The state’s largest union for municipal workers, American Federation of State, County and Municipal Workers (AFSCME) Maryland Council 3, is throwing its weight behind Democrats Brandon Scott for Baltimore City mayor and Zeke Cohen for Council President.
The union represents workers in transportation, public works, parks and recreation and some city schools employees who gathered at their annex on Ostend Street and chanted for “four more years” of Mayor Scott.
“Many of our members have worked in Baltimore for decades and can remember what candidates have (and haven’t) done for working families over the last 30+ years. We want ethical people to lead our city to a prosperous future,” said AFSCME Maryland President Patrick Moran where he described the mayor and Cohen as supporting the unionization efforts of the city’s cultural institutions. Scott was a supporter of the unionization efforts at the Walters Art Museum and the Enoch Pratt Library early on in his tenure as mayor.
Campaign finance reports show that the union donated $5,000 to the Scott campaign in January.
In her remarks, Dorothy Bryant, a 55-year city employee and President of Local 44 took aim at Scott’s competitor — former Mayor Sheila Dixon.
“I was here in the early [2000s] when they were closing libraries, cutting back on city services, making staffing decisions that hurt public services,” she said. During Dixon’s tenure in a tight economy, the former mayor decided to make cuts to services like pools and recreation centers.
Moran explained that the union sent out a survey and conducted interviews with the candidates to help make their decisions.
“Baltimore has always been a working people’s town and it is going to remain that way,” said Councilmember Zeke Cohen, currently serving District One, as he accepted the endorsement.
He recounted his fight to increase wages for contracted city sanitation workers. “We treated them like they were essentially expendable and I’m proud to say that with my colleague [Scott] we stood and we fought back,” said Cohen. He told the audience that those workers were able to get a six-dollar raise, healthcare and become part of the union.
Cohen is running against incumbent Council President Nick Mosby, also a Democrat.
In addition to praising the city’s union labor, Mayor Scott also took aim at some of the financial backings behind Dixon.
“I will never put Baltimore City out for sale for the highest bidder. This election is also about the democracy of Baltimore and whether it’s up for sale for Republicans who live in Baltimore County to folks who say they’re media outlets or the mouthpiece of Donald Trump,” said Scott. That’s a reference to David Smith, the Cockeysville-based chairman of Sinclair Broadcast Group, whose flagship station is local outlet WBFF-Fox 45, and the new co-owner of The Baltimore Sun. During the Trump presidency, Sinclair reportedly forced its news stations to run “pro-Trump” news segments. Smith has also donated $100,000 to a super PAC that supports Dixon (Smith’s nephew, Alex Smith of the Atlas Restaurant Groups has also given $50,000).
Dixon continues to lead Scott in the polls but the gap is closing. A poll released by the Dixon campaign earlier this month puts her up 3% from Scott.
The Dixon and Mosby campaigns did not respond immediately to requests for comment.
Former Deputy Attorney General for Maryland Thiru Vignarajah and Baltimore businessman Bob Wallace are also running in the democratic primary.
AFSCME also endorsed Comptroller Bill Henry and eleven other candidates in the city council race. Moran said the union is still considering who to endorse in a few of those districts, including in District One which is being vacated by Cohen as he runs for president. All of the council endorsements are for Democrats.
Those include:
- Council District 2: Danielle McCray
- Council District 3: Ryan Dorsey
- Council District 5: Isaac "Yitzy" Schleifer
- Council District 6: Sharon Middleton
- Council District 7: James Torrence
- Council District 8: Paris Gray
- Council District 9: John Bullock
- Council District 10: Phylicia Porter
- Council District 11: Eric Costello
- Council District 12: Jermaine Jones
- Council District 14: Odette Ramos
