State’s largest union for city, county, and state employees endorses Brandon Scott for Mayor, Zeke Cohen for City Council President, and Bill Henry for City Comptroller
Baltimore — On Thursday, March 21, AFSCME Maryland announced endorsements for the following Baltimore City offices:
- Mayor: Brandon Scott
- Comptroller: Bill Henry
- City Council President: Zeke Cohen
- City Council District 2: Danielle McCray
- City Council District 3: Ryan Dorsey
- City Council District 5: Isaac "Yitzy" Schleifer
- City Council District 6: Sharon Middleton
- City Council District 7: James Torrence
- City Council District 8: Paris Gray
- City Council District 9: John Bullock
- City Council District 10: Phylicia Porter
- City Council District 11: Eric Costello
- City Council District 12: Jermaine Jones
- City Council District 14: Odette Ramos
AFSCME Maryland Council 3 represents thousands of workers who live and/or work in Baltimore. AFSCME Locals 44, 558, and 2202, are local unions affiliated with AFSCME Maryland, and represent workers in many of the city’s agencies, including in Transportation, Public Works, Recreation and Parks, the Health Department, the Mayor's Office of Children & Family Success, and in Baltimore city schools.
“We have members of our union that live in every City Council district. Many of our members have worked in Baltimore for decades and can remember what candidates have (and haven’t) done for working families over the last 30+ years. We want ethical people to lead our city to a prosperous future. Mayor Scott believes in unions and what we stand for, but more importantly, he does the work to ensure Baltimore’s working people are provided with good pay and benefits. Councilman Cohen has been someone who is unafraid to get involved, roll up his sleeves, and stand with us as we fight for working families. And Comptroller Henry has long been supported by AFSCME. His leadership as a city council member and now in the Comptroller's office is admirable. He has stood with us in countless fights against privatization and supported our work organizing cultural institutions throughout Baltimore,” said AFSCME Maryland President Patrick Moran.
“AFSCME’s support of our campaign is a testament to the kind of future Baltimore City deserves and can have if we stay focused on doing things the right away. The corrupt, failed, and broken policies of the past only distracted Baltimore from reaching its full potential. Today, working alongside great partners like AFSCME, Baltimore is turning the page on the disinvestment of the past and building up our people and communities like never before. These are the people and values I fight for everyday and it’s evident by the leaders who have signed up in support of our campaign. I will never sell our city out to the highest bidder, no matter how much money they try to funnel into this election in support of candidates who want to take us back to the failed, corrupt, and broken policies of the past,” said Mayor Brandon Scott.
“I am incredibly honored to receive the endorsement of AFSCME. From helping hotel staff unionize a Marriott to standing up for sanitation workers and delivering a major pay-raise plus healthcare, my commitment to working people is unwavering. I look forward to partnering with AFSCME to move Baltimore forward as the next City Council President,” said Councilman Zeke Cohen.
AFSCME convened a committee of member leaders who work in Baltimore to decide on these endorsements. Committee members reviewed candidate answers to questionnaires and interviewed candidates. The final endorsements were based off of a candidate’s commitment to supporting working people, their record of supporting AFSCME members and union organizing, and the viability of their candidacy. With a long history in Baltimore city, AFSCME took into account candidates’ current and past records.
“I was here in the early 2000s when they were closing libraries, cutting back on city services, and making staffing decisions that hurt public services and the City. We can’t go back to the past, and we need people to lead our city that will support AFSCME members and Baltimore’s working families. Our future can be bright with Mayor Brandon Scott, Zeke Cohen, Bill Henry and the rest of our endorsed candidates,” said AFSCME Local 44 President Dorothy Bryant, who has worked for Baltimore city for nearly 55 years.
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About AFSCME Maryland Council 3
AFSCME Maryland Council 3 represents nearly 45,000 public service workers in local, city, county and state government as well as in higher education who provide the valuable public services that our communities rely on. From Western Maryland to the Eastern Shore, we make Maryland happen.
