The primary candidates running for Baltimore City Council president faced off in the 2024 Democratic City Council President Debate at Morgan State University Wednesday afternoon on April 17.

The three candidates, incumbent Baltimore City Council President Nick Mosby, Shannon Sneed and Zeke Cohen debated several priority talking points in the debate while WBAL-TV Anchor Jason Newton moderated. The audience consisted of Morgan’s faculty, students and staff.

Mosby touted his record and said he, Mayor Brandon Scott and Councilwoman Odette Ramos — the first Latinx person elected into Baltimore’s City Council — proposed two inclusive housing bills to make better affordable housing options available to residents. The proposals, which he called “House Baltimore,” aim to revive the $1 dollar housing program and allow residents to buy vacant homes, thereby providing the working class with an affordable path to home ownership.

“They’ve been disproportionately disinvested in and it’s time to put them at the front of the line. That is consistent with all of the policies I put forth today,” Mosby said. “You know it is an absolute shame that a child growing up in Sandtown-Winchester will statistically live 20 years less than a child growing up in Roland Park. We have some of the best medical institutions in the world and yet we have profound health disparities in our city.”

All of the candidates have served as council members and shared their stances on Baltimore’s public safety, the redevelopment of Baltimore’s Harborplace — a controversial deal which will revamp a portion of the Inner Harbor — public transportation and the quality of Baltimore City’s public schools.

“We have some of the best colleges and universities … Some of the best hospitals, creatives, artists, restaurants, we have so much great here in Baltimore already,” said Cohen. “But we deserve better when it comes to city services and city leadership — and that is what I will bring to this job.” 

Cohen has served as the District 1 councilman since 2016 and pointed to his work of rebuilding O’Donnell Heights, which is now called Key’s Point.

Sneed served as the councilwoman representing District 13 from 2016 to 2020 and was second behind Mosby after the 2020 primary. Mosby received 40.2% of the democratic vote at the time, while Sneed trailed with 29.4%. She said she heard firsthand that Baltimore residents want to see a difference.

“I’ve sat at the table. I’ve heard them say, ‘Shannon, I can’t get my child to just have a good book in our schools. I can’t get my child public transportation to get to the school,’ ” Sneed said. “Those are the things that make a difference in our neighborhoods. Those are the things that make a difference in our communities. We need amenities in our communities, good schools in our communities and parks in our communities.”

Since the previous election for city council president, Sneed has championed several initiatives such as her work that introduced legislation for Baltimore’s Displaced Service Workers Protection Ordinance in 2017 and sponsored a bill requiring all of Baltimore City’s top government officials to reside in Baltimore.

“It’s so much more than just moving into a neighborhood,” said Sneed. “It’s making sure that we have the resources that’s actually coming down from the federal government, from the state government to the local government — it’s making sure that we invest in our communities.”

The upcoming redevelopment deal of Harborplace was a focal point for Mosby, who spoke about the challenges Baltimore has when facing major redevelopment and economic progress. Mosby said he has “very severe concerns” about the way Sneed constructed the Harborplace bill and that between Sneed’s wording and Cohen’s support, he’s concerned they structured it to favor unions to secure their endorsement. Sneed responded and said the Project Labor Agreements in place merely allowed everyone to state the agreed upon items.

“[In] what project do you not come to the table and determine what the stipulations are?” Sneed said. “We can do that, you can put in the stipulations and that’s why it’s important to have project labor agreements.”

According to Sneed, her intentions are to ensure projects begin and end on time, ensure people are paid on time and have an opportunity to work on the project. Cohen also shared his plans to allow Baltimoreans to work on the upcoming city projects.

“We’ve got to make sure [that] when development happens in our city, when we grow our population, that we — Baltimoreans — particularly our young people, benefit from that growth,” said Cohen.

Cohen graduated from Goucher College and worked as a Social Studies teacher for middle schools in West and South Baltimore prior to his career in politics. He introduced and later signed the Elijah Cummings Healing Act into law in February of 2020. The bill is the first of its kind to “help identify children who have experienced things like violence, abuse and neglect and get them the help they need.” Its passing made Baltimore the first U.S. city to pass legislation regarding trauma-responsive care for children and citizens.

As the debate closed, candidates offered their final statements to voters. Sneed declared, “I have done more common-sense legislation than any of my opponents” and reiterated her efforts to ensure public officials — like the police commissioner and the mayor’s cabinet — lived within Baltimore’s city limits. Sneed also said she led legislation that required businesses to have dedicated lactation spaces in the workplace.

“I am essentially the one who has been fighting for Baltimore City and not just saying ‘I’m fighting for Baltimore City’ — but [I] have the legislation to back it up and prove it,” said Sneed.

Mosby spoke about leading the “Ban The Box” bill legislation, a bill that made it illegal for employers to conduct a criminal background check or ask about an applicant’s criminal record before offering employment.

“I’m about creating a city that’s going to create more Nick Mosby’s. That little boy who sat in Chinquapin Middle School thinking that the system failed him, but was able to become the electrical engineer that was trapped in his mind,” said Mosby. “That’s what we need to do and that’s what I’m committed to still doing. It’s about doing the work.”

Early voting for the Primary Election — which includes voting for the city council president — will begin May 2 and close May 9. Polls will be open from 7:00am to 8:00pm each day.