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“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?”

Making Baltimore fully unable to operate is one of the end goals for Sinclair. The term limits referendum was just like this - ostensibly populist proposal that actually just kills institutional memory and expertise and diverts an amount of power to interest groups like Sinclair. Imagine their machine just constantly churning out recall votes every few months.

There isn’t anything inherently wrong with the idea of recall elections, but I really don’t trust Sinclair to be doing it in the public’s interest.

(Slightly unrelated: I really want to learn how to get a referendum on the ballot because I want to get ranked choice and possibly multi-member districts in Baltimore.)

Too bad Brandon is making it so much easier to get this passed.

I am someone who isn't very well versed in politics, can you explain what you mean by this? (I'm aware of who Brandon is)

He's so spectacularly incompetent that being able to recall him seems so attractive that this referendum will pass with flying colors. They just have to position as the "get rid of Brandon" referendum.

Acting like black voters in Baltimore don't have agency to make political choices is a great way to bring into effect what you claim to fear.

Rather than pretending that white residents from a different county have all the power, why isn't a stronger case being made to Baltimore residents of all backgrounds to defeat the term limit measure?

what we really need is an open primary where the top 3 go to the general election, regardless of party (so you can have more than one Dem, similar to what california does). then ranked-choice with the remaining 3. having primaries be the only election that matters is a flawed way to do things. then, keep synched up to presidential cycle to increase turnout.

I actually do like the term limits. the "institutional knowledge" argument is horse shit.

if you're on the city council and you actually care about the city, your institutional knowledge won't be lost because you will take a job as either staff for a particular elected individual, or you will work some other role in the city government and maintain availability to answer questions and advise council members. Lawrence Rashad Anderson, Scott's Chief of Staff, makes $142k per year. if a councilperson refuses to get paid $142k for the sake of maintaining institutional knowledge, then they never cared about the city in the first place and we don't want them advising anyone.

I wish there was a legal way to stop Sinclair’a anti-democratic fuckery. Like, maybe imprison the Smith family for spreading Russian propaganda, or at least for poor taste

What do you think this post is?

Can you give a few examples of his policies you find to be incompetent? I don't feel I have a great read on what he's actually been up to while in office, frankly.

I do generally find him to be thoughtful when speaking on complex issues. But that's not policy.

Agreed on RCV. Alaska uses that exact system but with top 4, Nevada adopted top 5 in November.

> if you're on the city council and you actually care about the city, your institutional knowledge won't be lost because you will take a job as either staff for a particular elected individual, or you will work some other role in the city government and maintain availability to answer questions and advise council members

They’ll go straight into lobbying firms and that’s who will hold the power in the city. This happens every time in every state where legislative term limits get enacted. I think executive term limits are good and healthy, but legislative don’t tend to work out well.

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Well for one people are still getting murdered in Baltimore. Also the schools aren't fixed and income inequality is still rampant.

/s obviously. I just am tired of people acting like Scott should have turned the city around overnight or that any mayor really has any chance of doing it alone. Baltimore is in a supremely difficult situation and is frankly not equipped to tackle it alone. Unfortunately every decade or so the rest of Maryland elects someone determined to further degrade the city and the US at large has limited desire to do anything that would make progress on systemic issues in any city nationwide. It's really crazy that people think firing Brandon Scott into the sun will magically turn it all around.

I'll say this -- compared to a few of the last Mayors we've had, he seems like a major improvement, at least based on him not being involved with literal crimes (that I know of?)

I would vote for him again at the current rate, just to give him some more time to move things forward. Like you, I don't think expecting miracles in one term is terribly realistic.

With that said, I'd still be interested to learn what things he's done that some folks find genuinely incompetent.

if they're that easily bought, then we didn't want them as councilmembers. that's why the "but what about the institutional knowledge" argument does not work.

either

1. they care about the city, they will take a (well-paid) job that allows them to still assist incoming members. or
2. they don't care and were just in it to make money, in which case WE WANT THEM GONE.

Yes imprisoning people whose politics I disagree with is a great move! Why didn't we think of this sooner?

Serious question: is Baltimore already ungovernable?

Because its too easy to claim some boogeyman is out to destroy the city for purposes that are always vague beyond they are evil people doing evil things for no other reason than evil.

Recall elections would be a disaster for a city that already can’t get anything done.

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Dixon, Blake, Pugh, Scott...50% of these went to jail for crimes committed. Our last SA is being federally indicted.. Her husband who is also a criminal is still on the City Council.

Maybe we should be focusing less on recall elections and more on why people want recall elections. How about our politicians stop being lying criminal pieces of shit for at least a few elections cycles before saying "Hey, you shouldn't have the power to kick us out of office when we are lying criminal pieces of shit."

You were too busy blowing cops

But do you seriously think there shouldn’t be laws against using a media empire to spread foreign propaganda? Or just spread any propaganda that is wildly conflicting with the good of the people?

Do media outlets have zero responsibility in your mind?

Brandon Scott a lame and real sellout

I think the tricky thing with recall elections is that they’re not candidate vs. candidate, but rather “I like this person” vs. “I don’t like this person”. Unless you have a really good picture of who’s going to fill the seat, it’s easy to throw out the current politician and then wind up with someone worse.

Well first, wishing there were a way to revoke their broadcast licenses given that they're a public resource being so maliciously used.

Right, exactly. Some people act like people have privileges and corporations have rights.

Scott was one of the best shots we had in a while, and yet most of the Offices and Departments are struggling bad right now.

I've heard ppl blame it on Scott or the Scott administration, but I don't think that's it.

I don't know what you are talking about. And I suspect you don't either.

In a democracy, people get the politicians they deserve.

Surprised pikachu face lol keep putting same people in

What are you thoughts on https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/47/230 ? Should website owners be responsible for all the content posted on there?

>How about our politicians stop being lying criminal pieces of shit

This isn't a proposal.

If that was the case no one would complain about our politicians.

>if you're on the city council and you actually care about the city, your institutional knowledge won't be lost because you will take a job as either staff for a particular elected individual

Wow this is some of the worst logic I have read in a minute.

Yup. Congresses approval rating is like 20% but people elect aa lot of incumbents.

While I agree with the sentiment that spreading foreign-influenced propaganda is a bad thing, I think it's worrying that people are upvoting the suggestion of locking people up for stuff like that. Speech that is distasteful or you disagree with should not automatically be banned and surely not a reason for imprisoning people.

The city government probably needs a firm reboot.

​

calling for imprisonment of a family? whatever world you live in sounds much more dangerous and threating and than anything we live in today

Russians propaganda? You mean the FBI spreading Russian propaganda fears to kill a news story about a future presidents son and his laptop?

Or NYT/WAPO for spreading the same fears...

If you think spreading propaganda is just a sinclair problem...look around..

He has been a Baltimore politician since he graduated college... I don't think he's ever even had another job in his professional life. I still don't get why anybody thought he was the one to bring about change.

horse shit. the logic is fine. if someone cares about the city, there are plenty of jobs in the city where they can work aside from city council, many of which pay incredibly well. if six-figure jobs are not enough to entice someone to be helpful to the incoming council member, then they don't care about the city.

there are also highly paid consultancy positions that many companies and governments pay in order to get institutional knowledge from people who have left or retired. the institution knowledge argument is the one has no logic.

Yup, maybe people who pay attention to whom and what they are voting for.

Or better yet, maybe more people should actually VOTE.

That implies Baltimore was governable to begin with.

The issue is also the lack of a civic/municipal workforce that doesnt eat its young. Look no further than the DOT for an example.

Tons of people vote which is how we get Baltimore politicians elected.

> The term limits referendum was just like this - ostensibly populist proposal that actually just kills institutional memory and expertise and diverts an amount of power to interest groups like Sinclair.

I thought the bigger impetus was to exit stage left some of the bad politicians that didn't want to leave otherwise or just didn't serve the public interest. I'm sure this sub can think of a few... 4-8 years is a lot of time after all.

Technically, only 25%. Dixon never went to jail.