Brandon Scott

A: Yes, GVRS and MONSE have repeatedly proven to be effective and important parts of our public safety strategy. I established MONSE to oversee Baltimore’s evidence-driven, public health-informed approach to violence prevention including but not limited to: victim services, community violence intervention, and GVRS. GVRS identifies those most at risk of being either perpetrators or victims of gun violence and offers them a choice. In a letter directly from me, they are offered help to change their life through whatever services they need, or if they choose to violate the strategy’s anti-violence mandate, then they are held accountable to the fullest extent of the law. The results are clear. An independent study by the University of Pennsylvania found that in the first 18 months of GVRS’ implementation in the Western District, the program reduced homicides and shootings by approximately 25% and reduced carjackings by a 1/3rd. We’ve since expanded the strategy to additional districts, and have continued to build on 2023′s historic reduction in homicides – achieving this without returning to the failed policies of mass incarceration. Now is the time to double-down on strategies that are proving to be effective.

A: In 2021, I introduced Baltimore’s first-ever Comprehensive Violence Prevention Plan, aimed at reducing violence by addressing public safety in its entirety in partnership with community-based organizations and residents working on the ground to build safer communities across our city. Our strategy combines community violence intervention, targeted enforcement, and work to address the root causes of crime and violence in our communities. We’re doing this the right way, moving us towards full compliance on the consent decree and without arresting entire generations of Baltimoreans. We have expanded the city’s community violence intervention ecosystem, invested more in education than any mayor in our city’s history, opened new rec centers, and expanded job training and opportunities for young people. We’re also holding everyone responsible for violence in our city accountable, from those who choose to pull the trigger to those who supply the weapons. Our lawsuit against Polymer80, one of the largest ghost gun manufacturers in the country, banned them from selling and advertising their products in Maryland or to Maryland residents anywhere. One life lost is too many, and we should continue to build on our work, which has already delivered historic reductions in gun violence.

A: After years of scandal and corruption, building prosperity that uplifts all Baltimoreans seemed to take a back seat. Since I took office, we navigated the devastating impacts of COVID and have invested in education, housing, opportunities for young people, and workforce development. We are seeing record investments into our city, with more than $6 billion expected in the next few years, saw our lowest unemployment rate in city history, and made our city’s economy the eighth-fastest growing in the country. New developments like the Edmondson Village Shopping Center, CFG Bank Arena, Uplands, Lexington Market, Harborplace and countless others are. Now, as we confront the impact of the Key Bridge Collapse, many businesses and residents who rely on the port are uncertain about the future. At the city level, we are offering assistance, including wage subsidies for businesses and utility bill and rental assistance for impacted families, and we are coordinating with our close partners in the Moore-Miller Administration and the Biden-Harris Administration who are offering state and federal assistance. Baltimore is resilient. We will tackle this latest challenge together. As a city, we will continue to build on the progress we’ve made and come through this crisis stronger than before.

A: No. The Sinclair-backed effort to cut property tax sounds good on paper, but demands requirements that would drastically cut the city’s general fund, and in turn, reduce city services. I’ve proposed an actual strategy to lower property taxes without cutting the services that working Baltimoreans rely on every single day, as part of my $3B vision to tackle vacant housing. I proposed Baltimore seek a 2% share of our local sales tax. 1% would help fund my vacants strategy and invite more investment and more residents into historically blighted neighborhoods. The other 1% would provide all homeowners with a $1,000 yearly rebate on their property taxes. For most Baltimore homeowners, this would result in seeing their property tax rate effectively cut in half or more. The fact that Baltimore does not already receive a share of our sales tax makes Baltimore an outlier among peer cities. With 21 million people visiting Baltimore annually, and 140,000 daily, this is a major revenue source that does not currently add to the city budget. It’s time to change that. By doing so, we can lower property taxes and while protecting our critical city services, which other reckless plans would cut.

A: ARPA funding has been a critically important resource for everything from public safety and Recreation & Parks projects to housing, infrastructure, and employment development. This funding was originally designed specifically to tackle the impacts of COVID-19. Right away, we established the Mayor’s Office of Recovery Programs (MORP) to ensure that we took advantage of every single dollar and approached this work in a way that prioritized transparency and accessibility. With ARPA funding going to numerous projects throughout the city, residents are able to see and feel the impact this funding is having in their communities — from the new rec centers, pools, and playspaces it has funded to the reduction in homicides that it has supported through the work of MONSE. While we have until 2026 to spend all the funds, we know that eventually this resource will no longer be available — and my administration is already taking steps to ensure that the progress that ARPA has helped fuel will continue through other funding sources. The Recovery Office will continue to do that critically important work, and I am confident that many of the programs which have proven to be effective while using ARPA funding will continue far into Baltimore’s future.

A: I spent my entire life hearing about the Park Heights Master Plan, but didn’t see a new building being constructed until I became Mayor myself. My commitment to this issue is driven by that lived experience. I signed a historic inclusionary housing bill into law, ensured affordable housing was in my $3B vacants visions, invested in advancing long-stagnant affordable housing developments like the ones at Park Heights, Uplands, and Tivoly — and have taken unprecedented strides to keep Baltimoreans in their homes in the first place. My administration provided millions for eviction prevention, including towards Right to Counsel efforts for individuals facing eviction. I have supported at-risk homeowners with the Emergency Mortgage Housing Assistance Program to cover mortgages, back taxes and water bills, which is now a permanent program at DHCD. We’ve made significant investments to support home repair grants — especially for Baltimore’s older adults to age in place. We have also expanded our support for housing insecure Baltimoreans, including with expanded shelter options and significant investments into the expansion of permanent supportive housing. We will continue to build on this work in my second term and prioritize equitable neighborhood development that ensures Baltimoreans can see the benefits without displacement.

A: As a child in Park Heights, I grew up walking by row after row of vacant houses, living through the impacts of the failed policies of past city leaders. During my administration, the number of vacant homes in the city decreased to the lowest number in decades, marking a 14% reduction in vacants citywide since December 2020. In December, in partnership with BUILD and GBC, I outlined a monumental $3B, 15-year vision to eliminate vacants once and for all. Our strategy brings together city, state, philanthropic, and private funding to accelerate the already successful work already happening in our neighborhoods. It also employs innovative strategies, like utilizing non-contiguous TIF bonds to target vacant properties for the first time. All neighborhoods deserve the same opportunity for investment. Utilizing TIFs is what allowed my predecessors to build up neighborhoods like Harbor East, but this time, I am incentivizing investment and focus in Baltimore’s historically blighted communities. Our vision is ambitious, but I am committed to seeing it through and finally tackling this generational problem.

A: I’m proud that my Preliminary FY25 Budget introduced April 1 completely balanced the budget and overcame the structural deficit without balancing it on the backs of our young people or by cutting city services. Where former mayors cut rec centers, closed firehouses, and furloughed employees, my administration found ways to get it done without that negative impact for our residents. I am extremely proud that I have invested more in opportunities for our young people, education, and recreation, than any other mayor in the history of Baltimore — and that we have been able to maintain that record in this year’s budget. We have also been able to safeguard the advances we’ve made in public safety, the restoration of city services like weekly recycling pick-up, and other key priorities. In the long term, we are strengthening our financial outlook to tackle the future impacts of the Key Bridge Collapse and have started the next phase of Baltimore’s 10-year financial plan to ensure the continued fiscal health of the city. I have already demonstrated how the City budget can be balanced even when confronting predicted deficits and unpredictable events this fiscal year, and will continue this strong stewardship in my second term.

A: My support of Harborplace has been clear from the beginning. We currently have the opportunity to do something that should have been done decades ago: make Harborplace a destination for the 21st century and refresh our public face to the world in a way that benefits all Baltimoreans. A thriving downtown helps drive the economic success we’ve seen in our city over the last few years. We can see the evidence of that revitalization in the new Lexington Market, the success of the CFG Bank Arena, and the excitement around projects like the Edmondson Village Shopping Center and Uplands development. Harborplace sat languishing in receivership for years, and we are fortunate that this project is finally moving forward. This project has been conducted with care, community engagement, and an emphasis on welcoming all Baltimoreans. So far, those opposed, many of whom had power to effect change at Harborplace while it was deteriorating, have not offered a viable alternative vision. This project is exciting for our city and our state. It will provide good-paying jobs for Baltimoreans, continue to spur growth in tourism and our economy, and will strengthen our city in the long run.

A: I remain committed to building a transportation system that is equitable, safe, and accessible for all Baltimoreans. I oversaw the adoption of the Baltimore Complete Streets Manual to help create high-quality pedestrian and transit-oriented neighborhoods, and in 2023, USDOT awarded Baltimore a $9.9m Safe Streets for All grant — the largest award under that program in the nation. We have introduced traffic-calming measures like speed bumps and stop signs, made intersections more pedestrian-friendly, and built out protected infrastructure, such as separated bike lanes and bus lanes. While pedestrian deaths are up nationwide, they are down in Baltimore. We will continue making our streets safer for everyone, as well as diligently improving the infrastructure we use each and every day, filling over 134,000 potholes in the last year and paving 115 lane miles since spring of 2021. All of our transportation priorities impact each other. We will continue to improve our public transit options, like making our bus system more accessible to historically neglected neighborhoods like Cherry Hill and advancing transformational transit projects like the Red Line. There is still much work to do, but I know we are moving forward in the right direction.

A: A son of Park Heights, I’ve dedicated my life to public service in Baltimore. Growing up, I experienced first-hand the impact of decades of disinvestment in our neighborhoods and a city that did not value kids like me. I got involved in public service to change that legacy. Now, I’m running for reelection to build on the progress we’ve made. Since I became Mayor, we’ve reduced homicides by more than 20% while also cutting illegal arrests in half. We’ve made historic investments in our young people, building and renovating new rec centers, pools, and playspaces, and invested more in education than any other Mayor in history. We’re building Baltimore’s renaissance by making our city’s economy the 8th fastest growing in the country, and driving equitable neighborhood development that has spurred projects in every corner of the city, while reducing vacant houses to their lowest number in two decades. For years, City government has been riddled with scandal and instability. We’ve finally changed that. Now is the time to continue the progress we’ve made, not turn back to the old, broken ways of the past.