The Democratic candidates for Baltimore City Council president made appeals to voters Thursday for why each is best positioned to hold the office during a debate hosted by WBFF FOX45.
Appearing live from the station’s Baltimore studio, the Democratic field, which includes incumbent Council President Nick Mosby, Councilman Zeke Cohen and former Councilwoman Shannon Sneed, touted their legislative victories, noted connections to community groups and pledged to work for city voters.
Cohen, a sophomore councilman who has represented Canton, Fells Point and Highlandtown since 2016, highlighted his legislative efforts to mandate trauma-informed care and to increase transparency for lobbyists working to sway city politics. Cohen said the city “deserves better” than its current leadership, and suggested he could bring about that change.
“We grew by 5,700 people while much of the rest of the city shrunk,” Cohen said of his Southeast Baltimore district during his closing remarks. “That is the kind of leadership, whether its in Southeast or West or East or North or South Baltimore, that this city deserves.”
Mosby, the incumbent council leader, argued Baltimore needs a council president with grit, know-how and expertise. The former state delegate emphasized his past efforts to ban the box — barring employers from asking about someone’s criminal record — and to prevent city homeowners from losing their houses to tax sales as a result of unpaid water bills.
The council president said the council’s recent passage of inclusionary housing legislation, requiring developers to include affordable units when they build market rate housing, was delivered under his leadership.
“Tough times don’t last. Tough people do,” said Mosby. “We need someone who is going to show up every day and do the job, even through adversity.”
Mosby has faced that adversity during his tenure. He entered the 2024 race battered by testimony he delivered during the federal criminal trial of his ex-wife Marilyn Mosby. On the witness stand, Mosby took the blame for the couple becoming delinquent on their federal taxes; described having his car repossessed and his wages garnished; and admitted lying to the public during a 2020 news conference.
Without the jury present, government attorneys accused him of perjury, although no charges have been lodged against him. Marilyn Mosby was convicted on two counts of perjury and one count of mortgage fraud.
Sneed, a former member of the council who also ran for council president in 2020, made the case for herself as an advocate, fighting for increases to the minimum wage and ensuring that victims of police brutality have the opportunity to speak out. She noted that she has been funding her bid for office with public dollars, matched through the city’s public campaign financing program, offered for the first time this year.
“I’m not involved in this pay-to-play nonsense,” she said. “I’m not backed by developers or corporations or dark money. I’m supported by the people of Baltimore.”
If fundraising prowess is any indicator of likely success in the race, Cohen has so far led the pack. The councilman reported having $532,000 on hand in January, when reports were last due. Mosby reported having $183,000 on hand, a smaller but not insignificant sum considering he did not stand up a fundraising effort until late 2023. Sneed had $169,000 on hand, although her campaign said the total was closer to $233,000 including pending payments.
All three candidates who participated in Thursday’s debate are Democrats. The winner of the May 14 Democratic primary will face the lone Republican candidate, Emmanuel Digman, in November. In Baltimore, where Democrats greatly outnumber Republicans, the Democratic primary typically decides political races.
Candidates fielded questions from moderator and FOX45 political reporter Mikenzie Frost on Thursday about the city’s budget, law enforcement and education. Questions about how the city should spend its $641 million American Rescue Plan Act coronavirus relief money inspired lively conversation.
Mosby repeatedly touted the fact that he has voted against all ARPA spending as the chairman of the city Board of Estimates. Mayor Brandon Scott’s approach to spending the money, investing it into dozens of areas rather than on larger more-transformative projects, was not the right one, Mosby said. City officials said recently they may try to reallocate some funds as a deadline to obligate them approaches at the end of the year.
“I think it’s really about being more strategic, particularly when we get once-in-a-lifetime opportunities,” Mosby said.
In response to a question about how the city will fund city employees now paid for by ARPA when the money runs out, Cohen said he would like to see the city use more of the ARPA funds to support employee positions.
“I wish that we had been more strategic in making sure ARPA dollars supported Baltimoreans doing the work for Baltimore,” he said.
Sneed said the council needs to have regular hearings to ensure ARPA money is being properly spent. The council already hosts quarterly hearings on the funding and receives monthly written updates.
Mosby countered by arguing his opponents’ “rhetoric and platitudes” were “getting in the way of real execution.” ARPA money must be spent by the end of 2026. Using it for salaries is not a sustainable, long-term solution, he said. Cohen argued many other cities are using the funds to support salaries.
Candidates were also asked about whether they support renewing a contract for Sonja Santelises, CEO of Baltimore City Public Schools, who is currently negotiating with the board of school commissioners about whether she intends to lead the school system for another four years. Santelises has held the district’s highest-ranking position for eight years. Frost noted that the council president does not have the authority to make such a decision, but she said the opinion of the council president “carries a lot of weight.”
Only Sneed directly answered the question when pressed.
“I believe that if she can’t, you know, produce and have better results, then I don’t think she should be,” Sneed said of a contract renewal.
Mosby spoke at length about education, but ultimately said he did not have an answer on Santelises’ contract. “We can play musical chairs with our school CEO, but that’s us not looking in the mirror,” he said.
Cohen said the decision was the responsibility of the school board. “I think that we need a CEO who is fully focused on this job,” he said. “I’m not thrilled to see that it seems to be taking a very long time for them to come up with a decision.”
