The Baltimore City mayoral campaign shifted gears as money for recreation centers and after school programs took the place of competing crime plans and calls for more police officers.
Addressing hundreds of members of the community Sunday night at St. Matthew?s Church in Northeast Baltimore at a forum organization Baltimore United for Leadership and Development, or BUILD, four candidates for the city?s top job including Mayor Sheila Dixon, Councilman Keiffer Mitchell, State Del. Jill P. Carter, and Dr. Andre Bundley were allowed five minutes each to agree or disagree with the group?s demands for increased funding of recreation centers, more after school programs and jobs for city youth.
The agenda, part of campaign by BUILD to get commitments from mayoral candidates for programs on which it focuses, featured a score card projected on screen that showed each candidate?s response.
“We?re are in a crisis, the gangs have invested in our children. Why haven?t we?” asked the Rev. Grady Yeargin, referring to a 2-cent tax on bottle drinks and a freeze on the property tax rate proposed by BUILD.
But while the candidates all supported BUILD?s demand for 30 more recreation centers and $100 million for an affordable housing fund, they balked at any suggestion of increasing taxes.
“The citizens of Baltimore are overtaxed,” said Bundley, who suggested taking money from the city?s “disparity tax” from the state to pay for extra recreation centers.
Dixon said her administration already had made progress on BUILD?s agenda.
“We are expecting to add 153 people for our summer camp programs, as well as for after-school programs,” Dixon said, adding that she plans to fund affordable housing to the tune of $150 million during the next year with a mixture of borrowing and money from the city?s general fund.
Carter spent part of her five minutes connecting a decline in recreation centers with the city?s climbing number of homicides.
“There is a direct correlation between 130 homicides thus far this year and the closing of recreation centers,” she said. “I think we need to tell the whole truth about that.”
Better use of resources was Mitchell?s strategy for funding BUILD?s agenda.
“We spent $37 million on police overtime so the money is theer,” he said. “It?s a matter of priorities.”
And while the candidates took the bulk of the time, three city council president hopefuls also had their say.
“I grew up in a recreation center,” said City Council Member Kenneth Harris. “That?s why I negotiated $9 million to build new recreation centers as part of my vote for the convention center hotel.”
But decreasing the property tax was an essential ingredient for the city?s long-term growth, said City Council President Stephanie Rawlings-Blake.
“We cannot continue to grow the city without a better tax scheme, so I do not support keeping the property tax where it is,” she said.
Michael Sarbanes, the latest candidate to enter the race for City Council president, said he would fully support all of BUILD?s agenda.
“It?s an agenda of hope, and it recognizes that our children are our future.”
