Zac Blanchard
Democratic
Jurisdiction Baltimore City (11)
“I’m fighting for a city full of safe, vibrant, and good neighborhoods that our neighbors want to stay in and our kids will want to raise their kids in.”
Vacancy Tax
Baltimore City has over 13,000 abandoned homes that cost the City $200 million a year and tell far too many of our young people there’s no future in their neighborhood. We can solve this crisis by increasing property taxes on vacant and blighted properties. This will encourage owners to either improve their property or to sell it. We can then pump that new $50 million a year into helping fight the vacancy crisis.
People-Powered Campaign
If you want to lead at the grassroots, you need to fundraise at the grassroots. That’s why I’m not accepting any contributions above $150, or from hard-to-track sources. My constituents will never need to worry about me being “bought out” by moneyed interests.
Electoral Reform
Independent redistricting. Redistricting should be done by an independent commission right after a census, not by the mayor and council president right before an election.
Special elections. When a councilperson steps down mid-term, we should have a special election to pick their successor, just like in the rest of America. The council president should not be able to hand-pick councilmembers.