Early voting runs until May 9th for Maryland’s primary election on May 14th. Zeke Cohen, 38, is one of the four people vying to be Baltimore’s next City Council President. He is competing against former Councilwoman Shannon Sneed and incumbent Nick Mosby for the Democratic nomination, in a contested primary.
The victor will be responsible for assigning Councilmembers to committees, setting the agenda for meetings and is next in line, if the mayor were to leave office. The Council President is the city’s second highest elected position.
“Baltimoreans want and deserve better city services,” said the sophomore councilman, who represents southeast Baltimore. “The job of the city council president is to deliver effective services by holding city agencies accountable. So, I want a government that is delivering, that is not constantly caught up in conflicts.”
Cohen spoke to WYPR while canvassing in the Glen neighborhood of northern Park Heights. The residents — a mix of Orthodox Jews and African Americans — said they are mostly concerned with subpar services. The father of two, explained his vision to a neighbor, while she was out on a leisurely walk.
“I want to make sure all of our schools have heat and air conditioning. I want to make sure we get universal pre-k like D.C,” said Cohen.
“Yeah!” exclaimed the neighbor, revealing she is a school teacher.
“Want to make sure our streets are a little more safe,” continued Cohen.
“Law enforcement needs to be community policing, walking and talking to folks. And then just the quality of life, trash and recycling should be picked up weekly. The pools need to open up on time–”
“Especially when it's hot,” she added enthusiastically.
Last summer, Cohen went head-to-head with Recreation & Park officials when pools failed to open on time. As the news of children being turned away from city pools spread, Cohen worked with neighborhood associations to bring a Pop-up Splash Pad to the Patterson Park Pool, located in his district.
As he continued engaging with residents, Jennifer Oshinsky voiced concerns about crime. “The carjackings, it's happened twice in front of my house in the last year,” she lamented.
“That's what we need to completely cut down on,” Cohen concurred.
His strategy involves implementing trauma-informed training for police officers, making sure public safety officials meet in the afflicted neighborhoods and funding the Public Safety Apprenticeship Program. State’s Attorney Ivan Bates has endorsed Cohen, with both emphasizing the need to pair services with accountability, especially for juvenile offenders.
Cohen leads in endorsements and fundraising in spite of spending $384,000. His current cash balance, is $150,000 according to the latest campaign finance report. Generous donations poured in from the Baltimore Teachers Union, the Eastern Council of Carpenters and Bill Stromberg, Board Chair of the T. Rowe Price Group. City Comptroller Bill Henry and State Comptroller Brooke Lierman have also endorsed Cohen.
“We are building a coalition unlike what Baltimore has ever seen,” said Cohen. “I am incredibly proud that we have support from a number of elected officials, folks in the small business community, and our partners in organized labor like the teachers union, the hotel workers at Unite Here local 7, the building trades.”
Despite this support, Cohen is committed to spreading his message citywide, one door at a time. “I believe that Baltimore is on the brink of a renaissance. We can be that one city that figured out how to grow and retain population without displacement.”
In addition to setting legislative priorities, the council president is one of five members of the city’s Board of Estimates. The mayor, plus two appointees and the Comptroller, also sit on the board which has final say in the city’s expenditures. That power structure gives the city a strong-mayor system.
Last year, Cohen introduced a bill aimed at reforming or abolishing the Board of Estimates. Still in its first reading, the bill proposes a seven-member citizen task force to study how surrounding cities approve of contracts. Cohen said that if he is elected to council president, he will stand by that bill.
