* Warning: This is an unofficial, introductory copy of the bill.
The official copy considered by the City Council is the first reader copy.
Introductory*
City of Baltimore
Council Bill R
(Resolution)
Introduced by: Councilmember Costello, Council President Scott, and Councilmember Stokes
A Resolution Entitled
A Council Resolution concerning
title
Recognizing Mayor Young’s Service to the Citizens of Baltimore
For the purpose of recognizing and thanking Mayor Bernard C. “Jack” Young for his years of service to Baltimore City.
body
Recitals
For the past 20-plus years, Mayor Bernard C. “Jack” Young has woken up each day with a single thought in his mind: how to make things better for the City and people of Baltimore.
Mayor Young began serving the residents of Baltimore City in October of 1996 as a Baltimore City Councilmember in what was then District 2. Mayor Young was subsequently re-elected to the Baltimore City Council until the districts were reformed to single-member seats in 2003. In that year, he was re-elected as the Councilmember from District 12 and was re-elected by his constituents again in 2007. In February 2010, his colleagues elected him to serve as President of the City Council when then-City Council President Stephanie C. Rawlings-Blake ascended to the Mayor’s Office. Mayor Young was re-elected as Council President twice and then himself ascended to become the 51st Mayor of Baltimore City. In total, he has served Baltimore City honorably and with the utmost dedication for the better part of the past 24 years.
In his years of service, he has never lost sight of the community in which he grew up and the betterment of the City, especially for the City’s youth. He sponsored an innovative Charter amendment creating a “Children and Youth Fund” so that our City’s children and youth could have a decided source of funding for programs and organizations that directly benefitted them. He was the sponsor of the bill that became our Inclusionary Housing law, and helped to shepherd the legislation that led to transformational changes that have occurred or will occur at the East Baltimore Development Inc. area, at Harbor Point, and at Port Covington. Moreover, Mayor Young has been a tireless champion for recreational opportunities for our youth in Baltimore City as he knows just how much good it can be to provide our kids with chances to get their energy out in positive ways.
In addition, Mayor Young has famously put on an annual Toys for Tots campaign, collecting scores of toys for underprivileged children. He increased funding for senior citizen activities and held an annual senior symposium to have a conversation with Baltimore seniors about their concerns and connecting them with vital government services.
Never one to shy away from controversy when it meant doing the right thing, Mayor Young was the first elected official to request that the federal Department of Justice study and take action on Baltimore policing patterns and practices and was the lead sponsor of legislation to require body cameras be worn by all police officers at all times.
As Mayor, Mayor Young faced challenge-after-challenge, beginning with the ransomware attack and continuing to the COVID-19 pandemic, a summer of social justice protests, and a gas explosion in a residential Northwest Baltimore neighborhood. Throughout these challenges, Mayor Young continued to make the safety and welfare of Baltimoreans his highest priority and became the steadying hand at the helm that our City needed to navigate these times. Indeed, despite these challenges, as Mayor, Mayor Young worked with state legislators to develop a plan that would keep Preakness in Baltimore for perpetuity ending years of uncertainty.
Mayor Young’s legacy as a public servant is pre-ordained. He served his City with humility, class, and always with an eye for the least fortunate among us. He believed to his core that government and the services it could offer was something that could be used to improve people’s lives. There is no doubt that he has left his indelible mark on the city that he loves so much.
Now, therefore, be it resolved by the City Council of Baltimore, That the Council, with the highest sense of gratitude, recognizes and thanks Mayor Bernard C. “Jack” Young for his years of service to Baltimore City.
And be it further resolved, That a copy of this Resolution be sent to the Mayor and the Mayor’s legislative liaison to the City Council.