Members of 74th Baltimore City Council term hear from former leaders at Coppin State University

By Tashi McQueen
AFRO Staff Writer
tmcqueen@afro.com

Newly sworn-in Baltimore City Council President Zeke Cohen (D) convened members of the Baltimore City Council at Coppin State University (CSU) on Dec. 9 for the first installment of a two-day retreat. 

“The purpose of this retreat is for us to be able to build a culture of collaboration, a culture of learning,” said Cohen. “We have a council with some truly incredibly talented people on it, and it’s going to be incumbent on us to harness that talent.”

Councilmen Mark Parker (D-01), Paris Gray (D-08), Zac Blanchard (D-11) and Jermaine Jones (D-12) were sworn in on Dec. 5, alongside their colleagues, as the four new members of the council.

Members of this recently sworn-in council include Vice President Sharon Green Middleton (D-06); Parker (D-01); Danielle McCray (D-02); Ryan Dorsey (D-03); Mark Conway (D-04); Isaac “Yitzy” Schleifer (D-05); James Torrence (D-07); Gray (D-08); John Bullock (D-09); Phylicia Porter (D-10); Blanchard (D-11); Jones (D-12); Antonio “Tony” Glover (D-13) and Odette Ramos (D-14).

There are now nine Black leaders serving on the council.

Members of the media were permitted to attend the initial portion of the program, which included remarks by Cohen and a panel of former council members. 

Cohen kicked off the meeting, explaining why he chose to hold the retreat at CSU.

“It was very important that we started this retreat here at Coppin,” said Cohen. “There has been some extraordinary growth along North Avenue–North Avenue Rising–in the last couple of months and years.”

North Avenue Rising was a project to increase mobility along the North Avenue corridor to help residents connect to economic opportunities throughout the city. The project was completed in 2022.

Cohen highlighted how “deeply dedicated” CSU is to the Baltimore community.

CSU President Anthony Jenkins has chaired the West North Avenue Development Authority (WNADA) since 2021. WNADA is leading the way for the revitalization of the West Baltimore corridor, where CSU is located, to benefit residents, improve economic opportunities and much more.

“I’m very proud that 70 percent of our graduates stay in the state of Maryland after they graduate–over 50 percent stay in Baltimore City,” said Jenkins. “That is a significant contribution that Coppin Eagles are adding to this city and this state over a five, 10, 15, 20-year period.”

The panel featured former Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake, former Mayor Jack Young and former U.S. Senator Barbara Mikulski. Rawlings-Blake served on the council for 15 years, Young for 23 years and Mikulski for five years.

The panel reflected on their time in office and offered advice for the new council. 

“Anybody can point a finger at a problem. It takes someone who wants to be a public servant to sit down and try to work on solutions, ” said Rawlings-Blake. “That’s what I would beg you to focus on, the solutions.”

Young advised the council on an array of topics including how members should remain aware of how they conduct themselves in the public eye.

“I would encourage as much as possible to work along with the mayor,” said Young. “You’re not going to agree with the mayor all the time, but that’s something that you all can talk about in-house, not outhouse.”

Council members were advised throughout the meeting to refrain from going to the media about their concerns before trying to work it out with their colleagues, council president or mayor.

Over the two days, council members are expected to hear from an array of leaders and educators as they construct their vision for the next term of the Baltimore City Council.

“We are going to visit a sanitation yard to discuss what can happen when the city engages in effective oversight of city agencies,” said Cohen. “We’re going to have sessions on restorative practices, and how we can facilitate and mediate challenging conversations.”

The post Members of 74th Baltimore City Council term hear from former leaders at Coppin State University appeared first on AFRO American Newspapers.