“The populist appeal here is apparent. Heck, if a politician is doing a really bad job, wouldn’t it be nice to see that person get the boot? But, alas, we’ve seen too many examples around the country where recall elections are thinly veiled partisan exercises to try to boost Republican influence — or just throw a monkey wrench at government. Or maybe it’s about right-wing media influence.

PEACE is financed almost entirely by Sinclair Broadcast Group Inc. Chairman David Smith, owners of WBFF Fox45 where the newsroom mantra seems to be, “How can we attack a predominantly Black city today in a way that really satisfies our predominantly white suburban viewers?” The single-mindedness and shameful lack of context given the station’s coverage of school test scores provide the most recent example.

Maryland already has a law that can remove a Baltimore mayor convicted of a crime or “willful neglect” of duty or other misbehavior. It requires the governor to simply remove that person, and then a special election is held. And Baltimoreans will remember the most recent mayoral scandals, involving Catherine Pugh and Sheila Dixon, did not require voter intervention. So what exactly is the problem that the recall election seeks to address?”