often. Though, when I travel regionally I do utilize the MARC train and light trail services, as well as, rideshare services. Regarding the prioritizing of transportation resources, I believe the biggest impact can be made by increasing connections between East and West Baltimore and regional connections to expand access to employment opportunities. Additionally, it is crucial that their be a focus on improving connections to the Central Light Rail, Metro Subway, MARC train, and increased investment in Complete Streets roadway upgrades to ensure we have a viable transit system. Also, I would support the implementation of a citywide bike share system to promote biking as a viable and healthy form of transportation for our citizens. Though, additional work needs to be done to ensure the safety for all the users of our roadways.

What role do you believe biking and walking improvements can play in creating a safer, healthier, more livable Baltimore?

KB: My vision for transportation in Baltimore is to push for a system that reduces the time it takes for residents to get to work and school on-time and which increases access to regional opportunities. Therefore, I believe an impactful method to increase the quality of life is making investments in the biking and walkability of our city and our transit system. Biking, mass transit and pedestrian investments that ease connections between public transit systems and first mile/last mile transit programs are proven methods to reach this goal.

Often road redesigns that improve the safety for people on bikes or people walking do so in a way that removes priority for single occupant vehicles. This can look like removing lanes for travel or decreasing available street parking. Can you describe how you would manage public expectations during project implementation, and handle any backlash from constituents that don’t share in the City’s vision for complete streets?

KB: Regardless of the issue, I believe it is critical that we engage and educate Baltimore City residents during the policymaking process so that they understand what is trying to be accomplished and why changes are needed to improve our lives. To best inform and involve residents on changes to our roadways, I believe it must be apart of a larger effort to shift away from driving culture and to encourage the use of bicycles and public transit. I would work to develop partnerships with cycling focused organizations and public schools to implement family-oriented and community-based recreational programs to promote biking as a viable and safe mode of transportation. Additionally, I plan to partner with City, State, on-profit and for-profit partners to host ongoing information sessions for constituents on a range of topics to increase understanding and engagement in the policy process.

Recent audits have discovered that the Department of Transportation struggles to measure key performance indicators. The city’s procurement and project management processes have also faced scrutiny. This has led to significant delays of key improvements to bicycle infrastructure in Baltimore. How will you work to improve performance and accountability of city agencies like the Department of Transportation under your leadership?

KB: To improve the quality and responsiveness of city services, I would advocate for an increased reliance on data to guide the allocation of resources to address issues like this in our city. There is truly a need to utilize technology and programs like CitiStat to increase public engagement in service improvement and to promote transparency in how our resources are being allocated. Additionally, it is crucial to eliminate departmental silos and encourage collaboration between agencies and with the public to improve services. As Councilman, I would expect the Department of Transportation to manage projects competently and complete them on time.

The percentage of people choosing to take public transit or ride a bike for transportation is increasing in Baltimore, while the percentage of residents without access to a vehicle is over 30%. How would you rate the city’s current investment in sustainable transportation solutions for its residents, and as a council person what would you do to support increased investment?

KB: In my West Baltimore neighborhood, 1 in 4 households do not own a single-occupant vehicle and more than 1 in every 5 commuters travel more than 45 minutes to get to work. Therefore, it is evident that more needs to be done to meet the needs of our working-families and students to ensure that they’re needs are met. I would prioritize efforts to reduce resident dependency on cars and advocate for more sustainable transportation methods such as: Investments in complete streets (bike lanes, improved sidewalks, dedicated bus lanes, roundabouts where needed, etc.) Prioritized traffic signals for public transit Traffic calming improvements Expanded bike and vehicle share initiatives.

A recent study by Harvard economists found that the single strongest factor affecting the odds of a child escaping poverty is not the test scores of his or her local schools or the crime in the community; it is the percent of workers in his or her neighborhood who have long commutes. How do you plan to improve transportation options and commute times for our most vulnerable residents?

Thinking of public transit as a regional network is crucial to overcoming the challenges many vulnerable residents face in commuting to family-supporting jobs. Therefore, connecting Baltimore City residents to well-paying employment centers in nearby Baltimore & Howard counties and Washington DC is crucial. I would work to support initiatives that increase the connectivity within our local transit systems, as well as, between privately manage shuttle systems and redesigned transit routes to improve first mile/last mile connections.

What other information about your candidacy would you like to share with our members? 

KB: I'm running because I firmly believe our city needs a public servant will work with them. Someone with extensive experience in working to empower residents to become the change agents needed to move our city forward. As a native Baltimorean, I have made a lifelong commitment to community organizing, fighting for good jobs that pay livable wages, and engaging with and advocating for the improvement of our neighborhoods. As one of the co-founders of Neighbors Without Borders of Greater Southwest Baltimore and the Village Farmers' Market at Edmondson-Westside High School, I have a strong track record of working with my neighbors in the 8th District and connecting them to opportunities and resources.

Gersham Cupid, Democratic Candidate for Mayor

 In an effort to educate voters, we will be posting responses to our candidate questionnaire. Questionnaires were emailed to each candidate running for City Council, President of City Council, and Mayor. Candidates have until March 4th to submit. We are publishing results in the order they are received. 

How frequently do you use a mode of transportation other than your car to navigate the city? Based on your experience, where should the city prioritize resources for transportation?

GC: Sometimes I walk to the store but I believe transportation is becoming more of a problem because it is expensive to own a vehicle and many residents can not afford a vehicle. With a more efficiently economy in Baltimore transportation issues will decrease. This is not my expertise and I would have to rely on the experts to make the best decision in this matter.

What role do you believe biking and walking improvements can play in creating a safer, healthier, more livable Baltimore?

GC: I think its a great idea and it is promotes a more healthy environment. With improved communities with local food markets, drug stores, clinics, recreation centers and local schools this is a feasible idea and within our reach.

Are you supportive of the city’s plan to implement bike share in 2016? If so, what do you believe to be the critical components of success?

GC: I think it would be more feasible and cost effective to help everyone own a bike. But I am willing to give bike share a chance but will quickly shut it down if its not working.

Recent audits have discovered that the Department of Transportation struggles to measure key performance indicators. The city’s procurement and project management processes have also faced scrutiny. This has led to significant delays of key improvements to bicycle infrastructure in Baltimore. How will you work to improve performance and accountability of city agencies like the Department of Transportation under your leadership?

GC: Part of my plans to improve city agencies is a accountability and evaluation service for all city agencies. Which gathers real time data and conducts inspections on a day to day basis. My inspections unit will be city wide to fill holes such as these to ensure this does not happen again.

What impact do you see increasing rates of biking and walking in Baltimore having on the public health and safety of our residents? In what ways will your administration invest in the creation of safe places to encourage more people to engage in physical activity?

GC: When our residents is more active this will be great for the health and betterment of our community. We must enforce the law and keep drugs out of our neighborhoods. The key to my administration will the be safety and growth of our communities. I have the experience, team and knowledge to get it done.

A recent study by Harvard economists found that the single strongest factor affecting the odds of a child escaping poverty is not the test scores of his or her local schools or the crime in the community; it is the percent of workers in his or her neighborhood who have long commutes. How do you plan to improve transportation options and commute times for our most vulnerable residents?

GC: We can offer mobility services to our vulnerable residents to ensure they are getting the help that they need.

Often road redesigns that improve the safety for people on bikes or people walking do so in a way that removes priority for single occupancy vehicles. This can look like removing lanes for travel or decreasing available street parking. Can you describe how you would manage public expectations during project implementation, and handle any backlash from constituents that don’t share in the City’s vision for complete streets?

GC: We have to educate the constituents and let them be apart of the process.

What other information about your candidacy would you like to share with our members?

GC: There is a irony of April. April 2015 rioters plagued our streets and only the Baltimore Police Department stood there ground to stop the rioting and looting from spreading city-wide. An election where one of your own who grew up among and served quietly is now running to bring change. Public Safety is the number 1 reason why many good residents are leaving and buying properties in surrounding jurisdiction. With a Mayor at the helm with the experience in Law Enforcement and with a vision for all of Baltimore we can show the world that we are a city that love and appreciate all Law Enforcement agencies for the hard work and sacrifice. We will stop form of violence whether it comes from low lever criminals, police officer who abuse their power or corrupt politicians.

Mary Pat Clarke, Candidate for City Council-14th District

In an effort to educate voters, we will be posting responses to our candidate questionnaire. Questionnaires were emailed to each candidate running for City Council, President of City Council, and Mayor. Candidates have until March 4th to submit. We are publishing results in the order they are received.

How frequently do you use a mode of transportation other than your car to navigate the city? Based on your experience, where should the city prioritize resources for transportation?

MPC: I am fortunate to live in a walkable neighborhood, and I often walk to meetings with my constituents in local cafes or schools. Like most American cities, Baltimore has focused transportation resources on moving automobiles rapidly through our communities. An over-emphasis on automobile travel has created street conditions that are often unsafe or inaccessible for pedestrians and bicyclists. To redress this imbalance, Baltimore needs to integrate “complete streets” principles into all transportation projects. Priorities should include implementing existing plans, particularly the

Bicycle Master Plan and the Strategic Transportation Safety Plan (both found on the DOT website), and working with neighborhood associations to make ad-hoc safety changes. DOT can improve conditions for walkers, bicyclists, and wheelchair users quickly and relatively inexpensively with paint, ADA curb-cuts, and flexible bollards. DOT should use these types of tools to expedite change.

DOT should expend more resources on public education to increase awareness of driver, bicyclist and pedestrian responsibilities in the public right of way, and to explain new design approaches to better accommodate bicyclists and pedestrians (see Question #3).

DOT needs to keep critical positions filled. The agency needs to ensure that management level personnel understand and support “complete streets” principles, and are accessible and responsive to citizens. The position, Chief of the Traffic Division, has been unfilled for most of the past two years.

What role do you believe biking and walking improvements can play in creating a safer, healthier, more livable Baltimore?

MPC: Biking and walking are ways in which people can enjoy exercise and the outdoors. They are also affordable ways for people to travel to work, school, and other destinations, or to connect to public transit. Unlike driving, these “non-motorized” forms of transportation reduce traffic congestion while having no negative impacts on air quality, water quality, or our climate. Walking and bicycling regularly can reduce the risk of chronic illnesses like heart disease and diabetes. And getting along with one less car can save a family several thousand of dollars a year that can be used for housing, education or other needs.

Often road redesigns that improve the safety for people on bikes or people walking do so in a way that removes priority for single occupant vehicles. This can look like removing lanes for travel or decreasing available street parking. Can you describe how you would manage public expectations during project implementation, and handle any backlash from constituents that don’t share in the City’s vision for complete streets?

MPC: Streets that are too wide encourage speeding by signaling drivers that it is safe to accelerate. Wide turns at corners make it easier to speed through intersections. DOT has narrowed vehicle travel lanes on streets, and tightened curb radii at corners throughout the city using bump-outs, flexible bollards and paint in order to slow traffic and improve pedestrian and bicycle safety. DOT has initiated traffic circles, and protected bike lanes adjacent to floating parking zones, to slow vehicle traffic and make walkers and bicyclists safer. The agency has selectively removed on-street parking spaces to “daylight” corners, making walkers and bicyclists move visible to drivers and safer.

Many of these changes are controversial. Change is difficult, and it can be particularly hard to adjust to changes that we are not expecting or do not understand. DOT could take a more proactive role in educating the public about new ways of accommodating cars, bicyclists, and walkers in the public right of way. In addition to signage and community meetings, DOT could use public service announcements, and coordinate public information messages with the State’s “Street Smart” public education program. In addition, DOT needs to make sure that changes to street and parking patterns are well-designed and sensitive to context.

Recent audits have discovered that the Department of Transportation struggles to measure key performance indicators. The city’s procurement and project management processes have also faced scrutiny. This has led to significant delays of key improvements to bicycle infrastructure in Baltimore. How will you work to improve performance and accountability of city agencies like the Department of Transportation under your leadership?

MPC: I co-sponsored the bill, adopted in 2012, that mandated performance and financial audits of certain key city agencies, including DOT, every four years. DOT’s recently-completed performance audit found the agency to be lacking in “oversight, accountability and internal controls.”

A recent study by the Abell Foundation (cd-opacity1015) set out to analyze Baltimore City infrastructure contract overruns using publicly available data from city records. The researchers were not able to obtain data that was complete or robust enough to answer their basic research questions. Baltimore City residents need to know that public funds are being used wisely. The study and audit cited above indicate the need for greater transparency and accountability in the city’s and DOT’s contracting and oversight. Residents are rightly concerned when they see mistakes such as those that occurred during the recent repaving of Roland Avenue. The city should not be in the position of having to tell residents that scarce public resources are being used to fix unnecessary mistakes rather than to fund needed transportation improvements.

The City Council needs to take a closer look at the city’s contracting policies and processes at both the agency and Board of Estimates level. As a member of the Land Use and Transportation Committee, I will request a public hearing with DOT to determine how the agency plans to address the findings and recommendations of the performance audit.

While the Mayor is responsible for agency performance, and the Board of Estimates is responsible for awarding contracts, the City Council has the authority to provide oversight. I will exercise my authority as a member of the City Council to ensure DOT’s accountability to the public.

The percentage of people choosing to take public transit or ride a bike for transportation is increasing in Baltimore, while the percentage of residents without access to a vehicle is over 30%. How would you rate the city’s current investment in sustainable transportation solutions for its residents, and as a council person what would you do to support increased investment?

MPC: The City needs to invest more in sustainable transportation, to use existing transportation resources more efficiently, and to ensure that transportation funds are allocated appropriately among the various modes.

At the City, State and Regional levels we need to shift the focus of transportation investments from automobiles and highways to neighborhood streets and buses, and the needs of bikers and walkers. We need to use resources to move people, not just cars. Many bicycle and pedestrian facilities can be created for the cost of a single highway interchange. We need to build a regional constituency to demand high-quality, regional transit. And we need to elect officials at all levels of government who support public transit investments. Millions of public dollars were spent to plan the Red Line, which has been quashed by our current governor. Elections have consequences.

Several large cities have approved ballot initiatives to pay for new, local public transit. We also need to ensure that the City is taking advantage of all available state, federal, and private resources to address sustainable transportation needs.

A recent study by Harvard economists found that the single strongest factor affecting the odds of a child escaping poverty is not the test scores of his or her local schools or the crime in the community; it is the percent of workers in his or her neighborhood who have long commutes. How do you plan to improve transportation options and commute times for our most vulnerable residents?

MPC: While 30% of Baltimore residents do not have a vehicle for personal use, the lack of a car is not uniform across the city. People without a car are disproportionately dependent on public transit, have the longest commutes, and disproportionally live in low-income neighborhoods. Data from the Baltimore Neighborhood Indicators Alliance show wide disparities between the city’s poorest and most affluent neighborhoods for all of these transportation access indicators.

 It is critical that city officials hold the Maryland Transit Administration and state elected officials accountable for the quality of the local bus service on which so many city residents depend. This service has a longstanding reputation for being unreliable, not customer-oriented, and lacking in realtime (next-bus) information.

Improved public transit service can make a significant impact in reducing economic and racial disparities in Baltimore. Long commutes reduce the time parents have to spend with their children, and create unnecessarily long days for students who commute by bus, reducing time for after-school recreation and homework. The city’s circulator buses are wonderful, but they cannot substitute for the MTA bus service for the large number of Baltimore residents who commute to job centers in the suburbs, or for our school children who take the bus.

Ultimately, the city’s most vulnerable residents will be best served by a well-connected, intermodal, regional transit system that serves a wide variety of users.

What other information about your candidacy would you like to share with our members? 

MPC:  I have worked with the City’s bicycle community for many years on legislation and mandates including Baltimore’s Complete Streets policy, the Bicycle Bill of Rights, requirements that police be trained about bikers rights, requirements that commercial and residential developments provide on-site bicycle parking, and requirements that perpendicular street grates be provided when streets are reconstructed. Many of the parking space requirements have been rolled into the proposed new Baltimore Zoning Code with the input of bicycle advocacy organizations.

Collins Otonna, Independent Candidate for Mayor

In an effort to educate voters, we will be posting responses to our candidate questionnaire. Questionnaires were emailed to each candidate running for City Council, President of City Council, and Mayor. Candidates have until March 4th to submit. We are publishing results in the order they are received. 

How frequently do you use a mode of transportation other than your car to navigate the city? Based on your experience, where should the city prioritize resources for transportation?

CO: I like the transportation system we have here in Baltimore, the only thing I will add is a system that addresses late and stranded passenger in the very wee hours of the morning in cold rain or inclement weather These buses will be deployed between 1 and 3 pm when it is raining or cold to pickup long waiting tired and ready to go home passenger, drop then off at points closest to where they live along its designated rout, and this will be without charge It will be gotta go buses, and will only serve the more disadvantaged neighborhoods.

What role do you believe biking and walking improvements can play in creating a safer, healthier, more livable Baltimore?

CO: More biking, more better i will give biking credit to new bikers to enable more people buy bikes we will make sure that the streets are well marked for bikers and train police to enforce biker and pedestrian security rules on the streets

Are you supportive of the city’s plan to implement bike share in 2016? If so, what do you believe to be the critical components of success?

CO: Bike share is great in principle, but we will give biker credits so more will own their own bikes, and get encouraged to bike when ever there is tight traffic like on game day and concert days.

Recent audits have discovered that the Department of Transportation struggles to measure key performance indicators. The city’s procurement and project management processes have also faced scrutiny. This has led to significant delays of key improvements to bicycle infrastructure in Baltimore. How will you work to improve performance and accountability of city agencies like the Department of Transportation under your leadership?

CO: I will study very carefully the current challenges and performances of the departments associated with transportation, and work to maximize their effectiveness with refreshed goals and strategies.

What impact do you see increasing rates of biking and walking in Baltimore having on the public health and safety of our residents? In what ways will your administration invest in the creation of safe places to encourage more people to engage in physical activity?

CO: I will encourage makers of walking shoes to provide more walking friendly foot ware, we will encourage people to circulate their fairly worn walker friendly foot ware at points where others can retrieve and use them as mayor, i will create the mayors office of public information which will go about telling citizens that walking is good for them, a kind of motivation to good healthful walking and biking.

A recent study by Harvard economists found that the single strongest factor affecting the odds of a child escaping poverty is not the test scores of his or her local schools or the crime in the community; it is the percent of workers in his or her neighborhood who have long commutes. How do you plan to improve transportation options and commute times for our most vulnerable residents?

CO: It is not, i suspect the length of the commutes, but the fact that bus transportation takes so long to get where they need to be as a result of waiting for the buses to come and riding along the meandering bus route, this leads to hours spent on transporting home, while car owners execute the same trip in a tiny fraction of the time As mayor, we will encourage and form a foundation to repair, receive and repair donated and abandoned cars and give them to the most transportation challenged families Our end to booting system will not hurt.

Often road redesigns that improve the safety for people on bikes or people walking do so in a way that removes priority for single occupancy vehicles. This can look like removing lanes for travel or decreasing available street parking. Can you describe how you would manage public expectations during project implementation, and handle any backlash from constituents that don’t share in the City’s vision for complete streets?

CO: It can be risky some times when bikers occupy and slow down car lanes, forcing cars to merge into sometimes occupied parallel lanes to avoid the bikers We can see how we can designate some wider street with signs that show they are biker streets, so drivers are ready to share the road where biking lanes narrow or merge with road traffic.

What other information about your candidacy would you like to share with our members?

CO: I have new ideas frequently , and I like news ways of doing the same things that bring improvement in the lives of people and the process of government.

Cindy Walsh, Democratic Candidate for Mayor

In an effort to educate voters, we will be posting responses to our candidate questionnaire. Questionnaires were emailed to each candidate running for City Council, President of City Council, and Mayor. Candidates have until March 4th to submit. We are publishing results in the order they are received. 

How frequently do you use a mode of transportation other than your car to navigate the city? Based on your experience, where should the city prioritize resources for transportation? 

CW: I have been committed to using public transportation for decades starting from my time living in Seattle, WA. I only use a car if I cannot reach a destination or I have parcels which necessitate a vehicle. Baltimore City Hall is controlled by a very corporate power structure and has never valued public transportation. The Baltimore MTA has been historically underfunded, its management, oversight, and accountability dismantled and as such the service is gravely unreliable. Regardless of MTA driver commitment, the industrial engineering of routes and time schedules have been allowed to be dysfunctional. Routes and transit types do not connect ie, bus connections to other routes and bus connections with light rail for example. I emphasize that the movement in Baltimore this past decade is privatization of all public transportation. The State of Maryland and Baltimore are known to raid our Transportation Trust for other projects so we must secure funds already designated; we must do so as well for all Federal public transit funding that is now being directed into private transportation infrastructure. Partnering with corporations by encouraging annual MTA public transit passes for employees as part of wage and benefit increases revenue and ridership. It is essential to increase the number of buses on routes to move from the density during rush-hour. No one is going to change from driving when people are packed like sardines into buses and light rail. So, we must bolster traditional public transportation as we grow other venues like bike paths and pedestrian walkways. Seattle promotes kayaking to work.....can you imagine folks living in Fells Point or Federal Hill avoiding the traffic congestion around Key Highway and Camden Yards by jumping into a kayak or a bolstered water taxi?

What role do you believe biking and walking improvements can play in creating a safer, healthier, more livable Baltimore?

CW: Baltimore must have more green space and not simply the temporary privately owned space made into temporary community gardens.  The move today is to privatize much Baltimore public park real estate while telling citizens the corporate campus landscaping will be our parks.  This is the wrong development plan and we must grow real public green space and it starts with tying it to our main road arteries so citizens will want to walk into downtown or to work in other communities.  It is easy to do----it must be public space to ensure it is permanent infrastructure.  Baltimore development is also tied to growing city density taking the likes of Manhattan and concrete jungle of global corporate campuses as its goal.  This is the opposite of what most in Baltimore want.  We can make Baltimore a city with skyline as they like to say growing density without all of these global corporate campuses.  If you believe in a more livable Baltimore we need to move away from a Master Plan that models International Economic Zones overseas complete with the environmental devastation brought by global factories and make the development plan about rebuilding Baltimore with a local, domestic economy with small manufacturing  and businesses.  As well, I promote development of all communities building a large public green space central to the local food economy.  A great public greenhouse is infrastructure that stays unlike small non-profit community gardens so we need both.  This great public green space will also promote small animal husbandry having a barn and corral.  Building a real local fresh food economy in every community means growers and harvesters, butchers and dairy producers, distributors, and small fresh food stores.  All of this creates that healthier, green, walkable space we all want.

Are you supportive of the city’s plan to implement bike share in 2016? If so, what do you believe to be the critical components of success?

CW:We saw right away with a test case of this that poverty in Baltimore will see vandalism and theft----it is inevitable.  Baltimore loses a billion dollars a year in corporate fraud, waste, corruption, mismanagement and building oversight and accountability into all Baltimore City agencies will allow almost double a city budget.  So, imaging we make available lots of bike ownership in underserved communities?  Public schools with bike inventory that allows parents and students to 'check-out' bikes?  Imagine a MotoX course for dirt bikes where youth can do their extreme sporting tricks?  If we do all of that with revenue we have then building out this bike share plan for commuters will be a success and will see little vandalism.  I think we need these plain vanilla bikes inside ATM-sized spaces that are entered with key-card that could follow the same location path as ZIP CARS.  Everyone is familiar with growing ZIP CAR locations all involving zoning changes.  I am supportive of this policy and think my plan of execution will be most successful.Recent audits have discovered that the Department of Transportation struggles to measure key performance indicators. The city’s procurement and project management processes have also faced scrutiny. This has led to significant delays of key improvements to bicycle infrastructure in Baltimore. How will you work to improve performance and accountability of city agencies like the Department of Transportation under your leadership?

CW: I answered this in an earlier question but can expand.  When you talk of procurement you are talking about the Baltimore Board of Estimates and that agency is known for needing a complete overhaul.  It starts with changing the Baltimore City Charter and who sits on this Board.  Right now it is structured so the Mayor has complete control with a majority of 3 of 5 board members and she of course appoints people who will do as told.  Then we have a bidding and contract system with guidelines written so vaguely as to allow contract awards to become arbitrary---so we must rewrite contract bidding and procurement guidelines in a way that sends Baltimore City revenue to all communities and looks towards local small businesses first in awards.  This makes oversight and accountability easier as it takes all of the behind-door cloak and dagger of contracts tied to corporate partnerships feeling they can call everything 'confidential'.  This is the greatest problem in procurement and contract bidding and it effects what you want in public transportation development.

What impact do you see increasing rates of biking and walking in Baltimore having on the public health and safety of our residents? In what ways will your administration invest in the creation of safe places to encourage more people to engage in physical activity?

CW: Baltimore has a long history of communities keeping to themselves; of people keeping to themselves; and little public health initiative. Even today, the public health initiatives are driven by corporate non-profits with a set agenda trying to get citizens to join in activities. People do not like that format. Baltimore must rebuild public community and recreation centers that allow citizens in communities to build their own concept of what public health entails. We must grow inter-community ties ---for example I would like to have a unique public recreation activity in each community-----ie roller skating/ice skating/MotoX/rock climbing/Hampden has great athletic fields -----tennis/dance halls. Then build community competitions in each activity. This creates a venue for each community to attract visitors to small businesses and consumption as well.

A recent study by Harvard economists found that the single strongest factor affecting the odds of a child escaping poverty is not the test scores of his or her local schools or the crime in the community; it is the percent of workers in his or her neighborhood who have long commutes. How do you plan to improve transportation options and commute times for our most vulnerable residents?

CW: The current situation is totally unacceptable. Schools in Baltimore are being used as development tools and closing of public schools in Baltimore has occurred over a few decades as part of the push towards ending concentrated poverty. At the same time underserved communities have been left with absolutely no development whereas if invested these few decades all those communities would have mixed-income housing and population NEEDING a public school in each community. Again, the Master Plan in Baltimore has surrounding communities as global corporate campuses and factories and that is why residential building has not occurred. As stated earlier I am against that Master Plan and want instead to do as I describe above-----rebuild existing communities as mixed-income complete with public schools. Also, Baltimore has a long history in redirected Federal funding for underserved schools, fraud and corruption losing even more of this funding so rebuilding oversight and accountability in education revenue making sure it reaches each school and classroom will see schools are well-funded and resourced with parents wanting their child attending a neighborhood school. That said, this would eliminate the need to transport children all over town to attend a good school.

Often road redesigns that improve the safety for people on bikes or people walking do so in a way that removes priority for single occupancy vehicles. This can look like removing lanes for travel or decreasing available street parking. Can you describe how you would manage public expectations during project implementation, and handle any backlash from constituents that don’t share in the City’s vision for complete streets?

CW: Public meetings in Baltimore are not well attended because the history in Baltimore is that Baltimore Development Corporation pays no attention to public comment and that is true. We must rebuild public confidence that their voices will be heard even if that voice is not what we want to hear. The trade-off is citizens will hear all sides of an issue and see these proposals are not the bad policy they may think. I saw one plan that had bike paths between car and sidewalk that did not look like a good idea or bikers or passenger door opening. Off-street parking has been an issue. Space in alleyways allow for only one car. I am told water table limits where underground parking can occur. Ideally, moving to parking on one side of these narrow streets would be the answer. I have not been privy to public discussions on this so I would simply say my comments would go with building public low-rise parking decks central to communities and allow free off-street parking. I bet many people would not mind a short commute to their cars and it would reduce car vandalism.

What other information about your candidacy would you like to share with our members?

CW: I would invite all to come to my campaign website Cindy Walsh for Mayor of Baltimore to see a platform and public policy discussions that are completely environmentally and public transportation-based. I am the only candidate for mayor that will push public policy with an environmental and public health bent. My degrees in education and medical science have me working in public health much of my career----education all my life. As a boost, I worked through college with United Parcel Service UPS as an Industrial Engineer-----UPS is the best in the world for quality service and efficiency and if anyone can get Baltimore's MTA schedule and operations working -----it will be Cindy Walsh. Remember, Baltimore tends to promote establishment candidates in all elections with polls that only allow those candidates that will keep the status quo given air. Citizens new to Baltimore may not know this but long-time citizens don't place too much on main stream election media. I am widely known through my non-profit Citizens Oversight Maryland having worked in all communities for years and am broadly supported and can easily win with people simply networking.