Campaign Event Moved to August 9th
This past weekend, our community experienced an unspeakable tragedy. No community should ever be subjected to such unconscionable acts of horror, and as elected officials, we must hold ourselves and our government agencies to account to try to prevent future tragedies. While we cannot change the hurt, pain, and devastation that has wreaked havoc on the Brooklyn community, we can work to learn from what happened to bring answers to grieving families and the community. My prayers are with the victims and their families and I’d ask that you keep them in your thoughts as we navigate through this tragedy.
On Thursday, July 13th, the Baltimore City Council will be holding a public hearing to focus on the failures within our public safety infrastructure that betrayed our City at this year’s Brooklyn Day celebration. This is our priority as a community and as a City government.
I have spent my elected career working to improve the accountability and oversight of public safety in this City and I won’t stop now when we are so close to seeing real results for families and communities. My focus now is on supporting my Council colleagues and ensuring accountability from the BPD. I will be postponing my July 13th campaign event until Wednesday, August 9, 2023 from 6-8PM at Maximón, at 200 International Dr.
Finally, if you have any information, camera footage or other relevant material relating to this horrific event, please contact the Baltimore City Police Department. If you wish to remain anonymous, you can call Metro Crime Stopper at 1-866-7LOCKUP. We must work together to bring justice to the victims affected by this cowardly act of violence. As always, please feel free to reach out to me with any questions or concerns.
FY2023 Budget Passes Unanimously
Today, after the City Council’s Ways & Means Committee held 83 hours of hearings covering 45 different agencies, the City Council concluded Baltimore City’s FY2023 budget hearing process, unanimously approving the City’s $4.11 billion budget ($3.32 billion operating and $793 million capital). I would like to acknowledge the hard work and partnership of my colleagues on the Ways & Means Committee and members of the City Council at-large, as well as the Administration. Over the past few months I have been adamant about my desire to reorient this budget process back towards addressing the prime concerns of our residents: restoring core city services, addressing waste at the agency level, and confronting the violent crime plaguing our streets.
Public Safety Announcement – Budget Hearings
The City Council’s Ways & Means Committee is preparing to hold FY2023 budget hearings during the week of May 31 – June 07, 2022. Baltimore City is on a record pace for homicides this year. I intend to ensure this issue is treated with the same sense of urgency that our communities demand and expect during the upcoming budget hearings. As such, the following letters were issued to the appropriate agencies in advance of their budget hearings.
2022.05.19 – BPD – FY2023 Budget Letter (Costello)
