There’s perhaps not much charming about graffiti tags on buildings, streets littered with trash, empty lots packed with used tires, or abandoned pickup trucks filled with building materials left on the side of the road.
Baltimore’s city government is responsible for addressing some of the major quality of life issues related to cleanliness across Charm City. Agencies like the Department of Public Works and the Department of Housing and Community Development work to make Baltimore a cleaner and more vibrant city. The next mayor will oversee those agencies and direct efforts to keep Baltimore looking good.
Residents will pick from a crowded field of candidates in May’s primary election on whose vision for Baltimore is needed right now.
“We’ve made a lot of progress,” said incumbent Mayor Brandon Scott, who is seeking reelection. “There’s still so much more work to do.”
Running against Scott is former Mayor Sheila Dixon, and Thiru Vignarajah, who has previously run for multiple city posts including Mayor and Baltimore City State’s Attorney. Businessman Bob Wallace and school teacher Wendy Bozel are also Democrats vying for the city’s top post.
Baltimore Fishbowl’s 2024 mayoral candidates issues coverage is including candidates with an active campaign website and who are receiving contributions into their campaign accounts. Scott, Dixon, Wallace, Bozel and Vignarajah meet those criteria.
Vignarajah said he’s heard “countless reports from citizens” that reports about issues like graffiti and illegal dumping filed through the 311 call center have been closed weeks later with no work done to address the complaint.
“It is incredibly frustrating to those residents,” he said. “What we’re going to do is to make sure that there’s a measure of transparency and accountability around these efforts.”
Vignarajah told Baltimore Fishbowl he’s eyeing a new 311 dashboard, with geolocated photos and a map denoting the time a ticket has been open. He won’t let tickets be “administratively” closed without action; they’ll need to be closed by a city worker and a new photo showing the issue being addressed. The new dashboard, he said, would demonstrate accountability.
Tackling a growing graffiti issue
Baltimore was among the cities that faced a rise in illegal graffiti tagging amid the COVID pandemic – which forced the suspension of some clean-up services. Since services have resumed, the city is playing catch-up.
Scott reactivated the Department of Public Works graffiti team, which former Mayor Jack Young suspended early in the pandemic. Scott also included graffiti removal citywide as part of a 90-day city services blitz last April.
Scott said he’s also worked with the Downtown Partnership of Baltimore in order to help fund an expansion of graffiti removal to private property. The city cannot remove graffiti from such property.
The mayor said if reelected he’d continue to engage artists on projects that showcase art on city assets like electrical boxes. “Those are ways to keep those folks who may be or may not be doing graffiti…engaged and showcasing art that beautifies the city,” he said.
Dixon wants stronger enforcement of anti-graffiti laws. She also previously told Baltimore Fishbowl she’d like to tap into street artists’ talent in a more “constructive way.”
For Bozel, graffiti is often a symptom of truancy in Baltimore City schools. Fifty-four percent of Baltimore City school children are chronically late.
If elected she’d task the police with stronger enforcement as well, hoping police can help “hold them accountable.” Though Bozel agrees that the city can also do more to curate the work of graffiti artists in a positive way.
Litter and illegal dumping persist
Dixon called dumping across the city “horrendous.” If elected, she’d plan to work with the private sector to restart once monthly bulk trash pickups. Dixon also said the city needs to do a better job engaging communities across the city to clean up in their own backyard.
“All mayors did those cleanups—spring cleanup and fall cleanup—but the one thing that’s missing is regular, consistent cleanups within the communities,” she said, adding that the Department of Public Works could provide neighborhoods with trash bags and drums for picking up litter.
“Twice a year is not enough,” Wallace said of the mayor’s annual spring and annual fall cleanup days.
Wallace wants to facilitate a culture of cleanliness across the city by equipping neighborhoods with trash bins and dump trucks or “whatever it is” to make it easy. “One of the things we have to do in the city, we have to invest in the little issues,” Wallace said. “You know, graffiti, trash on the street.”
Scott said he is working on a charter amendment to increase civil penalties for illegal dumping.
The mayor said he’s also worked with advocates in Annapolis to expand the powers of the special investigations unit of the Department of Housing and Community Development, to pursue dumpers. That team also secured more cameras across the city to catch dumpers in the act.
“When someone dumps…they’re delivering a message about what they think about our residents. They’re saying that our residents are trash,” Scott said.
Vignarajah also plans to “dramatically increase fines” for illegal dumping, if elected.
He said the city must also do a better job making it easier for commercial haulers to do the right thing. As mayor he’d have community drop-off centers open seven days a week, and he’d like to have some open 24 hours.
“A lot of these haulers like getting the work done during the day, and they’d love to throw it away at 10 p.m. At 10 p.m., nothing’s open,” he said. “So they just go dump it when nobody else is looking.”
Bozel wants to see more “Dumpster days,” giving residents an opportunity to do neighborhood cleanups with an assist from the Department of Public Works. Bozel, who has led the Upper Fells Point Improvement Association, said twice annual dumpster days are not enough for communities to handle their bulk trash removal.
Bozel, if elected, would also debut “Charm City cleanup,” a public relations campaign that includes neighborhood contests for beautifying the city.
“We do have a really charming city,” she said. “Let’s clean it up so people can see past the trash.”
Full mayoral campaign issues coverage:
Mayoral candidates on bicycle transportation
Mayoral candidates on supporting art
Mayoral candidates on the environment
Mayoral candidates on vacant properties
Mayoral candidates on recycling, trash collection and public works
Mayoral candidates on graffiti, dumping and cleanliness
Mayoral candidates on jobs and the economy
Mayoral candidates on large development projects and special tax treatment
Mayoral candidates on squeegee workers and youth recreation
Mayoral candidates on crime and public safety
