Bob's Commitments

Baltimore is in the midst of a violence and crime crisis. Having grown up in Cherry Hill as one of five boys, I experienced firsthand the detrimental effects of poverty, addiction and violence. My family faced the challenges too many young people and families in Baltimore are still facing today — a parent in recovery, jobs that did not pay enough for us to secure safe housing, a need for welfare and food stamps just to barely get by, heat and water cut off because my parents couldn’t pay the bills even though they worked hard. These are my roots and they’re what drives me to make Baltimore a better, fairer, safer place for all.

​

It’s time to hold elected officials accountable and root out the systemic corruption that has run rampant in the city for too long. I will create a new position focused on ethics and transparency—the city manager/chief ethics officer, who will work hand in hand with me to create more accountability and transparency at all levels of city government. Together, we will oversee the ethics of the city’s employees, budgets and elected officials.

​

As an ordained Elder in the Seventh Day Adventist Church, I understand the importance of faith-based institutions in connecting with and providing support to residents in their own communities. Many of Baltimore’s faith-based institutions are on the frontlines in communities plagued by crime and violence where they are the only source of hope for a future that is better than the present. As a young man growing up in the Cherry Hill community, it was our active and very present faith-based community that provided me moral guidance at a time in my life when I was torn between doing what was right or pursuing a path of crime and hopelessness.

​

All Baltimore residents deserve to live in a clean and healthy city. I will ensure that people living in underserved communities in our city have access to safe, clean, family-friendly affordable housing and medical care. I will collaborate with non-profits, community organizations, and local, regional and national foundations to ensure access to the services they need and to create a better quality of life for the people of these communities.

​

As mayor, I will establish public-private school partnerships, family-to-family partnerships and affluent-working class partnerships to unite the city. I will build a taskforce of leaders from public and private schools in Baltimore City and surrounding communities. This taskforce will create partnerships between public and private institutions to provide greater access to mentorship, educational resources, best practices and recreational programs for students in underserved communities.

​

One of my primary objectives in my first term will be to attract $1 billion of investment into Baltimore City. I will do this by making Baltimore a self-reliant city, working with CEOs across the city, state and country to brings jobs to Baltimore and open businesses in Baltimore. Small and medium-sized businesses are the heart of the city’s economy. By focusing on emerging industries like artificial intelligence, cryptocurrency, robotics, and biotechnology and middle-market businesses, we can make Baltimore an attractive city that young families will want to call home for the long haul.

​

As a product of Baltimore City Public Schools, I know that education is the foundation on which we build strong, resilient communities. The teachers I had at Poly helped me see and follow a path that I had never imagined for myself, and they provided me with the strong educational foundation I needed to succeed in college, grad school and business. That’s what I want for all of Baltimore’s children and that’s why I’m committed to investing in our youth and positioning them for academic success.

​